Wheels with carbon for aero benefits

Il Biondo
Il Biondo Posts: 14
edited September 2013 in Road buying advice
Sooo it is time for me to look at some options regarding carbon wheels and i mean normal wheels that have a "carbon shell" (like Cosmic Carbon SL etc.).. :!:

Looking for:
- Clincher wheels
- Wheels that i can use as everyday training wheel (ride 1-3 times a week).
- Wheels that could give me an advantage when doing a timetrial/tri-comp. (90 km MAX)
- Wheels that is stiff enough for my 190 lbs/86-87 kg.
- Wheels that fits my Campagnolo Veloce group.

I live i a not so hilly area, mostly flat roads with a few bumps, almost always head or tailwind on most of my rides..

Options as i see it:
- Cosmic Carbone SL (they do look smashing IMO)
- Been offered a set of 3 year old (used for about 1000 km) HED Jet 6FR, reviews are good but I'm concerned about my weight!!

I bet there are many other wheels out there that i don't even know about so please give me some advice :D

Comments

  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    For actual aero benefit the Jet 6FR fits the bill. The Zipp 60 should be fine as well (I assume you're wanting to stick with an alu braking surface otherwise the 404FC is a better option).

    Whatever you chose they're going to be heavy, so as long as you're fine with that then go ahead.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    The HED Jet are superior in terms of aerodynamics... interestingly they also use J spokes (at least at the rear), which means they are easy to fix and rebuild if needs be.
    On the contrary, the Cosmic use proprietary parts, which makes any repair/rebuild very troublesome
    left the forum March 2023
  • alan_sherman
    alan_sherman Posts: 1,157
    You are not a wheeler from Kingston are you?

    Recent thread on the club forum with info that may be usful:
    http://www.kingstonwheelers.co.uk/kwccf ... 6b0700facf
  • Il Biondo
    Il Biondo Posts: 14
    alan sherman wrote:
    You are not a wheeler from Kingston are you?

    Recent thread on the club forum with info that may be usful:
    http://www.kingstonwheelers.co.uk/kwccf ... 6b0700facf

    Far from :D I'm from Denmark..

    But thanks for the link.
  • Il Biondo
    Il Biondo Posts: 14
    Grill wrote:
    For actual aero benefit the Jet 6FR fits the bill. The Zipp 60 should be fine as well (I assume you're wanting to stick with an alu braking surface otherwise the 404FC is a better option).

    Whatever you chose they're going to be heavy, so as long as you're fine with that then go ahead.

    I know that the weight isn't exactly light, but i have the legs to push them around :wink: and i have a budget :x
  • gabriel959
    gabriel959 Posts: 4,227
    Seeing as you live in Denmark which is pan flat, why not go full carbon as braking is probably not so much of a problem there?
    x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
    Commuting / Winter rides - Jamis Renegade Expert
    Pootling / Offroad - All-City Macho Man Disc
    Fast rides Cannondale SuperSix Ultegra
  • Il Biondo
    Il Biondo Posts: 14
    gabriel959 wrote:
    Seeing as you live in Denmark which is pan flat, why not go full carbon as braking is probably not so much of a problem there?

    A question of money :oops:
  • brettjmcc
    brettjmcc Posts: 1,361
    You should be OK on the Jet6. They only say you need to have it built up over a rider weight of 90Kg
    BMC GF01
    Quintana Roo Cd01
    Project High End Hack
    Cannondale Synapse SL (gone)
    I like Carbon
  • Crozza
    Crozza Posts: 991
    the buying process seems to be a royal pain, but for your requirements these seem to fit the bill

    http://www.flocycling.com/
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    Crozza wrote:
    the buying process seems to be a royal pain, but for your requirements these seem to fit the bill

    http://www.flocycling.com/
    Yes, but as discussed on the KW forum, these are wheels for people who want to do time trials... who don't mind them being 2 Kg for the set, In other words they are dedicated wheels.
    I think the FLO belong to a world of triathlon and time trials rather than road cycling.
    left the forum March 2023
  • Crozza
    Crozza Posts: 991
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Crozza wrote:
    the buying process seems to be a royal pain, but for your requirements these seem to fit the bill

    http://www.flocycling.com/
    Yes, but as discussed on the KW forum, these are wheels for people who want to do time trials... who don't mind them being 2 Kg for the set, In other words they are dedicated wheels.
    I think the FLO belong to a world of triathlon and time trials rather than road cycling.

    so you mean that they fit the OP's requirements, as listed in his post, exactly?

    interesting that you mention the weight as a negative feature here, when in all your other posts you say it doesn't matter.

    also interesting that you say the HED jets are OK - they are the same concept as these except more expensive and second hand
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    Personally I can't care less what the OP decides to buy, but, as I pointed out on the other forum, I don't think people will buy them as road wheels... as TT wheels yes.
    IME as soon as you mention 1.8 Kg people run away, let alone 2 Kg! I seem to recall the HED are significantly lighter... does it matter? Well, if it's all weight on the rim it does matter for road riding, I'm afraid.... maybe on the lonely B roads of Denmark not so much, but round here it does.

    Re. light wheels: I always say the hub is irrelevant and the rim needs to be light but not as light as to become "bendy"... there is a happy medium, which is not 300 grams and it's not 800 grams, either of those will be less than ideal for road riding... for time trialling, that's a different story.
    left the forum March 2023
  • Il Biondo
    Il Biondo Posts: 14
    I want to use them mainly for normal road biking (training/"races") but also for the occasional tri-comp. and training for a triathlon. I have bought carbon stryke extensions and a fast forward seat post for the tri-comp.

    So to have a set of wheels that is a bit more aero than my current Fulcrum 7's, that can stand my weight and to be used 1-3 times a week for 40-90 km trips and that look nice on my bike is what i would like :)

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