Carbon wheels? What’s the ride and weight advantage
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It's pretty easy.
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You didn’t even look at the video. Please do. Responsiveness is a big deal, and it’s one of a few reasons people spend big bucks on bikes.
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Bike responsiveness. Not wheel responsiveness. Whatever that is.
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[QUOTE=kosmo886;21548822What’s the advantage of going with carbon wheels? [/QUOTE]
Lighter for the same profile, easier to manufacture for a specific shape, arguably stronger than steel or aluminum.
Lighter for the same profile, easier to manufacture for a specific shape, arguably stronger than steel or aluminum.
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Formerly fastest rider in the grupetto, currently slowest guy in the peloton
Formerly fastest rider in the grupetto, currently slowest guy in the peloton
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Which is easily achieved when you stand up on the bike and sway it side to side.
What’s your point here? That there is absolutely no perceptible difference in feel between wheels? You really think people can’t feel a wheel flexing when they throw a bike around? I’m saying you can, and that video shows why. I am far from the only person in the world who thinks so. Why do you think Lightweight wheels sell for 5 grand despite being ugly as sin?
What’s your point here? That there is absolutely no perceptible difference in feel between wheels? You really think people can’t feel a wheel flexing when they throw a bike around? I’m saying you can, and that video shows why. I am far from the only person in the world who thinks so. Why do you think Lightweight wheels sell for 5 grand despite being ugly as sin?
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Which is easily achieved when you stand up on the bike and sway it side to side.
What’s your point here? That there is absolutely no perceptible difference in feel between wheels? You really think people can’t feel a wheel flexing when they throw a bike around? I’m saying you can, and that video shows why. I am far from the only person in the world who thinks so. Why do you think Lightweight wheels sell for 5 grand despite being ugly as sin?
What’s your point here? That there is absolutely no perceptible difference in feel between wheels? You really think people can’t feel a wheel flexing when they throw a bike around? I’m saying you can, and that video shows why. I am far from the only person in the world who thinks so. Why do you think Lightweight wheels sell for 5 grand despite being ugly as sin?
A better question would be, what's the point of your irrelevant tangent that doesn't address my reply nor the OP?
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You say there is no difference in ride feel.
I say there is a difference in ride feel.
And explained why, and I uploaded my source. And all you have is a bunch of weirdly hostile remarks that seem willfully ignorant. I don’t understand why you’re doing this. Please explain where I went wrong.
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I must be missing something. What is your definition of “ride feel”? Mine is “the things you feel when riding”. OP asked about the difference in ride feel between carbon and alloy wheels.
You say there is no difference in ride feel.
I say there is a difference in ride feel.
And explained why, and I uploaded my source. And all you have is a bunch of weirdly hostile remarks that seem willfully ignorant. I don’t understand why you’re doing this. Please explain where I went wrong.
You say there is no difference in ride feel.
I say there is a difference in ride feel.
And explained why, and I uploaded my source. And all you have is a bunch of weirdly hostile remarks that seem willfully ignorant. I don’t understand why you’re doing this. Please explain where I went wrong.
You went wrong in thinking that you having flexy aluminum wheels has anything to do with my response. And you went wrong in thinking that I somehow owe you some in depth explanation of my response to a post that wasn't yours. If you don't understand my posts, then stop responding to them and your bewilderment will alleviate itself.
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That opinion differs from yours, does it not? Or do you now agree that different wheels have different feel? Is that somehow completely irrelevant to the discussion of ride feel when talking about a wheel upgrade?
You’re being deliberately obtuse at this point, so I’m done. You have a weird way of dealing with simple disagreements. You couldn’t actually refute my point about how wheels do affect ride feel, so you’re spouting all sorts of nonsense for god knows what reason. Good luck with that.
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Yes. My bike rides more sluggishly uphill with deep carbon rims. I feel that. That’s ride feel. This thread is specifically about wheels. OP has alloy wheels and is thinking about getting carbon wheels. So I’m sharing my experience and opinion about that upgrade.
That opinion differs from yours, does it not? Or do you now agree that different wheels have different feel? Is that somehow completely irrelevant to the discussion of ride feel when talking about a wheel upgrade?
You’re being deliberately obtuse at this point, so I’m done. You have a weird way of dealing with simple disagreements. You couldn’t actually refute my point about how wheels do affect ride feel, so you’re spouting all sorts of nonsense for god knows what reason. Good luck with that.
That opinion differs from yours, does it not? Or do you now agree that different wheels have different feel? Is that somehow completely irrelevant to the discussion of ride feel when talking about a wheel upgrade?
You’re being deliberately obtuse at this point, so I’m done. You have a weird way of dealing with simple disagreements. You couldn’t actually refute my point about how wheels do affect ride feel, so you’re spouting all sorts of nonsense for god knows what reason. Good luck with that.
You mean I have a way of giving succinct responses to irrelevant, misguided posts that then attribute false pejoratives to said responses? A bit circular there, but okay. It'is not like you're not dropping fallacies in each successive post, anyways. Like I said, your confusion can be easily alleviated. Hope it soon is.
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I need a set of road wheels/tires for my Cannondale Topstone Carbon. What’s the advantage of going with carbon wheels? I’ve found it very hard to compare wheelset weights. How much weight advantage is there? What about ride feel? Any suggested wheels that don’t break the bank?
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I actually think that is their biggest flaw. Mine is just chewed to hell, and the lockring thread is starting to strip. (Lock-ring torqued to 40 N x m with calibrated Park Tool torque wrench.)
I would recommend Chris King. I haven't had this issue with the steel freehub body.
I would recommend Chris King. I haven't had this issue with the steel freehub body.
Last edited by Cyclist0108; 06-25-20 at 06:43 PM.
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fwiw, I have a 17-year old Dura Ace hub with a ti freehub shell, and it's still in good shape.
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Today I forgot my 1.3 lb saddle bag with tools, tube, etc. I noticed absolutely no difference whatsoever climbing 3,000 ft. Saving weight on the freehub just seems silly.
Last edited by Cyclist0108; 06-24-20 at 09:15 PM.
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I think it is important to qualify comparisons when discussing statements like sluggish uphill with deep carbon rims. Compared to what? For example I a set of shallow aluminum Mavic Askium's that came with a bike with some middle of the road tires and cheap butyl tubes (now just collecting dust on my wall because I don't ride them at all anymore). However, I did ride them a few times. I also have a set of Zipp 404's with latex tubes and Conti 5000 tires. The Zipps are extremely more responsive than the Mavics. The Aluminum wheels are the sluggish wheels when compared to the Zipps. The Zipp combo weights 300-400 grams lighter too. The Zipp hubs roll better, the latex and conti 5000 also roll better. The zipps at 58mm depth fly up hills and a significantly better "ride quality" compared to the shallow aluminum rims. However, that doesn't necessarily hold true for all wheels. Back in the day I had set of Mavic Helium aluminum wheels that rolled very nice and also were great climbers. Not the most robust wheel though. I would take the 404's over them any day as an all rounder.
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I think it is important to qualify comparisons when discussing statements like sluggish uphill with deep carbon rims. Compared to what?
The Zipps are extremely more responsive than the Mavics. The Aluminum wheels are the sluggish wheels when compared to the Zipps. The Zipp combo weights 300-400 grams lighter too. The Zipp hubs roll better, the latex and conti 5000 also roll better.
The Zipps are extremely more responsive than the Mavics. The Aluminum wheels are the sluggish wheels when compared to the Zipps. The Zipp combo weights 300-400 grams lighter too. The Zipp hubs roll better, the latex and conti 5000 also roll better.
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I think it is important to qualify comparisons when discussing statements like sluggish uphill with deep carbon rims. Compared to what? For example I a set of shallow aluminum Mavic Askium's that came with a bike with some middle of the road tires and cheap butyl tubes (now just collecting dust on my wall because I don't ride them at all anymore). However, I did ride them a few times. I also have a set of Zipp 404's with latex tubes and Conti 5000 tires. The Zipps are extremely more responsive than the Mavics. The Aluminum wheels are the sluggish wheels when compared to the Zipps. The Zipp combo weights 300-400 grams lighter too. The Zipp hubs roll better, the latex and conti 5000 also roll better. The zipps at 58mm depth fly up hills and a significantly better "ride quality" compared to the shallow aluminum rims. However, that doesn't necessarily hold true for all wheels. Back in the day I had set of Mavic Helium aluminum wheels that rolled very nice and also were great climbers. Not the most robust wheel though. I would take the 404's over them any day as an all rounder.
I don’t really consider 404’s deep carbon wheels. I feel like they are a good sweet spot in terms of depth and weight. I have an 808 wheelset and a Boyd 90mm wheelset that I use on the velodrome. I consider those deep carbon. Depth like that is perfect for the track because mass start events always begin at about 15mph or more and the wind issues are not as severe. I couldn’t imagine climbing with either set. Compared to wheels in the 50mm range, they are boat anchors in terms of weight.
Last edited by colnago62; 06-25-20 at 08:57 PM.
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I don’t really consider 404’s deep carbon wheels. I feel like they are a good sweet spot in terms of depth and weight. I have an 808 wheelset and a Boyd 90mm wheelset that I use on the velodrome. I consider those deep carbon. Depth like that is perfect for the track because mass start events always begin at about 15mph or more and the wind issues are not as severe. I couldn’t imagine climbing with either set. Compared to wheels in the 50mm range, they are boat anchors in terms of weight.
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I agree if you going to compare it to something like an 808. I have an 808 rear for my TT bike and I guess I really don't consider it an option for a road bike under general riding conditions. I don't know anyone that rides something like an 808 on anything except time trialing and track. The 808 is not a fun wheel on big climbs that is for sure (well actually neither is a TT bike ).
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#49
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Right. I think my alloy wheelset and carbon wheels are about the same weight. This is with the same tires, same tubes. Same number of spokes too. Both have Sapim CX-ray spokes in the back. But my carbon rims are LB, which probably isn’t as nice as Zipp 404s. I wouldn’t know.
Going from some fancy (to me, anyway) handbuilt aluminum wheels with 8:16 lacing on a wide hub to the LB AR45 (pretty sure it's 2x?), I felt like I really noticed the difference in tires/tire width more than anything else.
Last edited by upthywazzoo; 06-27-20 at 10:53 AM.
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Curious about this. Any other differences besides material? Flange distance? Lacing pattern?
Going from some fancy (to me, anyway) handbuilt aluminum wheels with 8:16 lacing on a wide hub to the LB AR45 (pretty sure it's 2x?), I felt like I really noticed the difference in tires/tire width more than anything else.
Going from some fancy (to me, anyway) handbuilt aluminum wheels with 8:16 lacing on a wide hub to the LB AR45 (pretty sure it's 2x?), I felt like I really noticed the difference in tires/tire width more than anything else.
It’s less about material and more about depth IMO. The deeper the rim, the bigger the “lever arm” that is acting upon the hinge point (the spoke/rim intersection) and the stiffer the rim needs to be to compensate. The AR56 is insanely light for how deep and wide it is, so I’m not super surprised.
Last edited by smashndash; 06-27-20 at 11:16 AM.