bbeasley

I'm building up a new bike made of the highest end steel. I'm 57 y/0, 5'7", and bounce between 190 - 210 lbs. I enjoy aggressive club rides, usually 50 miles or so where the last 10 turn into a street race. I've raced once for real, 35 mile road race, and intend to do another one this year. At the height of my cycling fitness, last summer, I could ride 20 miles at 20 MPH (flat no wind) alone. Reality is that's probably about as good as it will ever get for me, I'm far from that currently as I'm recovering from a broken foot.

I'm not into fashion, trends*, or looking cool (impossible). My question is would I benefit from some shallowish carbon wheels? Would I actually feel the difference? Or should I just continue with the decent aluminum stuff I've been riding?


*I've got one goofy thing I really dig: Rear hubs that sound like a machine gun when you back off the pedals. I know, I swim in the shallow end of the pool.

sstorkel

I doubt you'll benefit from shallow carbon wheels. If you want to experience any real aero benefit, I'd suggest rims that are 50+mm in depth (ex: Zipp 404, Williams System 58, Reynolds 58 Aero or Strike, etc). I've ridden rims in the 30-40mm range and can't tell the difference between them and the 27 & 30mm aluminum wheels I normally use. I love to spend money on bikes, but I just couldn't justify the cost of shallow carbon wheels given my experience with them...

TrojanHorse

I agree with sstorkel, if you're going to get them get 50mm or more. You don't have a lot of hills near you, unless I miss my guess, so the chief criticism of inexpensive wheels (over heating clinchers delaminating or otherwise asploding) might make them suitable for you. By "them" I mean clinchers not branded Zipp nor Enve.

Or get tubulars and it really isn't a problem.

bbeasley

Thanks TH, your right on the money. No real hills a I wouldn't go 50mm anyway.