To give you an idea of the numbers here, OP, let me tell you this:

The difference between a $2000 wheel and a basic but good wheel is about a second per kilometer, maybe slightly more.

If you are Fabian Cancellara ... those few seconds per kilometer will after 40k ... add up to about a minute of lost time.
A minute, in the world of time trial races, could mean the difference between being first and not even being on the podium at all.

If you are Average Joe ... or even Wannabe Fred ... those few seconds per kilometer mean next to nothing at all.

I hope that cleared it up for you.

I totally concur. I went through a similar upgrade recently - got a new bike with Ksyrium Equipe wheelsets, which I think are about 300-400g lighter than my previous set. Even though the new bike itself is at least 3 lbs lighter than the old one overall, I think I made up for that difference by loading it up with 2 huge bottles during a C+ ride I went on last weekend. With that I was still able to maintain 23mph on flats solo (about 3-4mph better than what I could do on the old bike). The acceleration of the new bike is incredible. I would also give credit to the nice frame and Ultegra components, but I think the biggest contribution came from the lighter wheels.

If you think about it, I'm now rotating 400 g less mass on that 311mm radius at >250 RPM in order to travel at 20mph (someone check the math)

All this being said, I believe this must be close to the sweet spot for me. Any more money I spend on wheels will probably have marginal returns for my needs (I'm not a racer - if you are one that's a different story).

Needless to say all the other comments (including yours) about improving improving your legs are very true. However given the same legs (say already improved as much as humanly possible) the quest for the right equipment that will improve your efficiency is a very valid one. The only counter argument could be that having really light wheels might spoil you and demotivate from more stringent training.

Best placebo I ever had and the bike is easier to get up and down the stairs. I swear they accelerate faster but like I said, it's probably just the placebo effect.

(I'm 5f11, 143 pounds, I had a 2200-2300g alexrims wheelset before and went to a 1540g soul s3.0)

Anyone who is going to train or ride hard is going to go with the same intensity regardless of wheelset. You're not going to get on the bike and say "thank goodness for these Zipps... now I can dial it up and drope the hammer at just 398 instead of 400."

they make a minute and insignificant difference in the grand spectrum of cycling, and they are one of the biggest changes you can make within the small slice that is bikeforums road cycling.

While I agree with the general consensus of the placebo affect. I think that wheels do make a difference. Weight being most important for acceleration, which is highly noticeable if you are in tune with your bicycle. I mean who wouldn't want to ride high quality rims and hubs. Some things are made with much higher standards than others. Although for the most part performance gains are measurably minimal. It just depends how much that margin matters to you.

The real question is would that money be better spent on a full body hair removal treatment?

Hmmmmm...............food for thought

i ride a giant defy 3 triple with freedom ryder 23 touring wheels. i don't have hardly any experience with nice equipment, but i am thinking that it doesn't really make much of a difference.

Alrighty then, case closed.

one of my cycling advisory council members (fred on an electric bike) saw one of my race bikes kitted out with deep section carbon rims and said, "those wheels must be what, 8-10km/h faster than regular ones." i laughed, and said something to the effect that at maximal efforts, they were good for .5-1 km/h.

ya i don't know why i felt that my response was adding anything to the conversation

Performance aside, lighter wheel is just so much more fun to climb and sprint. That can be worth a lot but I can't imagine spending 2K on a wheelset.

WOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSHHHHHHH!!!!!!! fuggoff

I would say for the average road rider, it benefits more for looks and placebo in HOPES that it will make them better at climbing, faster down the flats and beat anyone else that comes in visual sight. I can feel a minimal difference with mine. Went with a 30mm and though I do feel the benefit from it on climbing and flat ground riding, I dont know if it was worth emptying my wallet for them.

Well being someone who lives in a small valley surrounded by mountains I'd say they do make a difference. Maybe not in time but in expended energy on my climbs. Also easier to spin up as others have said which makes for a funnier ride in the rolling hills. Then there is the durability issue. My Mavic CXPs have needed spokes tightened repeatedly as well as having a few break. My Bontrager SSRs have needed hubs adjusted and truing. My Williams Systems 30s were cheap, much lighter, and have over 3000 trouble free miles on them. Well worth the price to me. Now the Zen wheels I just had built up are quite nice but maybe do not make any sense in terms of performance/price. But they have allowed me to "retire" the Rolf Vector Comps that were on my LeMond and too flexy for me. So really it's a matter of your priorities and how important certain aspects of a wheel's performance are to you.

After spending on the personal trainer and getting faster, the personal trainer will some day tell you to spend on an aero wheelset or frameset.

Heres my theory, If you have aero wheels it's understood that you need to HTFU around other riders and go faster....nobody wants to see a guy with aero wheels huffing and puffing at 15mph

this thread.

Sure, but so what? Unless you get paid to ride, most improvements (even significant ones) are unimportant.

If it helps you enjoy your sport, there's nothing wrong spending your money where your time and priorities are. Besides, many guys with the gear have been riding a long time and are doing well to hang onto what fitness they have.

They are faster, but in an all out 40k tt its maybe 30 seconds. On a road bike even less. You will be better served learning to ride in the drops which is alot cheaper!

I think lighter wheels/aero wheels help. First, it made me train harder on my regular wheels so I wouldn't look like a total doofus on the carbon 50mm wheels. At the end of the day the bike is lighter, plus I am a little faster by virtue of having trained harder.

I always wonder why people state something like "missinformation" or "incorrect" or "wrong" or the likes ... without actually adding anything to advance the subject or enlighten their peers about the reason why something is "incorrect" in their view.
Do you think anyone cares about whether or not you think this is "missinformation" if you're not giving the reason why?

I think you do.

Umm, not really.

With no specifics, have no idea WTF you mean.

ETA to be clear - have no idea if you are pro, con or a troll