Originally Posted by
carpediemracing
I'd contest this remark. Placebos and all that, fine. But if you get a nice light wheelset (say sub-1400g, and if you're fortunate to have some, sub-1100g, and both of them tubulars) and a "regular" wheelset (1800?g), it's going to be hard to say that both wheels spin up at about the same effort.
In fact, if you get a chance to try two sets of wheels, you'll be astounded at how fast your bike accelerates. You literally need to adjust your riding style to accommodate the much shorter acceleration time.
I do something similar when I switch from winter wheels/tires to summer. There's about a 700g difference between the two. No difference so noticeable I need to adjust my riding style.
Again, do the test with a bike in a stand. You can spin up a bicycle wheel to well over 20 mph (literally) one-handed. It's not something that's going to make a difference.