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How much do steel wheels weigh?

Old 01-09-17, 12:00 PM
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How much do steel wheels weigh?

Hey so I currently have a vintage puegeot which is fully steel. Does anyone know how much steel wheels weight on average compared to alloy ones? I have looked online and cannot find any specifications for how much weight a steel wheel is and how much weight I will save if I change my wheels over to alloy.
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Old 01-09-17, 12:14 PM
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You don't supply enough information to get an accurate, or even close answer.
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Old 01-09-17, 12:17 PM
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An insignificant amount of weight, maybe 1-1.5 lbs, or 5-600 grams. Bike old enough to have steel wheels is likely not to
have a hook bead, if clincher, so not compatible with hook bead tires which are 99.99% of the market in US. Also there
is the fact that steel rims become slick as goose crap when wet from a braking POV.
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Old 01-09-17, 12:35 PM
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Originally Posted by sch
...Also there
is the fact that steel rims become slick as goose crap when wet from a braking POV.
This is the biggest downside to steel wheels IMO.
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Old 01-09-17, 12:38 PM
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The biggest advantage you would gain from new alloy wheels is not weight but rather better braking and the ability to take higher pressure tires.
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Old 01-09-17, 12:59 PM
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Life is too short to be riding on steel wheels. At the Co-op where I work, all steel wheels go direct to recycling. They are inferior in every way to alu.

Riding on a lightweight set of wheels is a revelation. It is by far the most effective performance upgrade you can do to a bike.
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Old 01-09-17, 01:09 PM
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Agree with the above replies.
There could be some compatibility considerations. Are your wheels 27" or 700c ?? Probably 27". 700c is more common these days, but slightly smaller diameter. So, your brake pads may not reach 700c rims, or they might.

You could go to a local shop, for a first-hand opinion.
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Old 01-09-17, 01:48 PM
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My wheels are 700c, I have no idea what brand, but they are fairly thin came with 25mm tyres.
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Old 01-09-17, 01:57 PM
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Buy a Scale.. people who care what something weighs take the initiative and weigh it themselves.



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Old 01-09-17, 02:05 PM
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Originally Posted by flik9999
My wheels are 700c, I have no idea what brand, but they are fairly thin came with 25mm tyres.
Good, you have many choices. Although most 700c are aluminum. Test yours with a magnet.
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Old 01-09-17, 02:08 PM
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Originally Posted by sch
Bike old enough to have steel wheels is likely not to have a hook bead, if clincher, so not compatible with hook bead tires which are 99.99% of the market in US. Also there
is the fact that steel rims become slick as goose crap when wet from a braking POV.
Worse, the bead tires will work, sort of, maybe, if you are lucky. But if you aren't, the pressure to keep the tire from pinch flatting will be above the pressure needed to keep the tire seated. There's about a revolution and a half between unseating and BANG.

For coefficient of friction, in order from highest to lowest:
  • dry steel
  • goose crap
  • wet steel
  • wet goose crap
  • wet goose crap on wet steel (cut and temporary cover construction)

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Old 01-09-17, 03:04 PM
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Likely Rigida Chrolux rims as these were common on Peugeots (including my long gone 72 UO8). Velobase reports them to weigh 750g (rim only).
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Old 01-09-17, 03:26 PM
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I have a fisherman's digital scale I found at MalWart. Handy for weighing bike parts (or fish, I guess).
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Old 01-09-17, 04:14 PM
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I believe I found a ~2lbs saving when changing just the steel rims from an old Raleigh 3 speed to a set of aluminum CR18 set. 27" wheels are larger so it may be a bit more in that case.
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Old 01-09-17, 07:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Moe Zhoost
Likely Rigida Chrolux rims as these were common on Peugeots (including my long gone 72 UO8). Velobase reports them to weigh 750g (rim only).
Wow thats light. I saw these carbon wheels that weigh Front: 720g Rear: 810g Rimset Weight: 980.

How much weight should I add on for the spokes?

I thought allow wheels were lighter?
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Old 01-09-17, 11:12 PM
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Originally Posted by flik9999
Wow thats light. I saw these carbon wheels that weigh Front: 720g Rear: 810g Rimset Weight: 980.

How much weight should I add on for the spokes?

I thought allow wheels were lighter?

...there's a formula for computing this performance upgrade if you Google it. Look for references to "rotating weight versus static weight in vehicles" and it will get you in the ballpark.

Saving weight in the rotating mass of the wheels and tyres is something like three times more effective than a similar saving on the rest of the bike and rider, in terms of acceleration advantages.
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Old 01-10-17, 03:28 AM
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Originally Posted by flik9999
Wow thats light. I saw these carbon wheels that weigh Front: 720g Rear: 810g Rimset Weight: 980.

How much weight should I add on for the spokes?

I thought allow wheels were lighter?
You misread Moe Zhoost's post. He was talking about a bare rim without spokes and hub. You compared that to the weight of a complete wheel with rim, spokes, and hub.
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Old 01-10-17, 05:00 AM
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Originally Posted by 3alarmer
...there's a formula for computing this performance upgrade if you Google it. Look for references to "rotating weight versus static weight in vehicles" and it will get you in the ballpark.

Saving weight in the rotating mass of the wheels and tyres is something like three times more effective than a similar saving on the rest of the bike and rider, in terms of acceleration advantages.
In regards to bike weight not on the wheels and rider weight are they roughly equal? For example if you had a city bike with heavy steel wheels (You broke wheels and got cheap replacements for example) that weighs 12KG and a double suspension super heavy MTB that had the latest carbon fibre wheels would the first bike go faster? Or does actual bike weight that is not the wheels effect acceleration in a way that rider weight does not?

Also does the back wheel matter more than the front as that is where the "engine" is.
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Old 01-10-17, 05:43 AM
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Originally Posted by flik9999
Also does the back wheel matter more than the front as that is where the "engine" is.
To bring a bike up to speed, mass in a component like the frame merely needs to be brought up to speed.
Mass in the rims needs to be brought up to speed in the same way, and you're making it spin, taking extra energy.

Which wheel you're looking at doesn't really matter.

However...
Originally Posted by 3alarmer
Saving weight in the rotating mass of the wheels and tyres is something like three times more effective than a similar saving on the rest of the bike and rider, in terms of acceleration advantages.
...in theory it maxes out at a 2:1 ratio at the outside of the wheels (i.e. tires), with the ratio getting smaller as you get closer to the center of the wheels.
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Old 01-10-17, 12:47 PM
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Originally Posted by flik9999
Wow thats light. I saw these carbon wheels that weigh Front: 720g Rear: 810g Rimset Weight: 980.
How much weight should I add on for the spokes?
I thought allow wheels were lighter?
Um: Moe indicated that steel rims are roughly 750 grams each. Rims. Not the wheels. Just the rims.

Heavyweight alloy rims would be around 600 grams. Lightweight alloy rims around 400 grams each. This is about the minimum weight possible for alloy clincher rims.

Tubular rims can go as low as 300 grams for alloy, and even less for low-profile carbon. All things being equal, tubular rims are about 100 grams less than clincher rims - each; just the nature of the rim profile.

Low profile carbon tubular rims and lightweight hubs can allow you to build a wheelset at less than 1,000 grams. Wheels - front and rear. Riding such wheels is a religious experience. It will spoil you for life.
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Old 01-10-17, 12:58 PM
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Steel wheels? A fabo but most under rated Stones album, really heavy weight, not light.
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Old 01-10-17, 04:40 PM
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Originally Posted by flik9999
Hey so I currently have a vintage puegeot which is fully steel. Does anyone know how much steel wheels weight on average compared to alloy ones? I have looked online and cannot find any specifications for how much weight a steel wheel is and how much weight I will save if I change my wheels over to alloy.
For the same volume of metal: 0.36 times less. Assuming a steel rim weighs 1000g (2.2lb), an aluminum rim of the same dimensions weighs 360g (0.8 lb). But, in my experience, steel rims seldom have the same volume of metal as aluminum rims. They usually have a lot more volume so the difference is much greater.

As others have said steel really sucks when it comes to braking but that's only because of the rubber pads. If you used a metal sintered pad, the braking doesn't suffer. Disc brakes go this route so that you can use a steel rotor but still get good braking. The same pad would work on aluminum but would erode it much too fast for it to be useful.
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Old 01-10-17, 08:43 PM
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flik9999, To accelerate at the same rate it takes more energy with a heavier rotational mass and likewise it takes more heat to decelerate at the same rate as a lighter rotational mass. Everyone knows this. Everyone also wishes for the lightest weights that will accomplish the task at hand.

For the recreational rider it makes little difference. I've rode the same long distance routes on my touring bike (unloaded) as my distance roadie. The rear wheel and tire on the touring bike alone is almost as heavy as my lightest wheel set and tires. Time difference for the route was not very different at all, within the differences of the same route on different days using the roadie.

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Old 01-10-17, 09:13 PM
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
But, in my experience, steel rims seldom have the same volume of metal as aluminum rims. They usually have a lot more volume so the difference is much greater.
Wow, the exact opposite of my experience. I agree with you: aluminum weighs a little more than one third what steel weighs, by volume. But steel is stiffer. To get the same stiffness and fatigue resistance you need to beef up the aluminum wheel with more metal. I think most Al wheels are extruded and bent and welded. Steel rims (at least the old Varsity wheels and such) were rolled from strip and bent and welded. The extruded section may be a little more stiff for the same volume, which would works towards decreasing the Al wheel metal volume, but I don't think it allows the Al wheel metal volume to be less than the steel.

Bicycling science did an analysis for steel vs aluminum frame and pointed out that, for fatigue and stiffness purposes, you need a lot more aluminum than steel (in volume). In their analysis (I think perhaps with dated allow info - we have superb alloys now), the Al weight ended up about the same as the steel frame weight, if you wanted strength and fatigue resistance.

I could be wrong: anyone able to measure a steel rim and an aluminum rim? We could take the weight of steel divided by the weight of aluminum times 0.36. If the result is greater than one, there is more steel volume.

Agree completely on the braking part. I remember the Schwinn Varsity wheels (Schwinn really prided itself on an incredible thickness of chrome on its parts). Slicker than snot on a doorknob when wet.

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Old 01-10-17, 09:25 PM
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Originally Posted by flik9999
Hey so I currently have a vintage puegeot which is fully steel. Does anyone know how much steel wheels weight on average compared to alloy ones? I have looked online and cannot find any specifications for how much weight a steel wheel is and how much weight I will save if I change my wheels over to alloy.
1) Determine if your rims are steel or aluminum.
2) Weigh your wheels. Wheel weights are given without tires or cassette. If you don't want to remove them, then you'll need to estimate their weight to deduct from the total.
3) Now you can have a bit better informed discussion about upgrading.
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