My Mavic Open Pros were eyeleted and still split. Just adding this as the eyeletted construction didn't stop the rim from cracking.

I upgraded my American Classic to Lightbicycle 45mm carbon with DT Swiss 240 hubs. Objective analysis:

Look cool!
Sound great!

Am I faster? Who the hell knows. There are so many variables, including an aging rider. But, see points listed above. Yes, worth it.

This is best bang for the buck: https://btlos.com/

I have bought three wheelsets / rims from them and all have been excellent.
Latest wheelset is ~1200g just over $500. The price was low because I got free shipping plus multiple discounts.

I'm a big fan of BTLOS and also have three of their wheelsets, but it should be noted that their selection of road wheels (and in particular, road wheels with hooked rims) is kind of limited. I bought one and am happy with it, but their lightest offerings always seem to be MTB oriented.

I found out my performance increased quite a bit. That’s because I didn’t want embarrassed with high end expensive wheels and being passed.

they have like 10 rim profiles(width and depth), probably 6 stock hubs, and 4 stock spokes.
Each rim then comes in 3 different layup styles.


How is that not enough options?

The hooked road wheels do come in lots of depths, but none of them are particularly light (even in the Extralight layup). That was an issue for me a couple of years ago when I bought a set of road wheels from them. Even Extralight the rims were about 370g each - not awful, but not nearly as light as some of their hookless options. Checking their website just now, though, I see they've expanded their range some and now have a few very light hooked road rim options (actually marketed as gravel rims, but no matter).

As I said earlier I'm a fan of BTLOS and a frequent customer. I'm happy to be proven wrong and see that they've addressed what I felt was a shortcoming in their line up.

When I upgraded to 60C carbons, I couldn’t believe the difference. Nothing like gaining a free 1-1.5 (cost excluded) MPH. However, on windy days, they are a handful. On those days, I use 45s and also use them for really hilly rides sine they are lighter.

I have DT Swiss 1400 Arc wheels. I got them at a steep discount, othwise I don't think they'd be worth the price, new. Much depends on your riding style, and the type of roads you ride. I have an old, stiff aluminum frame build that I threw a cheap set of 50mm Superteam wheels onto. Every time I ride it I'm amazed how fast I go in a straight line. Steel aero spokes, pretty good hubs. Have stay true for 6 years now. I use Conti GP5000s, and agree with others that it's probably more about tire selection and pressure.

If you goal is to either go faster or farther with the same amount of effort as your current wheels, then it’s a no brainer.

That said, 3 years ago I bought a cheap set of aero aluminum rims and have set several Personal Bests on them, but my 50mm carbon rims really make life easy.

If you ride where it’s windy 50mm front rims will definitely get blown around more. Mine are Superteam wheels with carbon spokes and 50 mm rim sections, and I was really surprised with how much I got blown around or at least felt blown around when I first started riding them. I don’t know if they make me any faster, but they look good, and they do feel stiffer and more responsive than aluminum wheels.

You may want to buy a less deep section front rim for those windy days. Makes a huge difference.

yes

I own several made in USA Zipp 404, 808 (one set is on my Trek 2300) and 60 wheels as well as several Mavic Cosmic Carbone SSC made in France wheels even though they are not new but are 10 years old, they are solid, well made, provide good aclleration and the hubs on those are smooth . Also own a pair a Roval SL45 with DT hubs one of the best pairs of wheels, I have ever bought.

I upgraded my bike with a new 105 R7120 group and the 105 C32 wheels. I've been riding for 40 years and it's my first carbon wheelset. Shimano hubs are my favorite so I had to go for it. The first ride with them was the first time I had been blown away by how much difference a new upgraded wheelset made. They're so light and responsive it feels like the bike wants to lurch forward with every pedal stroke.

I had a similar experience when I first put 60s on. The bike seemed to cut through the air like I had never experienced and it still does. I have a pair of climbing wheels but they don’t get used much 32s.

I bought a pair of Hi-E's lightest wheels back in the '80's, when they were the lightest production wheels around. Lurching is right: thanks to the low weight and the resulting absence of flywheel effect, they felt as if every ride consisted of a series of micro-accelerations. It was annoying enough that I sold them after a few months.

I'll stick with my initial suggestion...30-45mm will serve you quite well.
I'm riding 50mm Elites which are a few years old but are great wheels...but I am a 'light' rider...I don't plow through everything like I'm riding an excavator, I don't smash into potholes, etc. I'm also only 145lbs...I currently use Pirelli Race tlr tires at 26mm, tubeless at 65psi.
Elite, Superteam, Winspace, etc. make some very good wheels at very reasonable prices, as well as other brands.
If you are a clydesdale you may have to keep that in mind when buying...rider weight and riding style may have a dramatic affect on the ride quality.
Good luck and keep us informed...

As I get older, I definitely feel that I'm slowly getting fatser - don't even need to push myself. Faster, not so much :lol:

I traded 1900g Vision Team 30 wheels for some Light Bicycle 45mm, 1400g wheels back in '22. The bike was transformed - from slow and lethargic acceleration to sprightly. Definitely an upgrade.

On the other hand, I retired some ~1750g Ksyrium Equipes for some ~1600g Ksyrium S wheels in '23, and while the bike was lighter, it didn't really translate that much from a "seat of ones' pants" perspective. Moving from a 15mm to a 19mm rim helped with comfort, and a fresh rim bed was great for braking, but neither of those had anything to do with weight.

I'd say to go for a deep rim and a narrow cassette for long, non-climbing days, and keep your shallower 1600s with a wide ranging cassette for when you need to climb or deal with crosswinds. At least then you know you'll have tools that feel different from each other.

I have to say that I have a set of low-end SuperTeam carbon wheels, 50 mm deep, and they're really good. Stiff and the hubs spin excellently. Maybe invest in a set of they're carbon "Pro" wheels and see how they work out? You'll be spending about $500 and the worst case scenario is that you'll have a good back up set. As an aside, I bought a set of DT Swiss ARC 1400 wheels with the 240 hubs. I didn't pay full price for them, but having ridden them extensively, I wouldn't spend full price.

Among my collection of wheels, I have a set of DT Swiss ARC 1400s in 50mm depth...I love DT Swiss hubs, but their complete wheelsets are not worth the price IMO. The rim profiles and internal widths are fairly old school and they're pretty "meh" wheels. Not terrible or anything, just not something I get excited about.

It's mainly about your budget. In my opinion, it worth the money.

Referring to a well known formula, S-1, as long as S-1 does not equal zero, then you are good to go.

A similar formula applies to the Mrs. where S refers to the number of shoes/family reunions. As long as neither answer approaches zero, you are at equilibrium.