banerjek

I'm still riding the stock wheels that came with my bike (Velomax Vistas). I don't believe in upgrading just for the sake of upgrading, but I'm wondering what around $800 max would do for riding times on flat or hilly centuries. Also, would I notice a difference when sprinting or riding hard for 20 miles? The question I'm really wondering is whether upgrading wheels has any chance of changing who I can ride with or drop?

If wheels would make me faster enough to justify the expense, what would you recommend? I keep my weight right around 140 lbs and I prefer longer hilly rides.

Pizza Man

Probably not that much difference, but if you just barely get dropped on a climb and lose contact with the group the difference can be huge.
I'm looking to get some climbing wheels and was leaning toward the American Classic 350 with Sapim X-ray spoke upgrade. You can get these for under $650 on-line and they will save you a good pound over the Vistas, which should help you climb about 0.6% faster. This is only about 10 seconds on a 30 minute climb, but if that's the difference between staying with the pack or getting dropped then it's significant.

Al1943

Velomax makes some good wheels. If you are considering replacing them with a multipurpose road wheelset I doubt that you will be able to measure any improvement in speed. Deep section aerowheels and disk wheels can improve your speed by maybe 1/4 or 1/3 mph if you are riding above 20 mph and less for slower speeds. But these kinds of wheels can be a handful in crosswinds and are used mostly for time trials. Lightweight aero wheels can be wickedly expensive. My favorite type of multipurpose road wheels are lightweight (home built) conventional wheels. At my weight (165) I like 32 spoke 3X in the back and 28 spoke 2X in the front with Revolution spokes and alloy nipples. These accelerate and climb well and are easy to maintain.

Al

patentcad

Not much. Eat your Wheaties and do your intervals weenies.

merlinextraligh

as for speed on the flats, I doubt anything you can buy for $800 is going be a significant difference. I have Zipp 404's on my Merlin, and my guess is there maybe a 1/2mph faster (with no draft) than the Kyserium Elites on my backup bike, and that's with a 58mm deep rim. But if you get a lighter wheelset, the bike will feel livelier,and you'll feel faster which is worth something.

EventServices

I'll go against the grain here, but with conditions.

I'll say that wheels make a huge impact on your speed and accelerations.
But if someone is using them as a shortcut to avoid training and developing, then they're definitely on the wrong track.
Only once you've reached your full potential can an upgrade in equipment be justified.

curiouskid55

Hill sprints will make you faster sooner.

cydewaze

It might have been placebo, but when I upgraded from my entry level Mavics to my nice Bontys, I noticed a significant improvement on climbs. Unfortunately, like everything else I upgrade, I became accustomed to the improvement and was soon back to my lethargic pace.

FWIW the wheelset change took around 1 lb off the weight of the bike.

voltman

2.2kg? Did you change tires too?

cydewaze

You got it reversed. 1 kg is 2.2 lbs. 1 lb is like 450g.

roadfix

I'm sure you meant 454 grams...

voltman

That's what I meant. I thought I was in Race 2 Replace for a second.

voltman

You are trying to confuse!

roadwarrior

Go Gunners!

flythebike

I'm from the old school - train on 'heavier' multispoke wheels where a spoke failure doesn't mean a cab ride home (wheels as Al1943 mentions) - race on the lightest stuff you can that is aero too and that you won't destroy. For me that is Zipp 404s (tubulars) 18F Sapim X ray/24R 404 Pave Cross Sapim Oval (mostly round not bladed) with brass nipples. Takes like a pound off an already light wheelset. The benefit if I'm in the wind at 25-30MPH+ while racing is very noticeable. They sound awesome. They accelerate very very fast. They are reasonable durable even though I'm ~185. You could also still use the heavier wheels for training like a baseball player warms up on deck with two bats or a donut. Then do your events on the fancy stuff.

I'm a cat 3 about to be a cat 2 so I'm pushing the edges of my limits here so sure I will notice a big difference with fast wheels. Next time you're in a car doing 35 stick your hand out the window at different angles and you can start to guess what happens when you have more slippery wheels or lighter wheels for climbing, which is really just a constant series of small accelerations.

I will say though that nice wheels are just plain fun. They make the bike more zoomy. So I won't say by any means that only racers should have them, just that they would see the most objective difference. But anybody can enjoy some nice wheels! If you have the disposable income, do it.

slowandsteady

And how long did it take Lemond or Armstrong to reach their "full potential?" Did Armstrong wait to upgrade from a huffy until TDF #7?

caligurl

well i don't know about JUST new/better wheels... but i got a whole new better bike (better frame... bette components... better wheels...) and i'm not any faster!

i thinkg it's more about the engine than the bike!

CastIron

Wheel weights are simple physics. Want to climb better? Lighter wheels. Want to accellerate and stop quicker? Lighter wheels. Want to trundle down level country roads in comfort? Heavier wheels. "Objects in motion..."

Ward7

yea..I'm not even anywhere near my potential so I know that riding hard will increase my performance tenfold over buying nicer parts right now. It'll also save me a ton of money. Not only with cycling, but with a lot of other physical activities, I feel as if I am never at my full potential...always feel like I can get better.

Gummee

Chances are you won't notice TOO much difference. There'll prolly be some...

My take on the wheel situation: if yer barely able to hang onto the fast guys' wheels with yer current equipment, an aero wheel may keep you in the group just a little longer. My Cosmics certainly helped me ride ~1 gear harder a gear with roughly the same effort, but once the hammer truly went down, I still went OTB till I trained harder/longer.

More fitness = better.
Aero wheels let you hang in the pack longer = better training
Better training = more fitness
repeat

HTH,

M

asgelle

But it's always nice to put some numbers behind "better" and "quicker"
Cut wheel weight in half - climb 0.4% (0.004) better
Cut wheel inertia in half - accelerate 0.02% better
Cut wheel drag in half - 1% better

https://www.biketechreview.com/archive/wheel_theory.htm

merlinextraligh

to qualify my previous psot, lighter wheels are nice, objectively the bike will be marginally faster, subjectively it will feel a lot faster, wheeels are the biggest thing to make a bike feel fast and lively. just don't expect your average speed to increase significantly

DogBoy

All these are reasons why I still ride on stock training wheels instead of purchasing race wheels....at 15-18 mph it would be a waste of a beautiful wheelset....doesn't stop me from drooling over the Renyolds Stratus though...If I got upgraded wheels, that's what I'd get. (I do tris, not road racing or crits).

oujeep1

Maybe it's mostly psychological but I just took my first ride tonight on my new Easton AscentII wheels. Previously riding rolf vector comps, about 6 years old- the weight difference is probably 450 grams- sure seemed a heck of a lot faster to me. This was a mostly flat group ride with 5 other riders, 56 miles, average speed for the 56 miles just under 19. I say go for it, but go for light more than aero. As the easton website says, a bladed spoke is great unless the wind is not quite directly against you or behind you- then it is a propeller. It's only money, and he who dies with the most toys wins.

Shaman

Man... I went into reading this thread thinking someone would have some input on quality bearings and freewheels and such. If someone mensioned these I must have dozed off