Wheel upgrade from Shimano whr500.

BMKN

I have my wheels over 2 years now in my club they all have fancy carbon wheels or weekend wheels. I have a decent frame. Ive looked into planet x clinchers 60mm depth and its the kind of price ive saved up and am willing to spend. My question is are these wheels a step up or a side step from current wheels and what difference so they make ib terms of ride comfort?

keef66

Could you possibly borrow a set of wheels from one of your clubmates so you can see for yourself what difference, if any, they make to your ride?

I've only ever ridden RS10's (6 years old and still going strong) and more recently a pair of budget-tastic R501's on my winter build. However, I do 99% of my riding alone, and at this time of year much of it in the dark, so I do not suffer from the peer pressure you hint at in your post.

BMKN

Peer pressure is a bitch. I have a set of revolights on my wheels which are a pain to put on so I dont fancy taking em off every year and I was considering a wheel upgrade or just get the same wheels for the brigher days. As they weigh that bit more. I keep up with my group who all have fancy light weight bikes.

markhewitt1978

keef66 wrote:

I've only ever ridden RS10's (6 years old and still going strong) and more recently a pair of budget-tastic R501's on my winter build. However, I do 99% of my riding alone, and at this time of year much of it in the dark, so I do not suffer from the peer pressure you hint at in your post.

I ride RS10's as my winter wheels and they are ok, but not a patch on the RS80's I run during the summer, way faster especially at speeds over 20mph. That said there are riders on my club who can easily smoke me using their set of R500's so I'm under no illusions that they make me unbeatable although they may narrow the gap ever so slightly.

ugo.santalucia

Are the PX a stretch financially?
Don't waste your money on peer pressure... if you are happy with your wheels, keep them. The deep section wheels you are looking at will be a downgrade in some situations (wind, going up, going down) and an upgrade in others (long stretches of flat road, time trialling, chain gang situations)
If you have to choose where to put your money, good quality clothing always comes first

cycleclinic

60mm deep rims are quite deep and they are almost TT wheels. If you really want carbon wheels then a 50mm deep rim is about as deep as you need to go. In fact for most riders in clubs who are not competing seriously then rims in 40-50mm range will give you nearly all the aero advantage that a 60mm deep rim gives but less of the down sides ugo mentioned. However if you are happy with your wheels then changing them for something more fancy is only going to give you small gains but they are there.

If you are going to go for carbon wheels and so long as you have the clearance I can recomend looking out for the current crop of 23-25mm rims. I have a set of 25mm wide carbon rims and the ride quality was worth the expensive of building them up alone.

simon_e

Unless you use them for racing or feel the need to 'keep up with the Joneses' I wouldn't bother.

My 50mm full carbons weren't cheap, they weighed the same as the RS80s I replaced them with but were not as nice to ride, particularly in crosswinds or downhill. I've raced both in TTs and reckon the aerodynamic benefit of the 50mm rims is much smaller than people would have you believe (I actually went faster on the shallow Shimano hoops, but am also fitter than last year).

IMHO buying overpriced gear is never as much as fun or memorable as doing something special. That might be a weekend break or maybe a multi-day ride or distant sportive you've always fancied.

buckles

Simon E wrote:

IMHO buying overpriced gear is never as much as fun or memorable as doing something special. That might be a weekend break or maybe a multi-day ride or distant sportive you've always fancied.

Agreed, don't get caught up in the obsessive compulsive buying thing and spend your money on doing something exciting instead...

BMKN

Cheers guys looks like solid advice. Might buy a new light or something.

chris1967cycling

Before you buy some new lights I'd suggest what one of the other posters did - try and borrow some 50mm ish wheels from either a mate or bike shop. Lots of decent bike shops have demo wheels available these days.

I've got some RS81's for my winter wheels but can definately feel the difference when I stick the 50mm aero wheels in. They 'hold' speed much better once you get them moving

The 60mm's will probably be too much of a jump from your 24mm current wheels. I had some PX 60mm's and they were fine on calm days but once the wind picked up they did move around quite a lot.

BMKN

Good points I think 60mm are to much I find im blown aside anyway than most riders as I am fairly light to begin with. Ill keep my cash aside and look into rs80 mayb in spring. They look like gorgeous wheels.

keef66

I find the slightly aero rim and bladed spokes on the RS10's catch a stiff crosswind! Don't think I'll be tempted by any deep dish carbon jobbies since I'm no time triallist.

cycleclinic

I find a strong cross wind catches my 28 spoke front wheel with shallow rims and round spokes. Cross winds will catch all wheels, given the wind conditions are different every time it is windy it is difficult to make proper comparision between wheels.

It does sound like you want new wheels because others have them rather than you have a need. So the only reason to buy new wheels them is to keep a shop in business but them again the entire ecomony is driven by such purchases.

simon_e

Light riders are affected more by crosswinds and deep section wheels than heavier ones.

Shimano Ultegra 6700 wheels are very similar to RS80s, hardly any heavier but significantly cheaper. Also tubeless compatible for those considering that route.

cycleclinic

While that is true comparison made by us are not very helpful as what we might consider a problem or non issue the OP may consider differently. The OP needs to try some out. I do feel these threads sometimes confuse more than they help as the OP no offense it not sure what he wants. What he needs are round wheels and that is what he has, what he want I am not sure.

buckles