Originally Posted by
WhyFi
Is a heavier flywheel not more resistant to changes in orientation than a lighter flywheel? I can't say that I've seen a 'rotational weight debunking' that has addressed this - they usually only address negligible differences in power needed to 'spin-up' - but I don't see why this wouldn't provide an explanation for why people routinely report the impression that lighter wheels feel faster and more agile.
My limited knowledge on the matter is that it does. Back in my drag racing days we went lighter & lighter on flywheels til we realized we netted little benefit except to unbalance the front & back of the crankshaft and negligible difference on acceleration. (Especially on 60ft times which was what we were fighting for)
In the end, we returned to "moderate" weight flywheels to keep a better load balance on the crank itself and started experimenting with rod lengths & gearing to adjust power band preference & net better 60ft. (shrug)
Today, however, I know a lot of folks take the inertia of wheels, tires and brakes in the aftermarket community in everything from tuner import racers up to monster trucks. Rotating mass weight matters there significantly which is why I'd love to hear that I should probably buy some ZIPP 303's and not Ksyrium Elites.
But again, I'd probably be best suited with a $300 set of Ultegra 6800 wheels as they're 99% as good as any wheelset on the planet.....including anything of the multi-thousand dollar variety.
