is 50mm to deep for a light rider?

justin_c2000

Hi, i am looking to upgrade my cannondale supersix evo ultegra di2 with a new set of wheels. i am 5'7" and 118 lbs (53 kg) and race crits, time trials and the occasional sportive on flat and rolling terrain.
i am having trouble choosing between shimano dura ace c35's or c50's, is a 50mm rim to deep and will i get blown around?... there are a lot of trees to block me from the wind where i live but it can still be windy at times in the areas with less trees and more fields.

thanks -justin

buckles

viewtopic.php?f=40042&t=12953730&hilit=50mm

Similar thread posted just over a week ago

cadseen

Hi.

I am 58KG and I use 66mm Reynolds deep sections front and back with no problems, even on windy crits on airfields etc. Its a matter of getting used to anything and how you handle the bike.

Remarkable

I'm 52 kg, and even bladed spokes are a nightmare! C35's would be the safest option of the 2 you mention though.

diamonddog

Remarkable wrote:

I'm 52 kg, and even bladed spokes are a nightmare! C35's would be the safest option of the 2 you mention though.

^^This, 51kg and I get blown about on 30 rims & bladed spokes in cross winds, IMO deeper rims for me would be like riding a balloon on a windy day. :shock:

bernithebiker

51kg?

Wow, I thought I was light at 63kg!!

Are you a dwarf?

diamonddog

5'5'', v low body fat, bike or turbo almost every day.

majormantra

Similar weight to the OP. I won't go near deep sections these days - even 30mm rims can be a real handful, although it's worse on the road than in a controlled environment like a crit course.

Supposedly some of the newer blunt/wide rims (Enve, Zipp etc.) are better in wind, but frankly I wouldn't bother. And the Shimanos you've named are heavy if you mean the clincher versions.

bernithebiker

diamonddog wrote:

5'5'', v low body fat, bike or turbo almost every day.

Well, I'm 5'8 and also v.low body fat, and ride every day and my mates and wife think I'm too thin.......

I ride Mavic Ultimates, 45mm I think they are, no probs in wind, unless it's a howling gale.

diamonddog

bernithebiker wrote:

Well, I'm 5'8 and also v.low body fat, and ride every day and my mates and wife think I'm too thin.......

I ride Mavic Ultimates, 45mm I think they are, no probs in wind, unless it's a howling gale.

I am a very light build and have been this weight since I was in my early twenties, the bike and me only come in at 58kg together and I get blown way off line in cross and side winds when riding 30mm rims but I may try deeper rims one day just for the hell of it.
As long as you are happy with your weight that's what counts IMO.

sungod

op - it's really a question of your experience/ability to handle them, plus how good/bad the rims are at higher yaw angles

i'm 75-77kg, on 50mm rims in uk, never had any issue, at most a nudge when the wind was funneled through a gap in buildings/hedges/whatever, maybe it's worse near the coast, but i'm inland

imho, aside from atypical gales, uk is not that windy, lanzarote, now that's windy, but i ride there a fair bit so learn how to handle it, it took a while, now i have no issue unless it's a really bad day, then i don't go out, on the higher roads it can be hard to walk straight let alone cycle, on days when it's bad but not insane, it's ok with care/awareness

risks are: gusts, gaps, changing yaw angle; the first you can't predict, the other two you can watch out for and ride accordingly, you need to learn how specific wheels behave, after a while you get to know your limits on a given wheelset

it's not just about your weight, i remember a scary moment on a steep descent, i took off over a dip in the road that corresponded with a gap in buildings, the bike literally blew out sideways from under me, just managed to drag it back to make a wobbly landing

in uk i think you'd be fine most of the time unless you ride in a particularly windy area, but...

racing crits, you'll be doing frequent accelerations with frequent yaw angle changes, tbh i'd go for something lighter rather than deep, have a look at enve 3.4 or corima, also consider tubs rather than clinchers, you'll save even more weight there, as a light rider you enjoy a bigger % benefit from lighter components

majormantra

sungod wrote:

imho, aside from atypical gales, uk is not that windy, lanzarote, now that's windy

That does depend where you are in the UK, to some extent. I've been on rides out of Edinburgh where it was gusting to over 50mph and at 60kg including bike I really struggled to stay on the road at times, even with low profile rims.

matt_n-2

Going from 35mm to 50mm deep rims increases the area of the rim by around 40% so quite an increase.

izza

Also depends which rims.

I find my Ene 6.7's more predictable than my Mavic 48mm Cosmic Carbones. My body and bike weight is significantly more than yours so you could look at some 3.4's.

justin_c2000

thanks I'll start looking at envies too

ugo.santalucia

justin_c2000 wrote:

thanks I'll start looking at envies too

Cheap as chips...