Originally Posted by
rubiksoval
You could apply that to nearly every single aspect of the bike.
It doesn't make sense for that, and it doesn't make sense in your post.
I guess the debate needs bounds. Is it a budget constrained choice? A "pick one" kind of thing?
How about what I said about there being aero wheels expensive enough that they're also ultra light?
If it's a "pick one" kind of deal, like between a Zipp 303 versus a Zipp 404 for a crit.......I'd pick the 404 every time. Despite the fact that in reality it wouldn't matter much.
Being forced to choose.......I feel like the math still works out. The jump lasts like 5 to 15 seconds. The "hold" afterwards lasts much longer. So, the light wheel may save 5w over that 15 seconds for each "jump". The aero wheel will save the 5w over a much longer period of time.
I feel the time after the jump is just as important as the jump. No good to jump and peter out. No good to not make the jump good enough.