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Wheel..what's the big deal

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Wheel..what's the big deal

Old 03-24-15, 09:02 PM
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Shuffleman
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Wheel..what's the big deal

It seems like wheels are constantly a recommendation for upgrades. I am curious why. What does one get out of a more expensive set? I have never strayed from stock wheels on my road and mtbs. My current roan bike was parted out completely by me. It is a Colnago that I put Campy Sciroccos on. What does a more expensive wheel do for me? I am not a racer or a weight weenie but I am competitive and curious why wheel upgrades are deemed so vital.
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Old 03-24-15, 09:24 PM
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Borrow or rent a set of high end wheels for a ride and see if you can answer that question yourself.
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Old 03-24-15, 09:30 PM
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A standard wheelset can be upwards of 2kg and not very aerodynamic. An aero wheelset can add the equivalent of 10-20w of power while at 20+ mph. You can buy wheelsets all over the board, an expensive wheelset is most likey very stiff, aerodynamic, and very light. Cheaper wheelsets will most likely only be 2 of the 3.

Many say they can feel a huge difference between accelerating and climbing with lighter wheelsets, not much science behind it but science isn't everything. With some money you can build sub 900g wheelsets easily, or some are sub 600g at the extremes. Cheaply you can get a sub 1100g wheelset from china, about $300.
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Old 03-25-15, 06:00 AM
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I got my bike almost a pound lighter by buying a set of Vuelta Corsa lites to replace the stock ones. It sure seems to climb easier up hills too.
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Old 03-25-15, 06:16 AM
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I have never recommended changing wheels just to be changing wheels....
I have recommended that to newbies who were very large, very heavy....
it is also one common recommendation when newbies want to talk about the most return on their money for improving their speed, it comes second to working on the motor.
If they want to improve comfort, I usually suggest just going to the largest tire their bike will accept and lowering the air pressure a bit before they spend a chunk of change.
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Old 03-25-15, 06:18 AM
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Originally Posted by Frank72
I got my bike almost a pound lighter by buying a set of Vuelta Corsa lites to replace the stock ones. It sure seems to climb easier up hills too.
I get that they are lighter. I live in Florida though, so climbing is never a concern. I ride Campy Sciroccos, how much would I have to spend to see a real difference?
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Old 03-25-15, 06:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Shuffleman
It seems like wheels are constantly a recommendation for upgrades. I am curious why. What does one get out of a more expensive set?

Women. Lots and lots of women.

Ain't no "10's" chasing after you and your stock wheels. Slap on some high end carbon and you won't be able to swing a dead cat without hitting a hot chick.
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Old 03-25-15, 12:03 PM
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I had a pretty good wheel set on my Super six, S240 hubs, DT Swiss Comp double butted spokes with Stans Alpha 340 hoops. They are light, I think around 1340 grams. I ran them tubeless. Two weeks ago I found the drive side rear spokes pulling through the rim. So I removed them and a couple days later I found a great deal on a new set of Fulcrum Racing Zero's. They are 1440 grams, bladed spokes, and have ceramic bearings.

My old wheels are 24/28 spoke so I thought they where stiff, and I thought they spun up well, and climbed well, until I road the Fulcrums....

OMG! they feel awesome. I am sure that some of it was me just pushing harder, but on the first ride I got PR's on 9 of 13 segments, and on the climbs, all where PR's. one climb took me 14 min and 45 seconds. I beat my old time by 2:30 seconds. That can't be all in my head.

Another thing I noticed is on flat ground, I can maintain higher speed easily. My old wheels I felt I was constantly trying to bring the wheel up to speed were as these wheels, I feel that once I am up to speed all I need to do is maintain. Hope that make since...kinda like a small breeze is behind me at all times. I also have a set of Fulcrum racing 7's, and while they are stiff, they are nothing like the Fulcrum Zero's.

Do I think the Fulcrums are worth the $1200 MSRP? I am not sure, but I got them for $690 and I believe they are worth every penny!

Jimmy
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Old 03-25-15, 12:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Shuffleman
I get that they are lighter. I live in Florida though, so climbing is never a concern. I ride Campy Sciroccos, how much would I have to spend to see a real difference?
I don't know about the cost nor what speeds you ride generally, but in Florida you would probably see a difference with a set of stiff aero wheels.
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Old 03-25-15, 12:30 PM
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Originally Posted by thump55
Women. Lots and lots of women.

Ain't no "10's" chasing after you and your stock wheels. Slap on some high end carbon and you won't be able to swing a dead cat without hitting a hot chick.
This, but be careful, the dead cat might also hit some gold diggers too.
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Old 03-25-15, 06:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Frank72
I got my bike almost a pound lighter by buying a set of Vuelta Corsa lites to replace the stock ones. It sure seems to climb easier up hills too.
Same here. The difference is noticeable, especially under acceleration and hillclimbs.
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Old 03-26-15, 01:21 AM
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All I will say is that nothing changes the characteristics of a bike very quickly as great wheels. I currently have eight wheelsets, and I can tell you each of those wheelset have different effect on my rides.

Yeah, a great wheelset can make for great fun on a road bicycle. I don't have similar experience on a mountain bike, as I only have the wheelset that came stock with my mountain bike.

Great road wheelsets that are stiff, aero and have great rolling hubs are the cat's meow!
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Old 03-27-15, 08:21 AM
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Originally Posted by Jed19
All I will say is that nothing changes the characteristics of a bike very quickly as great wheels. I currently have eight wheelsets, and I can tell you each of those wheelset have different effect on my rides.

Yeah, a great wheelset can make for great fun on a road bicycle. I don't have similar experience on a mountain bike, as I only have the wheelset that came stock with my mountain bike.

Great road wheelsets that are stiff, aero and have great rolling hubs are the cat's meow!
I have never changed out the wheelset on any bike that I have owned. My current road bike I parted out myself and built it. I spent more on the frame what I had intended so to stay under budget my wheels took the hit. I went with the Campy Sciroccos instead of the Campy Zonda.
I love my bike and the way it rides so I have not entertained the idea of changing anything out until recently. If I thought that the wheels could make it more comfortable, I may try that but it would have to really wow me. I may try to borrow somebody's just to see.
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Old 03-27-15, 08:52 AM
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If you really want some expensive wheels... Japan's Kondo Brothers Invent $7,900 Bike Wheels - Bloomberg Business
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Old 03-27-15, 09:03 AM
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Campy Sciroccos are much better stock wheels than you'd find on most bikes. You're fine.
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