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Impact of wheels?
Heck I ride 40 yr old steel rimmed wheels on some of my bikes. I actually like the ride, with old Schwinn Puff tires. I think some people over think and over engineer this stuff. It's a pedal bike we're talking about.
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Originally Posted by canam73
(Post 16379509)
Are you attributing the speed gain in your coast down test to better aero dynamics or what? What did you do to equalize differences in rolling resistance that could be caused by different tires and tubes, rim widths and tire pressure? And on your old wheels, do you know for sure that the bearing tension was set optimally and that they were in good enough condition to provide a suitable comparison?
And how many runs are you talking, anyway? I have seen enough well documented coast down tests to know that very minor differences in body position and wind can cause large differences in results. For one person to assemble meaningful data it would required a lot of time and effort with a very focused and disciplined tester. Per the OPs original question which was regarding $2000 wheels vs. $400 dollar ones, how do you know that your simple test would not have yielded similar results had you compared your original wheels with an identical set that had been built with a 23mm wide touring rim with freshly serviced hubs at little to no additional cost? Listen, I have a giant hill that is right outside my home...a hill I have to coast down, then ride back up every time I ride. A hill large enough that other local riders attempt to set speed records on it. I've taken it literally 100's of times...or more. The hill is so large, I refuse to push it with pedaling, I can easily coast down it at 40+ mph...if I were pedaling it would be higher (my max on it was 52 mph back before I stopped pushing things...). So...coasting down the same hill, 100s of times, on different wheels and different tires, I have a good set of data to go off of. I'm not claiming anything is snake oil...or that some piece of gear made me a pro racer. I'm saying that the wheels I currently own ride quite a bit nicer than my stockers...which may have a whopping 300-500 miles on them tops. |
Originally Posted by Smokehouse
(Post 16379587)
...and your post is 100% why I rarely get into gear conversations.
Listen, I have a giant hill that is right outside my home...a hill I have to coast down, then ride back up every time I ride. A hill large enough that other local riders attempt to set speed records on it. I've taken it literally 100's of times...or more. The hill is so large, I refuse to push it with pedaling, I can easily coast down it at 40+ mph...if I were pedaling it would be higher (my max on it was 52 mph back before I stopped pushing things...). So...coasting down the same hill, 100s of times, on different wheels and different tires, I have a good set of data to go off of. I'm not claiming anything is snake oil...or that some piece of gear made me a pro racer. I'm saying that the wheels I currently own ride quite a bit nicer than my stockers...which may have a whopping 300-500 miles on them tops. |
Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
(Post 16379597)
The problem is the claimed "couple of mph" improvement is significntly above any reasonable estimate predicted by wind tunnel data, and manufacturer's claims.
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Originally Posted by Smokehouse
(Post 16379623)
I can pick up "a couple of mph" going down a steep hill by barely pressing on the pedals...how is this such an absurd claim?
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Originally Posted by Smokehouse
(Post 16379587)
...and your post is 100% why I rarely get into gear conversations.
Listen, I have a giant hill that is right outside my home...a hill I have to coast down, then ride back up every time I ride. A hill large enough that other local riders attempt to set speed records on it. I've taken it literally 100's of times...or more. The hill is so large, I refuse to push it with pedaling, I can easily coast down it at 40+ mph...if I were pedaling it would be higher (my max on it was 52 mph back before I stopped pushing things...). So...coasting down the same hill, 100s of times, on different wheels and different tires, I have a good set of data to go off of. I'm not claiming anything is snake oil...or that some piece of gear made me a pro racer. I'm saying that the wheels I currently own ride quite a bit nicer than my stockers...which may have a whopping 300-500 miles on them tops. For some people, a wider rim or tire that they can run at a lower pressure can make a noticeable difference in comfort. They might also notice a handling or rolling resistance difference. Others, especially if they are relatively light might not feel any improvement. But either way, it does not really cost anything, it is just a matter of being appropriate to the rider. (Obviously if you need to buy something new it will be at some cost, but the technology is nothing new regardless of what HED wants to say). Now, there are wheel components that cost money. Say CX-Rays at ~$3 a piece compared to standard DB spokes at ~$1. The advantages in aerodynamics and weight may or may not be useful to a rider depending on their circumstance. |
Originally Posted by Smokehouse
(Post 16379623)
I can pick up "a couple of mph" going down a steep hill by barely pressing on the pedals...how is this such an absurd claim? Do they have many wind tunnels at a 20%+ grade?
In fact, if they didn't ride nicer and +2mph on 20% grade at 40mph+ was the most noticeable difference would it matter to you? |
It depends almost entirely on your gullibility and the vividness of your imagination.
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For the love of God...how about I just say what so many of you really want to hear:
Nothing makes a single shred of difference, I'm full of crap. I have no scientists following me around with 1.5 million dollars worth of test equipment therefore everything thing I claim, no matter how small that claim may be, is complete and utter BS (and I am an imaginative moron for having though it in the first place). OP...listen to these guys. Nothing you will buy will make a crap-bit of a difference. Buy a GMC bike from Amazon and be happy because this is literally the best riding experience you will ever get. Nothing...and I mean NOTHING will make even the slightest difference in performance no matter what anything tells you...because you will never have the die hard scientific data to prove it. There...you guys happy with that response? |
Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
(Post 16378813)
Very small difference, for a huge sum of money.
At the risk of upsetting the cycling scientists here, despite what all the marketing says you probably won't notice any difference no matter what wheels you have. Sure, wind tunnel experiments might say this wheel is X-amout of measuring criteria better than another wheel...but ultimately, out on the road, it truly won't amount to a big advantage. Buy wheels for looks, not marketing. |
I am not gonna get involved in a pissing contest. I'll say, though, that I have seven pairs of modern wheelsets, and they all give relatively different "rides". They range from 50MM to Mavic Open Pros, which are the shallowest wheelset, and I can say wheels are probably where the most enjoyment is on a bike after the frameset. At least for me.
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I upgraded my wheelset from a pair of Mavic open sport to a pair of ROL SLR's. It was a $650 upgrade, I don't consider that to be a crazy amount of money. The very first thing I noticed right away was the rolling resistance. The hubs on the new wheelset were so much better than the old ones. I felt it as soon as I pushed off to start my ride. Overall a much soother ride and a small gain in average speed. Just my 2 cents
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Originally Posted by Smokehouse
(Post 16379753)
For the love of God...how about I just say what so many of you really want to hear:
Nothing makes a single shred of difference, I'm full of crap. I have no scientists following me around with 1.5 million dollars worth of test equipment therefore everything thing I claim, no matter how small that claim may be, is complete and utter BS (and I am an imaginative moron for having though it in the first place). OP...listen to these guys. Nothing you will buy will make a crap-bit of a difference. Buy a GMC bike from Amazon and be happy because this is literally the best riding experience you will ever get. Nothing...and I mean NOTHING will make even the slightest difference in performance no matter what anything tells you...because you will never have the die hard scientific data to prove it. There...you guys happy with that response? |
This thread cannot be locked soon enough.
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Originally Posted by Smokehouse
(Post 16379753)
For the love of God...how about I just say what so many of you really want to hear:
Nothing makes a single shred of difference, I'm full of crap. I have no scientists following me around with 1.5 million dollars worth of test equipment therefore everything thing I claim, no matter how small that claim may be, is complete and utter BS (and I am an imaginative moron for having though it in the first place). OP...listen to these guys. Nothing you will buy will make a crap-bit of a difference. Buy a GMC bike from Amazon and be happy because this is literally the best riding experience you will ever get. Nothing...and I mean NOTHING will make even the slightest difference in performance no matter what anything tells you...because you will never have the die hard scientific data to prove it. There...you guys happy with that response? |
Stiff wheels make a difference compared to not so stiff ones, IMHO. Tires also. Quality tires ride better, in general.
I have found nicer components generally don't go out of true as quickly as lower end stuff...that may be worth the price to you. |
Originally Posted by Smokehouse
(Post 16379753)
For the love of God...how about I just say what so many of you really want to hear:
Nothing makes a single shred of difference, I'm full of crap. I have no scientists following me around with 1.5 million dollars worth of test equipment therefore everything thing I claim, no matter how small that claim may be, is complete and utter BS (and I am an imaginative moron for having though it in the first place). OP...listen to these guys. Nothing you will buy will make a crap-bit of a difference. Buy a GMC bike from Amazon and be happy because this is literally the best riding experience you will ever get. Nothing...and I mean NOTHING will make even the slightest difference in performance no matter what anything tells you...because you will never have the die hard scientific data to prove it. There...you guys happy with that response? And how do you figure in the value of enjoyment for a particular item? Maybe new 50mm carbon wheels with loud hubs won't make me 2mph faster than my stock wheels but I sure as heck will enjoy riding on them more. |
Originally Posted by Jed19
(Post 16379786)
I am not gonna get involved in a pissing contest. I'll say, though, that I have seven pairs of modern wheelsets, and they all give relatively different "rides". They range from 50MM to Mavic Open Pros, which are the shallowest wheelset, and I can say wheels are probably where the most enjoyment is on a bike after the frameset. At least for me.
You may want to check out this thread: TESTING NEW WHEELS |
Originally Posted by Smokehouse
(Post 16379753)
For the love of God...how about I just say what so many of you really want to hear:
Nothing makes a single shred of difference, I'm full of crap. I have no scientists following me around with 1.5 million dollars worth of test equipment therefore everything thing I claim, no matter how small that claim may be, is complete and utter BS (and I am an imaginative moron for having though it in the first place). OP...listen to these guys. Nothing you will buy will make a crap-bit of a difference. Buy a GMC bike from Amazon and be happy because this is literally the best riding experience you will ever get. Nothing...and I mean NOTHING will make even the slightest difference in performance no matter what anything tells you...because you will never have the die hard scientific data to prove it. There...you guys happy with that response? I don't think that anyone is saying that there's zero difference, but people will call out extraordinary claims. Your claim of gaining a couple mph when in the 40 mph range falls in to the extraordinary range. With a combined bike and rider weight of 180 lbs, it'd take an additional ~300 watts or so from the rider to speed up a couple mph, assuming they were coasting at ~40, yet you say you've achieved those gains from the wheels alone. That's a lot of energy savings from a pair of wheels, everything else equal. |
Originally Posted by WhyFi
(Post 16380599)
Check out one of the saddle threads, 'cause you're clearly having a butthurt problem.
I don't think that anyone is saying that there's zero difference, but people will call out extraordinary claims. Your claim of gaining a couple mph when in the 40 mph range falls in to the extraordinary range. With a combined bike and rider weight of 180 lbs, it'd take an additional ~300 watts or so from the rider to speed up a couple mph, assuming they were coasting at ~40, yet you say you've achieved those gains from the wheels alone. That's a lot of energy savings from a pair of wheels, everything else equal. Ok wait... if you guys are going to call BS on me...I'm going to call it on you. first off...if you're going to sit there and tell me it takes 300 watts to speed up from 38mph to 40 while flying down a large, steep hill...I'm calling BS. Second...weight is not the only factor when it comes to required power. There are a ton of factors involved in determining how much power it takes to move mass...that 180 LBS you incorrectly estimated isn't floating you know... I claim I was seeing an average increase of a couple of mph while coasting down a giant hill...and many of you call BS. Then then come on here and try to use some open ended math (math that is missing a ton a variables btw) and actually attempt to pass that off as some definitive logic? "41" indeed... |
High quality tires and a semi aero wheelset can give you quantifiable gains (0.5mph).
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I find that high end carbon wheels tend to improve front to back soundstage and increase high frequency air. Going back to 32 spoke aluminum clinchers seems to create a shrouding effect.
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Although if you're looking for a punchy low end, a Ti frame is a much better bang for your buck.
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Originally Posted by halfspeed
(Post 16380746)
I find that high end carbon wheels tend to improve front to back soundstage and increase high frequency air. Going back to 32 spoke aluminum clinchers seems to create a shrouding effect.
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I think if the rider had a Brooks saddle, that alone adds 2 mph
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