(Another) Which wheels?

Wiltscar

Hi Guys, I'm new here so though I would introduce myself! I'm currently looking for a new wheelset for my 2012 Giant TCR as I've realised the stock wheels weigh an absolute ton! I've been looking at a set of Zondas or the Fulcrum 3's as my budget will only really stretch to about £350 (£400 max).

I will say I'm not the lightest rider out there at the moment at 85kg but will this effect my choice of wheels much? Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Bobbinogs

Some of it will come down to the type of riding you do but, given your weight, there is no probably no point obsessing too much about weight on the wheels (yes, I know some folks will come along and insist that every gram matters and quote things like "rotational weight"). I would recommend something like Fulcrum 5LG or the Quattro LG as they are reasonable weight (probably something like 1700g which is low enough to feel good) and will have a wide internal width rim. Hence, you will be able to use the money saved to run some nice tyres (like GP4000IIs or Schwalbe ONE) in 25s and get a good level of comfort when combined with a lower PSI (say, 90F/100R, not sure though because I am a bit lighter and everyone experiments and draws their own conclusions on the optimal pressure).

I think the Zondas are about to be relaunched with a wider rim so it might be worth waiting to see what the new one looks like. I found the Zonda to be a tad harsh (the lardy boys seem to like that) so it could be the wider rim will help smooth things out.

mfin

To balance that, I'd say Zondas are not harsh, will be fine at your weight, and paired with a decent set of tyres such as GP4000s you'd find your bike feels much more spritely to ride. Whether it makes you quicker is a completely different argument.

imposter2.0

Wiltscar wrote:

Hi Guys, I'm new here so though I would introduce myself! I'm currently looking for a new wheelset for my 2012 Giant TCR as I've realised the stock wheels weigh an absolute ton! I've been looking at a set of Zondas or the Fulcrum 3's as my budget will only really stretch to about £350 (£400 max).

I will say I'm not the lightest rider out there at the moment at 85kg but will this effect my choice of wheels much? Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance.

You want lighter wheels to save some weight, because they weigh an 'absolute ton'. You also say you are not the lightest rider at 85kg. Assuming your stock wheels don't actually weigh a ton, how heavy are they in reality? If your stock wheels weigh 2kg, you might save 500g (the weight of a full 500ml bottle) by switching to a lighter set at that budget. You fit the wheels, then lift the bike up and say "wow, that feels really light". Then you go for a ride and find that you are no faster than you were before. Meanwhile, you still weigh 85kg.

singleton

Wiltscar, I've had Fulcrum 3's and my mate has Zondas and both are very good - most people on here would agree. If I was buying now, I'd go with a wider wheelset and probably go with the quattro LG as suggested by Bobbinogs.

Alternatively, you could look at something from a wheel builder like the BORG31 from cycle clinic (I have no personal experience of these).

drlodge

What Bobbinogs says. I don't buy Imposter's argument, a lighter wheel set will improve the feel of the bike, make it more lively, easier to get up to speed and generally make it more enjoyable.

For £350-£400 you can get an excellent wheelset. I'm a big fan of hand built wheels as the components can be selected to provide the best all round compromise (wheels are always a compromise) and use spokes and other components that are easily serviceable/replaceable.

I would be looking for:
- J spokes, 24/28 at least
- wide rim (25mm ish)
- tubeless compatible
- asymmetric rear rim (offset drilling)

Take a look at these, the BORG22 or BORG31 http://thecycleclinic.co.uk/collections/road-rim-brake-wheelsets

BORG22, Shimano freehub with 24/28 spokes is £295, 10% off with BC discount (if you're a member). Offset drilling/asymmetric rear rim, tubeless, Miche Primato hubs. Fits the bill perfectly I think.

imposter2.0

drlodge wrote:

What Bobbinogs says. I don't buy Imposter's argument, a lighter wheel set will improve the feel of the bike, make it more lively, easier to get up to speed and generally make it more enjoyable.

You believe all that sh*t? It might do that on the very first ride with the new wheels. After which time, it will feel no different. If you can quantify throwaway words like 'feel' and 'lively' in practical terms, then I'm all ears. If not, we can just mark it down as ethereal marketing bollox.

drlodge

Believe what you want, neither of us can "prove" that it does or does not make a difference. Clearly lighter wheels will make a difference, its just debatable how much difference it does make and whether that turns into measureable improvements.

I think it does, you disagree. I don't see the Pros using heavy wheels, must be a reason for it.

Wiltscar

Bobbinogs wrote:

I think the Zondas are about to be relaunched with a wider rim so it might be worth waiting to see what the new one looks like.

Excuse my relative lack of knowledge but what impact does having the wider rim have?

Imposter wrote:

You want lighter wheels to save some weight, because they weigh an 'absolute ton'. You also say you are not the lightest rider at 85kg. Assuming your stock wheels don't actually weigh a ton, how heavy are they in reality? If your stock wheels weigh 2kg, you might save 500g (the weight of a full 500ml bottle) by switching to a lighter set at that budget. You fit the wheels, then lift the bike up and say "wow, that feels really light". Then you go for a ride and find that you are no faster than you were before. Meanwhile, you still weigh 85kg.

Excuse the phrase "weighs a ton", to be a bit more detailed my current wheels weigh in at about 2kg. My riding is only casual/fun weekend riding as an active rest from my other sport which necessitates the 85kg weight. Unfortunately I'm built more rugby player than pro rider!

Thanks for the other replies. The handbuilts look interesting, hadn't considered them before. Do they generally have the same quality of prebuilt factory wheels?

drlodge

A wider rim allows a larger volume in the tyre and a better tyre profile. higher volume = lower pressures = more comfort. Better tyre profile = better cornering. A narrow rim gives the tyre a "balloon" looking profile rather than a semi-circle.

IMO hand builts, built by a good builder, are better than factory wheel sets for a number of reasons:
- selection of components is better, suited to you, your riding style, weight etc
- components are more serviceable/replaceable/available
- the wheels are more expertly built, tensions more consistent etc. This might be debatable, it only applies with good wheel builders.

imposter2.0

drlodge wrote:

I don't see the Pros using heavy wheels, must be a reason for it.

Sorry, but that is the worst argument ever...

singleton

It may not be very scientific, but wheels do make a bike feel different.
If you put an empty bottle, half full bottle or totally full bottle onto my bike before a ride then I almost certainly would not be able to tell the difference.

But, if you put on heavy wheels versus light wheels I almost certainly would be able to tell the difference.

That's not to say that light wheels are faster all the time for every ride - but they do feel different. There is probably less gyroscopic effect on lighter wheels, they probably respond to accelration better etc. but maybe they don't have so much momentum so don't hold speed as well.

t4tomo

Get some Fulcrum 5LGs the only thing the 3's give you over the 5s is very marginally less weight but almost double the price. the5s will be marginally stronger, better to carry your 85kg. plus the 5s have red nipples, a priceless advantage!

keezx

Singleton wrote:

It may not be very scientific, but wheels do make a bike feel different.
If you put an empty bottle, half full bottle or totally full bottle onto my bike before a ride then I almost certainly would not be able to tell the difference.

But, if you put on heavy wheels versus light wheels I almost certainly would be able to tell the difference.

Yes, you can, but not by a noticable higher speed.

mfin

Imposter wrote:

drlodge wrote:

What Bobbinogs says. I don't buy Imposter's argument, a lighter wheel set will improve the feel of the bike, make it more lively, easier to get up to speed and generally make it more enjoyable.

You believe all that sh*t? It might do that on the very first ride with the new wheels. After which time, it will feel no different. If you can quantify throwaway words like 'feel' and 'lively' in practical terms, then I'm all ears. If not, we can just mark it down as ethereal marketing bollox.

It's not sh*t. If you can only notice a change on the very first ride that's just you. A massive amount of people will feel all the ways in which their bike reacts every time they ride it.

In rough terms, anyone of any cycling experience that puts in effort when riding would be able to tell the change in liveliness when accelerating if they knock about 4/500g off a set of wheels like the OP is suggesting.

Of course, that said, another bunch of people, such as those who trundle about never really putting in any real effort like some of the porkers you see out and about will not.

imposter2.0

mfin wrote:

It's not sh*t. If you can only notice a change on the very first ride that's just you. A massive amount of people will feel all the ways in which their bike reacts every time they ride it.

In rough terms, anyone of any cycling experience that puts in effort when riding would be able to tell the change in liveliness when accelerating if they knock about 4/500g off a set of wheels like the OP is suggesting.

But they will only notice the difference the first time. After that, it will just feel 'normal' again...

cycleclinic

Exactly. Wheels feel light the first time you ride them or light if you have not ridden them for while then they feel normal again. I have 1000g wheels and they did feel light but no more. I actually prefer my 1650g aero wheelset. Cant I have noticed the same bike feeling any different with either wheelset in. The only wheels I have that feel heavy because they are are my 29er MTB "tractor wheels" for mud pluggin in winter. With tyres these puppies are well over 3.6kg.

However road wheels generally don't fall into that catagory so when people say these feel lighter it is mostly placebo. Nothing wrong with that but it is important to recognise it as well.