JSWhaler

I'm debating on getting a new set of wheels. The wife wants to know what I want and I'm honestly not sure. So back to my question: if I upgrade my wheels and drop 300 grams will I notice a significant difference in riding?

dalava

yes

WR3K

look into your wife's eyes and sternly say, "deep dish carbon"


and then go watch tv on the couch

asgelle

https://www.analyticcycling.com

urbanknight

Who cares if you'll notice the difference? Go for looks!

jbhowat

You'll notice 300g as well as aero benefits, if you go with the right wheelset. Single best upgrade you can make for a road bike.

Flatballer

aero > weight.

Mike V

You will notice aero and 300g heavier.

zzzwillzzz

no you won't notice much of a difference

ochavez

Yes, undoubtedly you should notice. If you don't, you don't pay attention when riding your bike. Aalthough there is no difference at cruising speed you are going to notice the difference in an acceleration or a climb. It's almost impossible to not to feel the advantage.

asgelle

I wonder who the hypersensitive people you ride with are that they always notice such differences. Dropping 300g out of 75 kg will reduce the time to climb a 5 km, 7% grade by all of 4 seconds at 250 W (over a ride that takes more than 20 minutes). In terms of speed, you go from 9.75 mph to 9.79 mph. If you say you can feel a difference of 0.04 mph while riding, who am I to argue with you. I will say that such a difference is below the threshold of the people I ride with and they do pay attention.

Impossible not to feel a 0.04 mph difference. Yeah, right.

Bacciagalupe

I doubt you would notice, let alone be able to quantify, the difference.

Shaving 300g off a wheelset is the equivalent of ~600g from the weight of the bike. Your body weight probably fluctuates that amount on a weekly (if not daily) basis. Or, another way to think of it: 600g is about the weight of one full water bottle. Do you really notice the difference between riding with one full and one empty bottle, compared to two full ones?

Even if you're climbing all day, 600g is unlikely to be noticeable. You're better off focusing on aerodynamics, which actually has much more of an influence on your speed than the bike's weight. Even there, you have to be riding at a decent level for more aero wheels to make a difference.

Of course, subjective experiences are heavily influenced by expectations -- e.g. if you convince yourself that "lighter wheels will ride faster," chances are you will "feel" that the lighter wheels are faster. Meanwhile any objective measures at your disposal (which probably aren't terribly accurate anyway) are unlikely to match the subjective impressions.

asgelle

I heard it was more like 1800 g off the bike.*


* the correct answer is 300g of the wheels is equal to 300g off the bike.

Flatballer

Actually, the correct answer is somewhere around "300 g off the wheels is equal to 301g off the bike. There is rotational inertia, but it's a very small affect at our speeds. But that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Peterson

The difference between my powertap, open pro 32 spoke wheel and my regular easton 28 spoke rear wheel is a little over 200g. With my 14.9 lb bike, on steep climbs >10 percent, I can easily feel the bike has a little less snap, otherwise I don't notice a difference. On hill climbs, which is all I usually do, I use the heavier powertap.

Will aero make a difference? My opinion, it's only a few watts, so unless you're racing TTs, it's not a big deal. But, if you can afford it, why not?

urbanknight

Sorry Princess and the Pea, but that made me laugh. I don't notice a difference when my water bottles are full and when they are empty. I'm sure there is a tiny difference, but it's not something one would be able to sense.

timeedgevxr

Whoever said that's the best upgrade you can make to your road bike ... I have a hard time with that one. You have to think about the cost. If money is no issue, then I would be riding a set of 800g custom Lews. But unfortunately, you're money is better spent on diet and time in the gym. Go lose 10lbs and you'll blow the doors off someone with the same current fitness level.

I have a set of 404 tubies that cost twice as much as my Campy Eurus wheels. The 404's weigh about 350g less AND they're more aero ...honestly, I prefer the Eurus wheels. Can I tell a difference on race day?? A slight difference. Can I tell a $1200 difference? HELL NO!!!

I ride a ton and the feel of a wheel means just as much or more than the weight and aero advantages. I've ridden lots of high-dollar light /aero wheels that feel like crap. Its the reason my 404's sit in a closet.

Like urbankinight said, if you want to do it for looks and join the poser clique, then they're worth every dime


...I just saw the OP lives in CT .... isn't it flat there? Save your money and take your wife on a vacation.

urbanknight

I gues that depends on if you think the rider is part of the bike or not, but yeah, the best upgrade is yourself.


I'm about to build a sub 1400g pair of aluminum clinchers anyway I fully recognize the biggest advantage I will see is being able to tell people my wheels weigh less than 1400g.

asgelle

Care to explain what it is about losing weight that stops me from buying new wheels?

grahny

The correct answer is: You will think you notice a difference, but any difference you think you notice will have an infinitely minor effect on your riding/speed/climbing/yada yada. A 2mph tailwind will have more of an effect on your climbing than losing 300g on your wheels. That being said, buy whatever you want... I vote reynolds or edge composites. They look pretty.

dsotm

All depends on where the OP lives. If you do "square" rides on a regular basis, then no.

datlas 

Mostly placebo effect.

m4ximusprim3

The money for these wheels would be better off buying your wife several nice dinners in hopes of getting laid. You'll probably ride faster the next day, too.

timeedgevxr

The point is that unless you're in near peak physical condition, the bike upgrades are not money-well spent. If you're looking at cost/benefit and you can stand to improve your physical condition, you're better off spending the $1500+ on a gym membership and a healthier diet. Get in shape (if you're not already) and you'll be 100x the rider you would if you spent the bread on upgrading a bike for a lacking rider. If someone is a poser and needs 70mm wheels to look cool, then I guess it doesn't matter.

My point is ...that spending that much coin on wheels if you can stand to improve your physical conditioning is like putting a carbon hood and loud muffler on a Kia Spectra and expecting to see performance enhancements.

asgelle

Whether a carbon hood and a loud muffler will improve performance on any car, Kia or Ferrari, is debatable. A good seet of aero wheels will absolutely improve performance and no one has been able to show me how the fitness of the rider affects the aerodynamic properties of a bicycle wheel. In fact, the slower the rider, the more time gained through the aero wheels. I'm not saying equipment is a substitute for fitness, but to suggest that one precludes the other creates a false dichotomy.