Originally Posted by
SevenTwentyNine
Aero advantages are working for the rider all the time - actually no, most of the time is more accurate - but what people fail to realize, especially casual riders like most of the people here inquiring about aero wheels, is that these "advantages" are so minuscule it's almost hard to quantify it or even justify spending $X,XXX on aero wheels to improve your performance on your club rides.
If you're getting them for the head turning & showstopper effect then please proceed, your LBS or online retailer of choice will absolutely appreciate the monetary contribution. However if you're CAT 4 or lower and think aero wheels is a missing piece in the puzzle .... then no, just no.
Are you saying there's a moment where a shallow section rim is more aero than a deep section rim? Aside from stationary, I don't think so, and even if I'm wrong about that theoretically, I'd bet that in practice that moment doesn't exist out on the road; I've never seen anyone quantify aero-disadvantages, anyway. Lots of tests quantify aero advantages, though, so I don't know what you're talking about there.
As for casual riders, it's actually the slower riders who have the most to gain from aero wheels because they see higher yaw angles, and some wheels, like the Zipp 808s actually produce propulsion (negative drag) at wider yaw angles. Tour Mag's own tunnel data corroborated this, and Flo demonstrate this with their data as well. So again, I don't know what the basis for your claim here, is either.
Can you sketch out a scenario where a rider would be penalized (i.e. go slower and/or expend more energy) for using more aero wheels?
I think that you just don't thing the advantages are worth the cost to you, and that may be true, but it is not a legitimate basis from which to contend that aero benefits don't exist.