Jixr

Thinking of picking up my first set of carbon wheels for my new carbon bike.

I have two major questions.

1. Depth.

I'm unsure what size to get. My heart says the deeper 80mm, because I love the way they look, and the 'whoosh' sound they do. But, compared to a shallower depth, the weight difference is nearly a full pound, and won't be hassled by crosswinds as much.

I live in a city with some mild hills, ( no mountains ) and its not generally too terribly windy. I'm kinda torn between looks and light weight. I'm not a weenie, but part of the reason i'm wanting to go carbon is to drop some weight from the pretty cheap stock trainer wheels.

I could compromise and go with a size inbetween.

2. Cincher vs tubular. Never rode on tubular,and i'm 99% sure i'd go with clinchers because its what I know, and don't have to deal with glue, and buying $100 tires. And I can easily swap tires across different bikes. There are some stories of carbon clinchers exploding, but I'm not really worried about that, i'm not going to be doing long downhills or anything like that to build up heat to let them explode.

So. Suggestions? depth size and tubular or clincher?

mkadam68

It's your first pair? Get an all-around set: 40-50mm depth. They look awesome and will get your feet wet. The larger, 80mm+ sizes are rather interesting in windy conditions and you might not enjoy so much.

Clinchers are fine, but: I own a couple pairs of Chinese knock-offs. They don't do heat buildup well. I'm a larger rider. I went down a steep, very curvy hill, and had to brake. Alot. Heat built up, the carbon fibers delaminated. I was moving pretty slow, so no accident. I don't have a problem with them on almost any of my rides, now that I know what to avoid: steep, fast, and curvy. AKA: lots of braking hard.

That said, the name brands are much better at the whole heat issue and I wouldn't think twice about them on almost all terrain.

gregf83 

Are you racing or just wanting the wheels for looks?

jsigone

40-66mm is the sweet spot between all MFG. pick one in budget, get what you can afford to run into a curb.

99Klein 

50mm area is nice. Clinchers.

redfooj

no mountains..hard to imagine you putting enough heat to blow tubes. and if you run it tubeless, more heat resistance there. 80mm seems overkill.

Psimet2001 

Don't buy 80's. You will regret it. They're ridiculous unless you need them for a specific application.

Shallower has been catching more and more of a following. In our stuff that has been the 38mm depth. As mentioned that puts the sweet spot from 38(40)-60mm.

I love tubulars and glue a ton and use them all of the time. That said - unless you're racing on them - don't get them. Period. Don't get carbon clinchers if you're heavy and live in a mountainous area and descend with the brakes on all the time. Outside of that - whatever strikes your fancy is what you should get.

noodle soup

+1

60mm and greater look ridiculous on anything other than a TT bike.

mvnsnd

+2


Go with 38-50mm max. No real need for greater. I have Reynolds 46mm. I like them. Decent in crosswinds and still lighter than most stock aluminum wheel sets.

I run them all the time.

Danny01

60 rear 50 front. and only if on an aero frame. otherwise, get 38

noodle soup

aero frame or not, 38mm is about ideal for everyday use.

scott967

I've been on some 38 tubs with 25 width and 25 tires. Works well for me any way.

scott s.
.

dvdslw

Have to agree with others here, 38-40mm seems to be the sweet spot for most average riders. If you're going to spend hard earned money to make the purchase, be honest with yourself as to what your needs are and you'll thank yourself later. If you have money to just throw away and aren't the type to regret purchases after the fact then buy whatever tickles your fancy. I would have to believe that most of us on this forum have drooled over a set of deep carbon wheels at one time in our lives and the desire to have a set is always tempting because lets face it, they're pretty darn sexy, but what will they do for you other than look good?

I struggled with this decision for over a year and went into my carbon purchase wanting a set of 55-60mm deep wheels that had to meet a certain criteria. Any set for consideration had to do more spec wise than my current set of Ultegra's to be worthy of an upgrade so that limited me to options because all considerations had to be tubeless ready, wider, hub as good or better than an Ultegra, all while not increasing weight. Otherwise, what am I gaining other than looks?

After realizing not only that anything over 40mm was pretty much useless for a rider like me who on 99% of rides rarely averages over 20mph where deep wheels start to show their aerodynamic benefits, I also did my homework and found that the latest designed shallow depth wheels with a more modern u-shape actually out perform many previous and current deeper wheels on the market. At the time there was only one set that caught my attention and met all my requirements which were the newly redesigned and tubeless Reynolds Assault's but after dealing with many design flaws that basically made them non-tubeless to be reliable I returned them and started the search all over again. About a month later Easton released their new lineup of carbon wheels and I opted for the 38mm EC90SL's which have proven to be nothing but awesome so far and beat the Ultegra's in every way. I get lighter, wider, more aero, badass carbon look, and certified road tubeless to boot (or not to boot) which makes me smile every time I ride.

Since my purchase, there have been several new sets offered by just about everyone out there so I'm not trying to say the wheels I got are the absolute best option for you and your current situation but I hope I can help shed some light on what to consider when looking at potential wheelsets. You also ask about clincher or tubular, my vote is a clincher that also does tubeless and does it well. The newer generation of wide wheels and premium light casing tubeless tires like the Pro One's have been described as giving the sensation of riding a tubular so why choose otherwise?

WhyFi

Any budget considerations? There's quite a big spread in the market.

FlashBazbo

I bought my first set last year -- ENVE SES 4.5 clinchers. 48/56mm depth. Among 2016 wheels, they would still be my first choice.

But if I had it to do over again, with 2017 wheels? I would probably go with ENVE SES 3.4 clinchers. 38/42 depth and a wider front. I often ride in high winds and would appreciate less effect from side winds than I experience with the 4.5s.

zymphad

Agreed. I would only do it if I had disc though, I don't trust carbon clincher rim brake.

TBH though, my next wheels probably still be AL 25mm 30-35mm deep clincher rim brake wheels.