Is weight the single most important thing in a wheel upgrade

dhobiwallah

Ok - it is no use if your wheel weighs nothing but is made of cheese - but within reason?

I ask as I have recently purchased a turbo - and the indoor tyre is so tight I have rogered 2 tubes and 2 tyre levers getting it on (and off after holing the tube) so I bought a spare wheel on eBay.

The new wheel was advertised as a 'rolf' but has no markings (except planet x rim tape). Anyway - it looks the part, deeper section rim (so i need new tubes :roll: ), low spoke count with bladed spokes so I thought I would use that for the road and use my old wheel on the trainer (Its a CX bike so the wheels are 'sturdy' according to online reviews - 105 hubs, alex rims and higher spoke count).

The thing is that I weighed them on changeover and my 'upgrade' is 100g heavier than the heavy duty CX wheel (approx 1100g v 1000 inc free hub).

So with that in mind - which wheel should I use for the road, and which for the trainer?

ugo.santalucia

Use for the road the one that gives you the best ride...

racingcondor

Personally I've come to the conclusion that weight is less important than stiffness. Get a wheel that is laterally stiff enough, worry about how it's built (no. of spokes, lacing etc), ride quality, weight and price. Probably in that order.

There's nothing more annoying than a wheel that you can hear rubbing your brakes every time you get out of the saddle.

keef66

You sure the new wheel wasn't advertised as ROFL?

danlikesbikes

To answer your question, yes if its a lightweight wheel your looking for. However as Ugo has suggested that does not make it better or worse what really matters is how the wheel feels, plus a cheaper lightweight wheel may live a shorter life than a better built heavier one.

One would expect a 'deep' section wheel to weigh more than a standard road or CX wheel as it has a larger rim so can't always compare a aero whee directly with a lower profile just on weight as they are designed for different things.

Generally would suggest that your CX wheels would make a good trainer wheel as being designed for CX use would expect them to be pretty sturdy, though you could also argue that they would also be good on the road too for the same reason.

simon_masterson

Danlikesbikes wrote:

To answer your question, yes if its a lightweight wheel your looking for. However as Ugo has suggested that does not make it better or worse what really matters is how the wheel feels, plus a cheaper lightweight wheel may live a shorter life than a better built heavier one.

One would expect a 'deep' section wheel to weigh more than a standard road or CX wheel as it has a larger rim so can't always compare a aero whee directly with a lower profile just on weight as they are designed for different things.

Generally would suggest that your CX wheels would make a good trainer wheel as being designed for CX use would expect them to be pretty sturdy, though you could also argue that they would also be good on the road too for the same reason.

Well said.

Aside from durability and deep section/discs, the build and components of a wheel have at least as much of an effect on the ride quality as the weight; if I were to buy new wheels tomorrow I'd rather have 'heavy' handbuilts than 'light' factory builds. An expert wheelbuilder can choose the right spokes, count and pattern (and of course the rest of the wheels) for the rider, and can (hopefully) build them better than a machine can.

dhobiwallah

They aren't properly deep aero rims - just deep enough so my standard 32 mm valves don't stick out enough...

Guess I'll put them on the bike for outside and see how they feel. I would wager I won't feel any difference whatsoever - but I can't face trying to change that trainer tyre again!