Originally Posted by
MinnMan
I have a couple of sets of Light Bicycle 55 mm rims, and when I first got them, dealing with gusty cross winds took some getting used to. It's for sure not the same as riding classic alloy rims. But it doesn't really bother me now. I can ride a well-controlled line with those wheels and pretty strong cross winds. (You know, not 20 mph gusts, but 10-12 mph, no problem. Maybe 14-16 mph I'm needing a little extra concentration).
That's 55's, which are maybe on the edge of OK for strong cross winds. My friends who ride 70s avoid them on very windy days.
I just got a set of Light Bicycle wheels, 46 mm deep with Carbon Ti hubs. I have their graphene brake tracks, which may have been pure marketing fluff.
Brakes are Campagnolo Record with Campagnolo carbon rim pads. Brake performance in the dry was acceptable, but not quite as good as Campagnolo alloy pads on alloy wheels. I have Dura Ace on another alloy wheel bike and I would say that the Record / carbon setup is comparable.
I rode in 20 MPH sustained with gusts to 30. I didn't notice any issues with cross winds when compared to my Rolf 33 mm alloy wheels.
And, yes. When I compared my time to a ride on the Rolf wheels with similar wind conditions I was about 1-2 MPH faster on the straight into the wind section, and bupkis on the cross wind section.
I would say don't worry about cross winds with a 50 mm wheel vs a 35 mm wheel.