Wheel weight

Mickyg88

Having read a load of wheel related topics on here, where there are a lot of posters swayed by low weight as a priority, what do people regard as a realistic maximum for a set of aluminium clinchers to be a worthwhile upgrade.
I realise weight isn't the only factor to be taken into account, but assuming all components are fit for purpose, it would be interesting to have some views on this.

MountainMonster

It all depends on what you are upgrading from. If you upgrade from a £50 wheel set, weight will be drastically different. If you are upgrading from a higher end wheel set the differences and perception of what you need are different.

I went from a 3.2kg wheelset and tyre weight down to around 2400 and the difference was drastic. Best £350 spent on the bike so far.

ju5t1n

It also depends on what sort of riding you want them for. As a road racer I never spend over £300 on a set because I can’t afford to replace anything better if I crash. If you ride TTs then aerodynamic carbon seems to be the way to go. For sportives you’ll probably want a set that can survive hitting a pot hole or two.

Mickyg88

I was thinking of an upgrade from say a bog standard set of low end wheels on a £1500 bike, which are in the main fairly heavy according to the usual reviews in cycle mags, to be used for everyday riding of 30-50 miles, not for racing or TT's.
Any ride of this distance would more than likely involve a bit of climbing along the way, is this where a lighter set of wheels come into their own? Again what should be the max weight to aim for?

lotus49

It really isn't possible to quote a maximum weight.

Do you know how much your wheels weigh? If you can weigh them it would be possible to give you an idea of how much weight could be saved for a specific amount of money. If you don't know and cannot weigh them, at least tell us what bike you have.

Generally people make too much fuss about weight but wheels are both an easy way to reduce your bike's weight and probably the best place to do it. The reduced weight will make it easier to accelerate and to climb but it would be absurd to spend £4,000 on wheels when the bike cost £1,500. It's all a matter of trying to balance the cost and the benefits.

Mickyg88

I have just weighed the front wheel, it's 1.3kg with tyre and tube, bit late and not too bright in the garage to get the rear off to weigh.

Mickyg88

Oh sorry, it's on a scott cr1 comp.

Grill

Makes a massive difference on climbs, not as noticeable elsewhere. My best wheelset comes in at 1.6kg as compared to 2.2kg for the next best and it's so drastic I typically swap from compact to standard to compensate.

Mickyg88

Grill, are those bare wheel weights or with tyres and tubes?

Mickyg88

Ignore the above, can't possibly be 1.6kg with tyre/ tubes.

FlacVest

Mickyg88 wrote:

Ignore the above, can't possibly be 1.6kg with tyre/ tubes.

Why not? Lightweights come in at 1100 g for the SET.

Cassette is what, a few hundred grams? Tires are under 200 grams each and latex tubes are light as heck, and that's if it's a clincher.


Regardless, unless you're climbing a mountain, you should focus on durability or aerodynamics, if you ride at high speeds. Having a "light" wheel would only be beneficial on constant hard accelerations where you do not go over 25 mph; 25 on up and aero is more beneficial, EVEN WITH the heavier weight.

pride4ever

It all depends how skinny you are. If your anorexic then its worth putting down up to £500 on a shiny new pair to finish off the bike but if your a lard ass who is nowhere near his optimum weight your wasting your money and would be better off shaving stones/kg,s off your own frame as it costs NOTHING and makes you go faster than ANY pair of wheels will ever do.

diy

ju5t1n wrote:

It also depends on what sort of riding you want them for. As a road racer I never spend over £300 on a set because I can’t afford to replace anything better if I crash. If you ride TTs then aerodynamic carbon seems to be the way to go. For sportives you’ll probably want a set that can survive hitting a pot hole or two.

That sounds like very good advice.
What do you run?

Gizmodo

My brother's wheels, hand-built by ugo.santalucia of this forum
- DT Swiss 465 rims
- Novatec 291/482 SL hubs

Front 783g, Rear 916g, 1679g the pair - that is with rim tape, but no tube, no tire and no cassette.

Grill

Mickyg88 wrote:

Ignore the above, can't possibly be 1.6kg with tyre/ tubes.

Reynolds RZRs + tubs

pride4ever

I run Gippiemme techno deep section loveliness and I weigh 10st dead and often drop a few pounds further in the summer. I am at my absolute minimum weight for 12 months of the year. I could go even lighter wheel set wise but the benefits for me would be minimal. Maybe the OP could tell us where he is weight wise so we could advise him better?

Crimmey

Oooo I like those Gippiemmes, I ride on them quite regular myself. I use the heavier 40mm ones, you got the lighter 40mm ones?

pride4ever

Crimmey wrote:

Oooo I like those Gippiemmes, I ride on them quite regular myself. I use the heavier 40mm ones, you got the lighter 40mm ones?

The 2kg ones, super stiff and blingy as fcuk.

ju5t1n

diy wrote:

ju5t1n wrote:

It also depends on what sort of riding you want them for. As a road racer I never spend over £300 on a set because I can’t afford to replace anything better if I crash. If you ride TTs then aerodynamic carbon seems to be the way to go. For sportives you’ll probably want a set that can survive hitting a pot hole or two.

That sounds like very good advice.
What do you run?

Zondas

Monty Dog

IME, 1500g is about the optimum limit for alloy road wheels (no QRs or cassette) - any lighter and you're looking at quite flexy rims, so less suited to the heavier / stronger rider).

MattC59

I'm 13st 8lbs at the moment at 6'2". I've got a set of Aeolus 5.0 ACC wheel on at the moment. They weigh in at 1600g bare, for the set. They've got 16 spokes front and rear, are stiff as you like, and despite smacking into a pothole last weekend, haven't needed truing at all.

Actually, I bent a spoke on a mates rear mech, so it saw a spoke key then, but that was nothing to do with the wheel strength.

Wirral_paul

Monty Dog wrote:

IME, 1500g is about the optimum limit for alloy road wheels (no QRs or cassette) - any lighter and you're looking at quite flexy rims, so less suited to the heavier / stronger rider).

I've got some wheels on order with DT Swiss RR1.1 rims. I wouldnt really call those flexy. Wheel weight is supposed to be a pretty accurate 1340g for the pair - i'll weigh them when they arrive. The hubs are pretty light at around 250g for the pair however. Stans Notubes 340's may well be pretty flexy from what i read and hear.

gsvbagpuss

Mickyg88 wrote:

Oh sorry, it's on a scott cr1 comp.

I upgraded mine to Mavic Aksiums (after a prang) and have been happy, but I can't claim to be massively knowledgable about such things!

daddy0

I upgraded the wheels on my 2012 Felt F5 to ProLite Braccianos for about £220 in a sale. It came with some Mavic CXP22 rims on Felt hubs which the reviews said were the weakest part of the bike. I guestimate that I shaved off about 700g of weight on the bike by replacing the wheels, tubes and tyres at a total cost of about £300. I did notice the difference straight away, easier to climb, faster acceleration AND top speed! After a couple of hundred miles I think they bedded in and feel even better now.

Bike now weighs less than 8KG, which is fine for me and makes people who don't know about bikes say things like "wow that's light" when they pick it up. It also looks a bit better IMO.

The ProLites are a shade under 1500g without skewers, tyres, tubes, cassette etc. When I did my wheel buying homework it seemed that 1500g a set was the best trade off between price and weight.

Nowadays I am more capable of cruising around at 20mph+ so will probably be looking for some aero wheels before not too long :-)

Wirral_paul

Wirral_Paul wrote:

Monty Dog wrote:

IME, 1500g is about the optimum limit for alloy road wheels (no QRs or cassette) - any lighter and you're looking at quite flexy rims, so less suited to the heavier / stronger rider).

I've got some wheels on order with DT Swiss RR1.1 rims. I wouldnt really call those flexy. Wheel weight is supposed to be a pretty accurate 1340g for the pair - i'll weigh them when they arrive. The hubs are pretty light at around 250g for the pair however. Stans Notubes 340's may well be pretty flexy from what i read and hear.

Got them today. Actually got DT Swiss RR415 rims (28 hole front and rear). Weighed in at 1371g including rim tape for the pair