Wheel upgrade considerations
 

I'm planning to upgrade to some nicer wheels for my Trek 2.1 as I plan to start racing crits and road races next month.

Everyone I have talked to about crit racing has said that aero is important, so I'm thinking about what I'd like to replace my current wheels with. Currently I have the Bontrager SSR wheels that came stock on the bike, and it's my first real racing bike, so I really have nothing to compare them to. I've started reading a lot on the forums and at review sites to try and educate myself, and now I have questions.

First, you should probably know my budget: I'd like to keep everything under $1000 US, and I'm always willing to get stuff of ebay as long as it's in good condition.

I was looking at the American Classic 420 Aero 3 as a possible choice, and saw that the rim depth is 34mm. It's my understanding that rim depth is one of the largest factors in determining aero performance, so compared to my current Bontrager SSRs, which I measured at about 25mm deep (I couldn't find this measurement online), I see that there is about 9mm more depth on the AC wheels. So my first question is: how much of a difference does 9mm make in an hour-long crit (or a three-hour road race or a five-hour group ride)? What are the big factors to think about when looking for aero wheels?

Also, I only plan to make one wheel upgrade that I hope will last me for at least the next couple years, so while I want a wheel that will be good for crits, I also want to not worry about using it on training rides or group rides that include short climbs (<1000 feet for any one climb). Is it too much to ask for a strong, light, and stiff aero wheel?

Feel free to post links to other forum posts (I know this type of question comes up often and I've browsed through several posts already) or links to suggested wheels, etc.

Thanks!

Well if you can wait a couple days i can write a review on the ebay 50mm carbon tubies. I totaled my race wheels in a crash and my teammates friend recommended the ebay wheels. Mine will have race lite hubs and dt swiss bladed spokes. I don't know if you are the type of rider who only rides branded stuff though. The mechanic that's ordering me the spokes is actually very happy for me and says that he is probably going to get a pair after he see's how they look with the hubs and spokes laced up.

I'm not necessarily going to buy right away, but sometime during the next month or two, so I have time to wait. I have no problem buying off-brand wheels (as long as they look nice). For me, if I can get the same or better package from a no-name brand for a lower price than with a big brand, all the better. Also, I should mention that I'd like to stick to clinchers for now because I know how to change them, and I don't feel ready to start maintaining tubulars just yet.

If you're using them strictly for racing, I'd go with tubulars.

If you're going to do them on group rides, stick with clinchers.

I think the cheapest 50mm carbon clinchers (at a decent weight) under $1000 are Neuvation's http://www.neuvationcycling.com/wheels.html

For $927 you can get a set of 50mm carbon clinchers that weigh 1600g

Oh forgot about these

http://www.planet-x-usa.com/pPC50CL/...-Wheelset.aspx

$699 (not including shipping) for a set of 1740g 50mm clinchers.

Wow! Those Planet-X wheels look great. How important is weight in a set of wheels that I'll mostly be using on rolling terrain? Obviously since my current wheels are close to 7 pounds, I think any upgrade will make a noticeable difference, but I thought I should ask anyways.

The aero difference in a crit depends on how the race goes. Since this will be your first race, you have about a 50% chance of not finishing with the main pack, in which case, no wheel is going to help you.

If you're an all-star and attack solo off the front for an hour, you're maybe looking at 2 Watts for the duration of the break. May not sound like much, but when you're dying at your limit, and someone asks if you'd like 0.7% more power, you'd say "yes."

If you race like most 5s and 4s, you're just screwing around in the pack until the last 100m, when your speed will be much higher when you get your nose in the wind. You might be looking at a 4W difference for the last 50m, which can be the tire-width between 1s and 2nd. It can also be the tire-width between 11th and 12th.

At this point, I'd say to save your money until you've raced. I upgraded to Cat 2 last year riding a 32h 3x 30mm deep front wheel with round spokes (most of my points came on a 10-year-old steel bike). Better wheels would probably have given me a couple better placings in a couple races, but it's not worth it to me. I still won a bunch without the wheels, and with the wheels I still would have lost plenty as well.

The aero difference in a crit depends on how the race goes. Since this will be your first race, you have about a 50% chance of not finishing with the main pack, in which case, no wheel is going to help you.

If you're an all-star and attack solo off the front for an hour, you're maybe looking at 2 Watts for the duration of the break. May not sound like much, but when you're dying at your limit, and someone asks if you'd like 0.7% more power, you'd say "yes."

If you race like most 5s and 4s, you're just screwing around in the pack until the last 100m, when your speed will be much higher when you get your nose in the wind. You might be looking at a 4W difference for the last 50m, which can be the tire-width between 1s and 2nd. It can also be the tire-width between 11th and 12th.

At this point, I'd say to save your money until you've raced. I upgraded to Cat 2 last year riding a 32h 3x 30mm deep front wheel with round spokes (most of my points came on a 10-year-old steel bike). Better wheels would probably have given me a couple better placings in a couple races, but it's not worth it to me. I still won a bunch without the wheels, and with the wheels I still would have lost plenty as well.

It will make climbing those rollers easier. How much still depends on how much you continue to train. Never think that since you got nicer equipment you can train less.(not saying you are thinking that) But you will have to get used to handling the wheels in a crosswind. The back wheel there isn't much of a difference but you can feel the wind push you with the front wheel. A few rides out and you'll get the hang of them. Assumming you keep your old wheels still use those to train on. I will make the upgraded 3 lb wheels feel like a feather.

Sound advice. I'll definitely keep it in mind.

3200g (~7 pounds) for just the wheels? That's really heavy... I'd consider wheels to be heavy after 2000g.

Anyways weight isn't very important unless you're doing lots of climbing (starting at 3-4% grades from what I read). Most people believe aero wheels are more important than lightweight wheels in most cases of riding. Obviously you'll want lighter wheels if you're not going faster than 15mph on a ride (climbs).

However having nice wheels makes the ride better. Also aero wheels look cool too!

Yeah, according to BikeRadar, they're 1286g front and 1816g back, for a total of 3102g (~6.8lbs). I never weighed them myself and my wheels on my old bike were equally heavy, so anything lighter will probably feel awesome.

The biggest climbs I do during my usual training rides are maybe 6-7% in the steepest pitches, but I think since I'm used to climbing with my current wheels (the SSRs), even a "heavy" aero wheelset (3-4lbs) will make a difference.

And I do agree about the aesthetic appeal of aero wheels.

That sounds like wheels with cassette, heavy tires and tubes included.

A cheap, heavy wheel set with puncture resistant tires would be more like:
Front wheel 925 grams
tube 100 grams
tire 325 grams
total 1260

Rear wheel 1150
tube 100
tire 325
cassette 240
total 1815

I would think your SSR wheels are more like 1900-2100 grams total, or less.

Get some Continental GP4000 tires right now ( or something similar), and see how you do with those tires and your current wheels. They have less rolling resistance, and good grip for diving into the corners.

There's a very high chance you'll crash in your first couple of races. So race on the junkiest wheels you own. If that's the rims you have now so be it. You'll really be kicking yourself in the ass if you bust your new $1000 wheels in a cat 5 race :)

For just $73 dollars more, you can get these tubulars (1471 grams) or these clinchers (which in my opinion, are crazy heavy - 1879 grams).

Wow everyone! Thanks for the great response. I think I'm going to listen to SkinnyLegs and save my money for a while and learn to race on my SSRs...I will get the GP4000 tires (I was planning on getting them once I got new wheels, but I'll just get them now).

One thing though, since I only have one wheelset, is riding on the trainer going to completely destroy the GP4000s?

it's definitely going to wear them out alot faster than road riding. I'd try to put together a spare rear wheel to use just on the trainer.

Order the GP4000s soon though, at PBK they're $74 USD but use the code "TDFUSA" for another 10% off, I just ordered a set yesterday

How many times have you seen a wheel destroyed in a race? Sure it happens, but in most crashes, the wheels aren't destroyed. In a couple hundred races, I've yet to destroy a wheel.

And if you brake a rim, its not going to cost you $1000 to fix it. New rim on a $1000 wheelset, particularly if there's a crash replacement plan is more likely to set you back $200 or so.

While there's merit to the " race what you got approach" and you don't need new wheels, it is nice to have two sets of wheels (among other things to put one in the wheel pit)

So if you buy a good set of wheels, you'll accomplish several things, 1) a modest performance improvement, 2) flexibility of having a backup, and 3) you'll have a nice set of wheels for you next bike.

In your price range I'd look at 50mm deep CF Tubulars from Psimet for $699. www.psimet.com

Another small concern of mine is braking performance on carbon rims vs. aluminum rims. Since I've never even tried riding on carbon wheels, I don't know what to expect when it comes to braking...will I have to replace pads all the time if I get carbon wheels?

merlin. I just broke both front and rear wheels in a crash during a race. I wasn't alone either. There were 3 other guys whose wheels were unfixable.

I didn't say it never happens. Just not all that likely. Obviously if you can't afford to replace it or do without it, then you shouldn't race it.

However, the idea that you should race expensive stuff as a 3 or a 4, but not as a 5 never made that much sense to me.

Crashes happen, and stuff breaks at all levels, take for example Cavendish's wheel.

You need to practice a bit with it, to learn how it responds. However it's not a big deal, other than in the wet.

Get a good set of pads designed to use with carbon, and that also work with aluminum, such as Zipps or Kool Stops, and you don't need to change pads, just inspect for aluminum shards in the pads when you change wheels.

It makes perfect sense not to invest in $1000 race wheels if you've never done a race. Most new racers find they have very big holes in their fitness or handling skills which no amount of trick gear will overcome. So racing with expensive wheels is just a liability to their wallet at that point. Especially in Cat 5 which is the most crash prone of all categories.

OP if you walked up to a bunch of cyclists at a race around here and explained that you wanted to buy some race wheels before doing your first race, the overwhelming response would be "Just get out there and race, don't worry about the equipment." I doubt you'd find even one guy who thinks it would be a good idea for you to drop $1000 on wheels beforehand.

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