Wheelset: Aero vs Weight
 

I have found other threads that speak generally of aero vs weight advantages but I'm looking for something more specific.

I have a budget for a new set of wheels and have found three different wheel sets from a local company (I'm set on this company for a number of reasons, mostly supporting local business, lack of shipping costs, and a hassle-free crash replacement warranty). I race in crits, road races and hilly centurions/fondos so I need an all round wheel, since I can only afford one.

Set 1: 1220g, 38mm @ $950

Set 2: 1390g 50mm @ $1000

Set 3: 1440g 60mm @ 1050

All three sets have the same hubs, spokes (type and lacing) and are tubular.

My current set is 1900g, 30mm. I'm going to notice an increase in performance regardless which I get but I'm really curious to know whether there will be a huge difference aerodynamically between the 50mm and 60mm and whether I'll even notice an additional 50g in weight between them. To me, the best all round option would be the 50mm set, not too heavy and still decently aerodynamic.

Another question: In an ideal world, I would buy the 38mm, since they're the lightest, and use them for climbing and buy the 60mm for crits and flats, since they're the most aerodynamic. I do plan on buying a second set down the road and ideally I would like to have both a light weight set for climbing and an aero set for criteriums. If I had to wait a season before buying the second set, which would be better to get now (i.e. would I be more frustrated riding less aero wheels in a criterium, or heavier wheels on a climb)? In reality, even the heaviest set I'm considering are still almost 500g less weight than what I currently race on, so I'll notice a difference on climbs with the 60mm wheels and I'll notice a huge difference in crits with a drastically more aerodynamic profile. I may have just answered my own question then.. but weigh in if you have other more superior knowledge.

Aero almost always trumps weight, though obviously I have no info on the performance of the specific wheels you're thinking of buying.

If you're planning on having two sets I'd buy the 60mm set now and the lightweight 38s later. The 50g difference between the 50s and 60s seems negligible, to me.

Are you really going to train on tubulars? IMO, if you go for carbon fiber rims it makes little sense aerodynamically to go shallower than 50-60mm. With 38mm rims you don't save enough watts over the best aluminum rims IMO. Check out the November Bicycle blog and wind tunnel tests and realize not all carbon rims are created equal. If these cheap chinese rims make sure you're getting wide "U" shaped rims.

No, I'll continue to train on my heavier clincher wheel set. They're heavy but incredibly stiff and reliable. Thanks for the tip about the shape, I'll look into it.

I have to say it depends on the terrain. Where I ride I go for rim weight because there's TONS of climbing, but I'd go for a 60mm rim if I were riding somewhere flatter than New England.

For the wheelset being solely for racing, think of your racing strategy. Do you just try to break away and drop everyone (aero), or do you draft the one you think is fastest and pass him on the final stretch? (weight).

50mm rims are easier to get 65mm stem tubes than having to find 80mm stems for the 60mm rims.

You'll soon have a collection of straw style extenders and core replacement extenders. The replaceable cores are preferred but then you have make sure your stems plus stews fit your wheels.

But I do not have experience with tubular tires for specific stem issues, my experience is all for clinchers.

Consider getting the wheels that benefit you strengths first. If you are a good crit. rider and have a good sprint, deeper aero wheels might be a good. If you tend to be first to the top of climbs, lighter wheels are going to be the way to go.

There's a great deal of difference between various aero wheelsets. Take a look at the current issue of Velo that compares eight.

As already mentioned above, rim shape is important. Companies like Zipp, Enve, and Hed spent a lot in designing and testing. Many generic rims have a deep shape and that's it. They might not do much at all - or could be great. You just don't know unless you see actual comparative test results.

Long answer short:
1 - Buy the 60s.
2 - 50g won't make a difference.
3 - Eventually you can get a shallower front wheel (38?) or a taller rear (do they offer an 80 or 90?). I'd tend toward the latter and if it's too windy then use your clincher front.

I've lived through your question, sort of, and recently documented my wheels and wheel weights (as well as the bike as a whole). Over the years I've managed to build up my wheel repertoire to 9 HED wheels (1 pair Bastogne/Ardennes, 1 pair Jet 6/9, 1 pair Stinger 60/60, Stinger 75 front, Stinger 90 rear, Stinger 40 front), all produced between 2010 and 2012. They are basically the same in terms of hubs, spokes, cassettes, and respective tires (clinchers are all one brand/model, tubular tires I use are so similar in weight they're basically identical). I give up THREE POUNDS going from my aero clinchers to my aero tubulars. Obviously some of that is tire choice but even with a light tire I think I'd be giving up about 1.4 kg instead of 1.5 kg, so still in the same realm.

I also race. I don't do hilly races at all so my thoughts only relate to shorter hills or flatter routes. The crits I prefer are either flat (not really my favorite) or have a very short, maybe 20-30 second hill in them (favorite). I have a good jump. I tend to be unfit.

My jump, I thought, would allow me to compensate for the heavier aero clinchers. I got shelled repeatedly using those wheels in 2010, the year I upgraded to Cat 2. In the same training races, using my 60mm tubulars, I was contesting for the win. Since it's a training race the same core of riders showed up every week so the races were pretty similar in terms of difficulty and tactics.

Therefore my jump allowed me to stay with the others but the extra work accelerating the additional 3 lbs of rim/tire exhausted me in 10-15-20 minutes.

I've since bought some wheels (75 front, 90 rear) and basically use them all the time. Weight difference is 1/3 lbs (so about 150g) compared to my 60/60 set, and since the wheels are basically the same as the others, the difference is in the rim itself. I think that the 1/3 lbs is not significant in the scheme of things so the 75/90 are my primary wheels.

The 75/90 are U-shaped rims ("SCT" for HED) and the 75 front is a little more predictable than the 60 front (non-SCT). Therefore the 60 is basically a reserve wheel now, both front and rear. If there's a super technical crit, 8 turns course or something, I would consider the 60s for their slightly lighter weight. Since speeds will rarely get really high the aero advantage is much less. With more wide open courses (kidney bean shape course with no real turns) the 75/90s are absolutely my favorites.

Finally, I tend not to train much due to other life factors. This year I typically trained 1-2 hours a week. Nonetheless I managed to win a number of field sprints (but none of them for the win, there were breaks). I did win one training race but I don't consider that a win per se due to the category (3-4-5) as well as the fact that by the end of the race there were no sprinters left.

Tuesday Night Race (where I've never finished using the heavy clinchers) where I was better than not. I'm using the 60/60 wheel set, I'm able to fluidly counter moves, there's no lag or extra effort in the accelerations etc. I was reasonably fit but not really - we were trying to start a family so I intentionally had no goals/aspirations and therefore dialed back my training immensely. I think I went from 450 hours in 2010 to 200-250 hours in 2011. And yes, Junior arrived in March 2012 and that really ended my racing aspirations for a bit.

Kidney bean shaped course with no real turns, this year, 75/90s, with about 4 hours of training in the 4 prior weeks. Although I missed the break (my teammate that won the race above also won this one), I beat some good riders in the field sprint. There was motivation for the sprint so it wasn't a gimme - we were sprinting for the bronze medal for the state championships. It takes me a bit longer to accelerate but I can hold a decent speed (37 mph) into a cross headwind.

To put things in perspective for your area I did Red Trolley in 2010, 2011. In 2010 I did the 3s and sat up on the last lap (I wasn't in contention anyway and had just done a massive block of training). The hill was too long for me and the distance between the top of the hill and the line was fatal for my sprint. I prefer a line directly at the top of a hill, not 200m past it. I did Red Trolley on my Bastogne clinchers so the lighter clinchers. I traveled with both the heavy and light clinchers but decided that the light ones would do better, and in fact I rarely used the heavy clinchers since then until this summer when the Bastognes finally started getting a bit wonky.

Picture of me in the 2011 Red Trolley, I think 4 laps to go, I came off the M35 field. You can see the low profile clinchers, which are lighter than the Jets. Given the choice I'll grab the Bastognes every time over the Jets. Picture by my SoCal host Rich.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TbmplkIYLx...0/DSC_0797.JPG

Final thought - wheel weight only makes a difference when it comes to accelerations. THis means corners, drafting in the field (because you're constantly adjusting speed), and a little bit on hills (because any increase in pace on a hill requires substantial energy). On solo rides I think the Jets are fine and in fact they're faster at higher speeds because they're more aero (of course, right?). I did most of my 2014 training rides on the Jets.

I double checked, these wheels are toroidal not the old style Vs. I ride with a few guys who use these wheels and they like them a lot. They're not alibaba wheels or anything like that. They're hand built to order here in Canada near my home town. I've been emailing back and forth with the owner and I'm confident they're quality.
I think I'll go with the 60mm. They'll give me an aero edge and even though they're heavier they're still far lighter than what I'm used to so comparatively it will feel much easier up a big climb with them vs my old reliables. All of my big climbing races that I like are late in the season so I'll get the 60s now and pick up a lighter set of climbing wheels next August for fondo season.