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New Wheels - How much benefit?

paullb

Speeding Up
May 24, 2010
75
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I'm thinking of getting new wheels (I have cheap Shimano R500s now) and I was thinking of spending somewhere in the 3-40000yen range but I was wondering how much benefit can one expect to gain in terms of speed, climbing performance, handling?, ride comfort?

Edit: Good point JDD. I have Conti 4000s and decent tubes.
 
Consider the added tube/tire when doing wheel daydreaming--sticking with your usual (?) or going to something new there, too...
 
I bought a set of GSAstuto 38mm carbons from R500s. WHen I first got them I thought there was a difference. Recently I got a flat on the front and went back to my old front wheel. I couldn't tell the difference changing back to be honest.

But i do love my carbon wheels!!! SO there is a difference there!!:D
 
I'm thinking of getting new wheels (I have cheap Shimano R500s now) and I was thinking of spending somewhere in the 3-40000yen range but I was wondering how much benefit can one expect to gain in terms of speed, climbing performance, handling?, ride comfort?

Edit: Good point JDD. I have Conti 4000s and decent tubes.

at that price range there is very little if not any difference at all - you'll actually probably get more benifit from dropping the money on a set of Vittoria Evo Corsa CXII or CS tyres and Vitoria Latex racing innertubes.

Also its different horses for different courses - my sponsors have supplied me with 5 different depth wheels from 88mm down to 20mm rim depth each set having its own merits depending on terrain, weather and race thats been ridden at the time.

My training wheels are cheap 50mm carbon rims built around a powertap and a lightweight Novatec front hub - they weigh in over 1500g but remember these are for training so i feel the weight loss when switching to my race wheels.

So the point im trying to make is are these wheels for racing, training or just the bling factor?

If for training I would stick with what you have - if you are looking for a racing set then I you'll need to drop about double for the Dura Ace C24 which are the all rounder that is used from Juniors to the Pro Tour.

If its for the Bling Factor to be honest take a look on ebay.
 
at that price range there is very little if not any difference at all - you'll actually probably get more benifit from dropping the money on a set of Vittoria Evo Corsa CXII or CS tyres and Vitoria Latex racing innertubes.

Also its different horses for different courses - my sponsors have supplied me with 5 different depth wheels from 88mm down to 20mm rim depth each set having its own merits depending on terrain, weather and race thats been ridden at the time.

My training wheels are cheap 50mm carbon rims built around a powertap and a lightweight Novatec front hub - they weigh in over 1500g but remember these are for training so i feel the weight loss when switching to my race wheels.

So the point im trying to make is are these wheels for racing, training or just the bling factor?

If for training I would stick with what you have - if you are looking for a racing set then I you'll need to drop about double for the Dura Ace C24 which are the all rounder that is used from Juniors to the Pro Tour.

If its for the Bling Factor to be honest take a look on ebay.

Thanks for the considered response.

The honest reason is that the group (or at least some of the members) I ride with takes the sprints and climbs pretty seriously and I was wondering if I was hampering myself down with such low end wheels. So if its a reasonable ROI in buying some mid-market? wheels I would buy a pair.
 
Why not upgrade the engine before you upgrade the wheels? ;) It's cheaper and more rewarding.
 
Yeah with Far East on this.

At that price, a set of top end Vittoria are going to much more noticeable than new wheels that cost the same as your old ones.
 
Yeah with Far East on this.

At that price, a set of top end Vittoria are going to much more noticeable than new wheels that cost the same as your old ones.

I'm trying to avoid flats as much as I can (club rides) to avoid causing inconvenience so shelled out for the GrandPrix 4000S tyres.
 
I'm trying to avoid flats as much as I can (club rides) to avoid causing inconvenience so shelled out for the GrandPrix 4000S tyres.

Hmmmm I didn't have much luck with those - had a series of flats so wwent back to my trusted Vittoria CX clinchers for training.

Many here love the Conti 4000's but I just don't get on with them and don't feel they roll as good as the Vittoria
 
Probably my local conditions are different than ultra-urban tokyo, but the conti 4000 and the newer 4000s version have been great tires for me.

Not sure about the rolling, I guess I'll put the vittoria CX clinchers on my watch list, check out some reviews, etc. --> so thanks for the heads up.
 
Hmmmm I didn't have much luck with those - had a series of flats so wwent back to my trusted Vittoria CX clinchers for training.

Many here love the Conti 4000's but I just don't get on with them and don't feel they roll as good as the Vittoria

I knew James would be one of the first naysayers on your purchase, but IMHO, they do a pretty good job of hitting the sweet spot between ride quality and puncture resistance.
 
Oh Pete, im not 'naysaying' as such as I know many riders here swear by them and I probably just got a set of lemons however my obligations to my sponsors require me to be as anal as possbile about the kit I use. joking - possibly
 
Here is an interesting article from Velo News about the wheels of choice of pro riders in the Tour de France 2012. Of course one should not forget that the teams are sponsored by the brands, so the pros have no real choices.

http://cyclitis.wordpress.com/2012/07/13/laufrader-der-tdf/


Well they also need to be UCI certified as well MOB - but really if you look at the wheels being used they are pretty much the best race wheels out there.

Yes there are Madfibre, Lightweight and so on but to be honest these aren't any good for racing - a broken spoke, buckle and the wheel has to be completely replaced with no chance of salavaging parts.

They are also there to win races and as one of the most important parts of a bikeis the contacct points they will all be looking at marginal gains.
 
My 2 yen -

1) Ultegra 6700 wheelset is one of the best performing and practical wheelsets out there. I give it my strongest vote for the best all around wheel. Mainly due to Shimano reliability, easy service and ability to use either tubed or tubeless tires.

2) Vittoria's consistently rank among the best for lowest rolling resistance. Their rubber compouinds are very consistent and personally I find they last longer than alot of the other elite tires.
 
I specced my bike with R500`s as didn`t want to pay Japanese prices for wheels. I upgraded to RS80`s and changing the front one was barely noticeable (on the wife`s bike, with cheap stock wheels, it was). With both on, there is a difference, but not that much - the R500`s are a decent set of wheels. If I was buying wheels now, I would go with these
http://www.flocycling.com/
I`d love a FLO 60 for the front, but couldn`t get it past the wife at the mo.

As for tyres, rolling resistance and puncture resistance are just 2 of the 3 main tyre attributes to pay attention to. The other is aero performance, and whilst the GP4000s aren`t the fastest rolling out there, they are apparently one of the most aero, so what they lose in crr, they make back in drag savings (they are [or were] Zipp`s recommended tyre of choice alongside their own Tangente). So all round, GP4000s are as good as anything (I have 23 on the front, and 25 on the rear). You could try latex tubes for more comfort, and check the tyre width is optimised for the rim width to improve performance.

The honest reason is that the group (or at least some of the members) I ride with takes the sprints and climbs pretty seriously and I was wondering if I was hampering myself down with such low end wheels.

Buying wheels is a one-off performance upgrade. Like FarEast, I have a Powertap and a Powertap combined with learning how to train properly will make you far faster in the long-run.
 
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