Lighter wheels, worth it?
step83
Posts: 4,170
Debating some new wheels on my Eastway, stock ones come in a shade over 1.9Kg been eyeing up a set on offer which come in at about 1.5Kg. Question is is it going to be worth doing? I know we like light road bikes but will the weight saved be notice able and will it make any real difference? Or is it just weight saving for the sake of it?
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400g off a set of wheels will definitely be noticeable.0
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You will notice it when you pick the bike up and you'll say "ooh, this feels lighter". You won't notice it much - if at all - out on the road.0
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Disagree, 400g off the wheels will be noticeable when riding. Very noticeable imo.0
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dodgy wrote:Disagree, 400g off the wheels will be noticeable when riding. Very noticeable imo.
Right - so how will that difference actually manifest itself?0 -
Imposter wrote:dodgy wrote:Disagree, 400g off the wheels will be noticeable when riding. Very noticeable imo.
Right - so how will that difference actually manifest itself?
This is where im thinking, I know rotational mass will come down like a lighter flywheel so it'll spin up quicker. but so would me hurrying the bike a bit more.0 -
Imposter wrote:dodgy wrote:Disagree, 400g off the wheels will be noticeable when riding. Very noticeable imo.
Right - so how will that difference actually manifest itself?
I'm not going to entertain you, I've been around on this forum too long :roll:
Instead I'll turn it back to you so you can explain why it won't make a difference, and in the meantime those of us who have gone from heavyish wheels to lightish wheels and felt the difference can be all like :roll: :roll: at your efforts to dismiss us
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dodgy wrote:Imposter wrote:dodgy wrote:Disagree, 400g off the wheels will be noticeable when riding. Very noticeable imo.
Right - so how will that difference actually manifest itself?
I'm not going to entertain you, I've been around on this forum too long :roll:
Instead I'll turn it back to you so you can explain why it won't make a difference, and in the meantime those of us who have gone from heavyish wheels to lightish wheels and felt the difference can be all like :roll: :roll: at your efforts to dismiss us
Is that a pompous way of saying you can't answer the question? I thought it was simple enough...0 -
I asked you a question, are you not able to answer it?
Besides, you said "You won't notice it much - if at all - out on the road.". You are wrong. 0 -
dodgy wrote:I asked you a question, are you not able to answer it?
Besides, you said "You won't notice it much - if at all - out on the road.". You are wrong.
I'm simply asking those who claim there is a difference, to articulate how this difference manifests itself. It can't be that difficult. All I've had so far is derision in response to what should be a fairly simple question - especially for someone who has been on the forum for so long and is presumably an experienced cyclist.0 -
If it helps said wheels are on offer from superstar at 100 notes most of the reviews ive seen have been favorable of them.0
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Step83 wrote:If it helps said wheels are on offer from superstar at 100 notes most of the reviews ive seen have been favorable of them.
So by all means buy them. A spare pair of wheels is always useful. Just don't expect a weight saving of less than a full 500ml bottle to transport you to 'cycling nirvana'...0 -
Step83 wrote:Imposter wrote:dodgy wrote:Disagree, 400g off the wheels will be noticeable when riding. Very noticeable imo.
Right - so how will that difference actually manifest itself?
This is where im thinking, I know rotational mass will come down like a lighter flywheel so it'll spin up quicker. but so would me hurrying the bike a bit more.
I wouldn't get too distracted with the rotational mass argument. We have had threads going to over 50 pages and still no one could convince everyone either way whether 100g of weight at the rims was better or worse when compared to 100g of weight at the hub. My view (and a lot of this comes down to subjectivity) is that shaving 400g off a wheelset will make climbing feel a lot nicer (the wheels just seem to rotate better). However, even when riding a sluggish wheelset I have set some of my best Strava times. That's the thing with Strava, it doesn't really care about how nice the climb felt, it just measures time taken. In fact, it also ignores a load of other important factors like combined weight of the rider/bike on the day, wind strength and direction, etc., etc.
In other words, we could argue the science all day but most of us would still say 1900g for a wheelset is a little on the heavy side for a hilly/rolling route...although if the bike weighs 12kg and the rider weighs 95kg then we are really arguing over very small differences. Buy the wheels, give it a month for the weather to improve and the salt to clear from the roads and then give it a go. Let us know how you got on and your POV and we can add it into the mix
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@Step83 - sorry, this is going to turn into a joke thread now, but the simple answer to your question is Yes, do it!
I got the last set of those wheels with Pave Rims. My only concern is that the DTSwiss Laser spokes are a bit fragile and may flex a bit but for 100 Squids, sod it. A set of Kysyrium Elite or Fulrum Racing 3s (which will be 3 times the price) will be sturdier though
@Imposter - last wordWe're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
Well, to give my 2 pennies worth, I changed the standard Felt stock wheels on my training bike for mavic Ksyrium Elites. The felts weighed in at 2050g the mavics at 1540g.
Everyone said I would notice a huge difference. When picking the bike up yes there was, but when riding on the flat it was barely noticeable.
However, what was noticeable was when you put them under pressure. Climbing or sprinting the difference was incredible. The Ksyriums were just so much stiffer.
OP don't forget its not all about weight.
A lot of aero wheels will actually be heavier than the 1500g.
If you enjoy time trials then perhaps more aero is the way to go. If you enjoy climbing then maybe something like the Mavic Ksyrium Elite or Fulcrum 3s.0 -
ddraver wrote:@Step83 - sorry, this is going to turn into a joke thread now, but the simple answer to your question is Yes, do it!
I got the last set of those wheels with Pave Rims. My only concern is that the DTSwiss Laser spokes are a bit fragile and may flex a bit but for 100 Squids, sod it. A set of Kysyrium Elite or Fulrum Racing 3s (which will be 3 times the price) will be sturdier though
@Imposter - last word
Ill get them ordered, choice of 24 or 30mm sections my currents are 28's so 30's will see me fine. I know what you mean on the lasers being fragile though. Worst case I can pick up a couple of packs of CX rays or the like and relace them even doing that these work out cheaper than Kysyrium's or Fulcrum's, OK I think the CX are a little heavier but still lighter than the current ones.0 -
Spoke choice is often a combination of the number and the weight of the rider... and rim strength and build tension also come into play. Simply saying xxx spokes are too flexy/fragile is a bit simplistic, IMHO.0
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True, I come around 88Kg so under the limit, Ill do the spoke tension check when I get them. I was initially looking at building a set, but the price of these is far lower than I could manage.0
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You do very much notice lighter wheels on the road. I have a set of RS10 and a set of RS80 and it's great in the spring when I put the RS80 back on. The usual things that they accelerate faster, hold their speed better and give a better ride.0
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You do very much notice lighter wheels on the road. I have a set of RS10 and a set of RS80 and it's great in the spring when I put the RS80 back on. The usual things that they accelerate faster, hold their speed better and give a better ride.0
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markhewitt1978 wrote:The usual things that they accelerate faster, hold their speed better and give a better ride.
I'm particularly interested in how the wheels themselves 'give a better ride'...0 -
Is it not possible for wheels themselves to 'give a better ride' or are you being sincere?0
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Imposter wrote:I'm particularly interested in how the wheels themselves 'give a better ride'...
Using lighter spokes (butted of some sort) as opposed to plain gauge or large bladed ones results in a wheel which is less harsh on the road. Cruacially butted spokes also weigh less than their fatter counterparts.
Then again, you can have light wheels with fat spokes which are harsher than heavier wheels built with (more of) thin spokesleft the forum March 20230 -
ugo.santalucia wrote:Imposter wrote:I'm particularly interested in how the wheels themselves 'give a better ride'...
Using lighter spokes (butted of some sort) as opposed to plain gauge or large bladed ones results in a wheel which is less harsh on the road.
How? You mean the spokes act as leaf springs??0 -
Remember that the placebo effect works better the more expensive they are though...Step83 wrote:If it helps said wheels are on offer from superstar at 100 notes most of the reviews ive seen have been favorable of them.0 -
I went from stock wheels to Zondas saving about 400g. I desperately wanted them to be faster and charged up all my local hills - and saw no difference in time. What I did notice is they did not bend when standing up putting the power down. Also on the long descent off Box Hill back towards Leatherhead (long and smooth) which I always end up freewheeling I set much better PBs.
Take from that what you will but I don't regret buying them0 -
Imposter wrote:ugo.santalucia wrote:Imposter wrote:I'm particularly interested in how the wheels themselves 'give a better ride'...
Using lighter spokes (butted of some sort) as opposed to plain gauge or large bladed ones results in a wheel which is less harsh on the road.
How? You mean the spokes act as leaf springs??
The spoked wheel is kept together by tension: Basically as the wheel turn spokes will be under load or not, those which experience a temporary loss in tension are allowed to flex to a degree. A plain gauge spoke will not flex as much as a thin section spoke. It is a clever design that combines light weight with a certain degree of shock absorption. I am not in a position to quantify, but I think the effect is comparable to a significant change in tyre pressure and doesn't have the same drawbacks.
I am confident I can discriminate between butted and plain gauge spokes just by riding a front wheel blindfolded, if any other variable is kept constant... the rear makes less difference, certainly not one I can noticeleft the forum March 20230 -
Your bike will feel more lively and responsive through corners. You will also climb hills easier/quicker. Less effort required on constantly changing gradient to maintain a given speed. Less effort needed on braking. There's my opinion.Imposter wrote:dodgy wrote:I asked you a question, are you not able to answer it?
Besides, you said "You won't notice it much - if at all - out on the road.". You are wrong.
I'm simply asking those who claim there is a difference, to articulate how this difference manifests itself. It can't be that difficult. All I've had so far is derision in response to what should be a fairly simple question - especially for someone who has been on the forum for so long and is presumably an experienced cyclist.argon 18 e116 2013 Vision Metron 80
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