rpeterson

I upgraded my wheels and added a whole 2mph to my ride today.

Okay, so I went from a set of 2300g wheels to 1400g wheels and added lightweight latex tubes, and the route was 16 miles with just over 2k of climbing. But still, gains are gains dammit.

kayakdiver

Just proof that placebo works.... New wheels made you work harder... As long as your happy is all that matters.

hairnet

I felt fast on my first ride with chamois

RT

I lose two pounds a few hours after a good meal. What did these lightweight beauties cost you and which ones did you get? I'd just as soon lose the weight than spend any $$$ on wheels. Peace of mind for me is bulletproof, heavier wheels and regular tubes.

zatopek

I say bah right back atcha big fella.

rpeterson

Cost about 200 bucks, got some formula hubs the local shop took off some busted wheels for dirt cheap and got some Kinlin XR-200 rims and DT Swiss spokes online. I'm 5'8 and 125, so I can't realistically lose much more weight off my body without losing muscle. I figure it probably is mostly placebo and all that, but at a consistent HR and outside conditions with my last few rides I'm sure I've made at least some minor gains with the wheels. If nothing else they do feel better to ride with the nice weight and tubes.

awesomejack

who says wheel weight doesn't matter?

And what I don't get is cyclists who buy expensive stuff when they aren't racers. I understand having a comfortable, quick bike, but people spend thousands on lightwieght wheels, high end components... if you're looking to go faster, buy disc wheels, aero bars, TT frame. For me I would just as soon get heavier components, I'm not racing, so it helps build muscle. People excercies with ankle weights, why not use weights in biking?

Tristan86

Everyone who says lose weight off yourself instead of the bike is fat

umd

Extra weight doesn't make you workout any harder unless you are in a situation where you can't control your own pace, such as a group ride where it would be bad form to ride harder. If you are in control of your own ability to set your own pace, then heavier/slower/less efficient equipment doesn't make you work harder, it just makes you slower.

Jynx

exactly. which is why i love the lemond quote, it doesn't get easier, you just go faster. it is so true. the pain and effort is the same. the only thing you change is how fast you go.

RT

Define fat. I just got down to 185 from 240. I cannot help it that I am built like a defenseman. I sympathize with the OP though - at 125, there's not a lot to lose.

carpediemracing 

Although I think light wheels makes a difference, just like you do, I'd caution your conclusions that 900 grams (which is significant since it's 2 lbs) off your wheels would make a 2 mph difference.

Well, unless you were going from one less-wind-resistance speed to another (like 14 to 16 mph). Lighter wheels help in climbing, especially if you take a significant amount of weight off the total bike/rider unit. They also help in acceleration - if you were constantly accelerating from stop lights or around hairpin turns, lighter wheels will make some difference.

But to conclude that the wheels made all the difference may be underselling yourself. Usually aerodynamics makes more of a difference. I'm sure you know that already, but I just want to make that clear.

Having said that, I am a firm believer in the significance of wheel weight, but only after the wheel is aerodynamic. In a bunch of sprints against the same guy at Bethel, I've had a variety of finishes. Sometimes I simply held the gap to his wheel when I jumped; other times I could close (i.e. accelerate relative to him) up to a point but then hit my max speed; and other times I actually beat him (but that accounted for, oh, 2 out of 20-30 times). Our top speeds were about the same; it was the acceleration and very infrequently tactics that made the difference. I point out the latter because many times we sprinted under optimal tactical conditions - we jumped at our optimal times/distances, both have good jumps, and both know how to finish our sprint at the line. For almost anyone else, I've beaten them because they made tactical errors - this guy rarely made them.

Anyway, I finished kind of far off of him one week, like 30 feet, and the next week was closer, maybe 10 feet. We're friendly rivals, and after the second race he said that it looked like I was improving. I admitted I just put on my fastest wheels, and that they got me about 20 feet closer in the sprint. He laughed and said that he knows the sprint well enough to know how much he'll lose or gain based on what wheels he has, and he has no better wheels left.

He made a remark like "Some guys may think the wheels don't make a difference, but you can tell, when you've done this race a bunch of times, if one wheelset will get you an extra 10 feet in the sprint."

I agreed with him. And I still agree with him.

I'm still looking for better wheels for that sprint. To me the Series is what the Tour of CA is to Levi, or the Tour de France to Lance. I know what I want and I hope I have them before the Series starts.

cdr

Tristan86

Haha, just a joke. I could certainly use to lose a few pounds considering I have been off the bike for a few weeks recovering from wrist surgery

rpeterson

It'll take a lot more data (many more rides) before I really see what improvement (if any) I made with the wheels, but the sudden increase in climbing speed was there for this first ride rather than the incremental minor improvements I typically make. I'm sure it won't be as drastic next time, but I figured I'd post because, what the Hell, it's more like a locker-room than a laboratory in here, so why not

Honestly if the wheels are physically slower than my last ones but the placebo effect is enough to increase my climbing speed I'll be happy. If that sudden increase drops down to .25mph total compared to my old averages I'll still be happy. All I really know for sure is I went a whole ride (and even hit a nasty pothole) without needed to true my front wheel like I had to do with the old one; so based on that I'd still be happy with absolutely no improvements.

Cipher

Talg to this guy about light wheels, (is email is in the article) he's decided against them.

https://velonews.competitor.com/2009/...-failure_93054

https://www.bikerumor.com/2009/06/15/...s-under-siege/

Terex

Dopeyist response ever. The "racers" don't buy anything. They just test stuff to see if it's good enough for ME.

Velo Dog

This was my question, too. i've been riding for more than 40 years, and I've never heard anybody say wheel weight doesn't matter.
On the other hand, I weigh 240 when I'm in shape, and whatever time I save with my Stupid Lite 24 spokers, I give back truing them by the side of the road after I hit a pebble or thick paint stripe. I'll stick with my 36-spoke Velocitys.

rpeterson

O_o good thing I went cheap and got old-fashioned metal spokes (though I didn't know there were other kinds to begin with)

Cipher

O_o, I almost forgot another good reason to own a set of light wheels, ya get to true them a lot more often!

Terex

"Light" didn't have much to do with the R-sys failures. Riding on carbon soda straws, well, that's a different matter. What do you know about "light" wheels, like those review on Roues Artisanal?

Brian Ratliff

Yea... that's not right. If it is, you should get better quality wheels. Light weight wheels are more fragile and will fatigue far more quickly than more robust wheels, but unless you ding them up on a curb or pothole, you shouldn't need to true them anymore than any other wheelset.

BananaTugger

There's a difference between light wheels and wheels that suck.

R-Sys was one of the worst ideas ever.

Cipher

I highly doubt that our original poster is sing the accolades much less owns a set of wheels built by this french wheel "Boutique" so your mention of them really has little or no relevance where he is concerned. I do believe I know and actually have quite a bit of experience riding numerous sets or "light" wheels... A very close friend and riding partner for the last 20 years or so get's them sent to him all the time to evaluate... O_o and what exactly are this guys credentials you might ask? As I recall, I believe he actually won the TDF originally in 1986, and if I'm not mistaken, twice after that... (I guess I should also add that I'll listen to his opinions on the various sets of "light" wheels he has used over the years with a little more than just a passing interest).

See ya on the road!

jcpups608

A majority of "racers" aren't pros, and DO have to buy their own gear, many times at a discount, but usually not a big one.

DScott

Pics please...