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Re: Should I upgrade my wheels? [r-b] [ In reply to ]
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r-b wrote:
Personally I am a little surprised that anyone who switched from stock shallow depth wheels can't tell a gain in speed/time when switching to a nice set of Zipp, FLO, HED, Enve etc.

I'm in that category. I once upgraded from a Kinlin rim'd wheel to a 404 FC. The only difference I noticed was the braking sound. I really notice the differences between tubes and tires though ...
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Re: Should I upgrade my wheels? [Isabel] [ In reply to ]
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A lot of good advice posted above but I will add that the lighter you are as a rider the more you benefit from aero wheels.

Aero wheels provide a set watt savings at a given speed irrespective of rider weight. For the typical 70-80kg male rider this saving is actually pretty small in terms of the total wattage they are pushing out. At the highest level it remains significant but as a number of poster have mentioned its pretty marginal for a lot or people. At 50kg you will get the same watt savings from the aero wheels but you are only putting out 70% of the total power of the heavier riders so the relative savings are a lot more. In effect at 50kg you will gain a lot more from aero wheels than the average triathlete.

Its kinda of off topic but my first advice as a light athlete is run low tire pressure like really low. Start here irrespective of wheel and add a a bit for 25mm tire and a bit more still for a 23mm tire https://www.sram.com/...al-system-efficiency. At 110lbs that means no more than 60psi for a 25mm which may sound crazy but I have never had issues with pinch flats at these sorts of pressures. What this will do is give you more grip and help you from bouncing around on the road. It will improve your handling and make you faster.


In terms of wheel I would look up the Bontrager Aeolus Comp 5 and buy these or something similar off ebay. They come stock on some Trek bikes so people buy the bikes and immediately sell the wheels if they already have race wheels. They are aero enough to provide a benefit while not being deep enough to effect handling or brake the bank. You can then use an disc cover on rear and get more speed for limited additional cost.
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Re: Should I upgrade my wheels? [jaretj] [ In reply to ]
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jaretj wrote:
Those wheels cost nearly as much at the OP's PR5

Look at swissside, much better value
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Re: Should I upgrade my wheels? [Isabel] [ In reply to ]
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So glad I posted my question here - the comments and discussion have been fascinating and incredibly helpful. I'm psyched to know that even just upgrading the tires will make a difference and that I may well find handling easier with better/deeper wheels. Keep the suggestions coming!

My mind is blown on the suggestion of 60psi. That is... not what I have been doing.
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Re: Should I upgrade my wheels? [Isabel] [ In reply to ]
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You better try 60psig before you race on it just to make sure things work out.
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Re: Should I upgrade my wheels? [Isabel] [ In reply to ]
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Isabel wrote:
So glad I posted my question here - the comments and discussion have been fascinating and incredibly helpful. I'm psyched to know that even just upgrading the tires will make a difference and that I may well find handling easier with better/deeper wheels. Keep the suggestions coming!


My mind is blown on the suggestion of 60psi. That is... not what I have been doing.

The optimum pressure also depends on several factors.
  • Rider weight
  • Bike weight
  • Rim width
  • Tyre type and size
  • Road surface
  • Riding style
You're light and may be fine at 60psi, but you might not, depending on the other factors, and you might not be fastest at that. I'd probably err a bit higher for starters and tweak from there. If you have narrow rims and 23mm tyres 90 psi might be about right. Wide rims and 25mm tyres and I'd be thinking more like 70psi for starters.
However, it does seem most people who haven't paid much attention to this are riding with excessive pressure. I've recently changed wheels and tyres on my road bike so I'm experimenting with pressures. I weigh around 84kg at the moment and so far 75-78psi front / 80-84psi rear seems to be the ranges I'll end up with. That's with 19mm internal rim width and 25mm Continental GP5000 tyres.

take a look at this for a general idea of where to start with pressure:
https://info.silca.cc/silca-professional-pressure-calculator
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Re: Should I upgrade my wheels? [Isabel] [ In reply to ]
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Don't misinterpret what people are writing.
No one mentioned that deeper wheels would make bike handling easier. It will not.
At best some rounder rim shapes will be less affected by side winds, but bike handling is a aspect that has to be assessed separately.
I'd suggest first getting a "driving evaluation", and looking with a competent coach at some technical training sessions, and include them in your training plan.
Then I suggest borrowing different deeper wheels from friends to try, or rent some models (maybe from bike shops in your area). All wheels "feel" different handling. You won't feel how YOUR bike handling will feel with X or Y wheel model, may they be very good on paper.
I don't think tire or tube change will change much on your bike handling either.
Tire pressure will for sure.

Louis :-)
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Re: Should I upgrade my wheels? [tomljones3] [ In reply to ]
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tomljones3 wrote:
One thing I have not seen discussed yet, how many seconds is she likely to gain on a sprint/oly with great wheels? Now take away a few seconds because she is not comfortable on those wheels. Then look at your previous races, would adding a few seconds make any difference to how you placed? You can then make a $ per second or $ per watt decision.
Going to a front 404 and wheel cover (disc) at back was about 1-2min improvement for me, at times around 1:05 to 1:10 for the bike leg.
At some races that's the difference between podium and maybe just squeaking into top 10..
Also, at Oly distance it really is a question of seconds, quite often.

In terms of handling, a wheel cover at the back on the current Shimano wheel will add stability over a standard deep wheel. Cheap too, and as fast as a disc.
Then a moderate front wheel depth 404 or so, should not be an issue. Strong crosswinds tend to blow me sideways but I've never had a handling issue with this setup (165lb though).
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Re: Should I upgrade my wheels? [doug in co] [ In reply to ]
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doug in co wrote:
Going to a front 404 and wheel cover (disc) at back was about 1-2min improvement for me, at times around 1:05 to 1:10 for the bike leg.
At some races that's the difference between podium and maybe just squeaking into top 10..
Also, at Oly distance it really is a question of seconds, quite often.
Huge DITTO to this. In sprints, I have had multiple finishes where 5 seconds separated the top 3 AG finishers. Actually, ~20 seconds between 1st and 3rd is the norm. Olympics are a little more spread out, but still often within a minute.

My last Oly, I was 3rd overall. 4th place was just 18 seconds behind me. If I did not have all of my tricks, I would have fallen off the podium.

If you are gunning for podiums (overall, AG, Masters), then you need every trick. Your competitors will have them, and every second matters.
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Re: Should I upgrade my wheels? [scott8888] [ In reply to ]
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scott8888 wrote:
A lot of good advice posted above but I will add that the lighter you are as a rider the more you benefit from aero wheels.

Aero wheels provide a set watt savings at a given speed irrespective of rider weight. For the typical 70-80kg male rider this saving is actually pretty small in terms of the total wattage they are pushing out. At the highest level it remains significant but as a number of poster have mentioned its pretty marginal for a lot or people. At 50kg you will get the same watt savings from the aero wheels but you are only putting out 70% of the total power of the heavier riders so the relative savings are a lot more. In effect at 50kg you will gain a lot more from aero wheels than the average triathlete.


Assuming the lighter rider is pushing fewer watts, this is a good point. And underscores the hogwash argument many faster riders make that slower riders shouldn’t upgrade their wheels until they reach a certain speed as an apparent means to somehow ensure their secret society of speed is not penetrated by others. Buy the upgraded wheels and ride them often!!

From my perspective, it’s hard to stray from HED or Flo 50 or 60mm rims. Both provide plenty of upgraded speed and offer superior braking to the carbon alternatives.
Last edited by: DFW_Tri: Aug 9, 20 14:01
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Re: Should I upgrade my wheels? [Isabel] [ In reply to ]
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The biggest speed gains on the bike come from paying attention to the littlest details. I think people often forget that. It's not one thing, but yes, you should upgrade your wheels.

I'd shoot for something like a Zipp 303 front and Zipp solid disc rear. Both clincher. Work down from that based on your budget.

Pay close attention to tires (Continential GP5000 with about 2 weeks of riding on them is fast enough), Latex tubes (Vittoria), aero helmet (choose one you like), and keep your head as low and tucked as you feel comfortable with.

Good luck.
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Re: Should I upgrade my wheels? [One and Done] [ In reply to ]
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One and Done: my helmet is Giro Synthe MIPS. Thanks for the good advice on wheels and tires!
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