carpediemracing 

I'll bite. Don't laugh at me, please.

For "easier" training rides (17-19 mph solo, 20-21 mph group), I find my non-aero clinchers work well, better than the aero ones. I spend so little time at significant speeds that the 1-2? lbs weight penalty is significant. I've tried to compromise by using just the rear aero wheel, but it's still much less responsive on hills and when accelerating (responding to surges).

Based on what I read, I felt that the aero wheels would be faster due to their aero-ness, but I struggle on the wheels (Jet6 front, Jet9 rear). For "normal" rides I use the Bastognes (non-aero).

Even for races I'll use the Bastognes because the accelerate much easier. I use a lot of my reserves accelerating hard to counter attacks and just get out of a corner. I used my aero wheels for a few weeks but got totally shelled because the third or fourth super hard acceleration just killed me.

(When I used aero tubulars which are lighter and more aero than my clinchers, I did fine.)

So until you go really fast in a group (25-27 mph avg speed) heavy aero wheels seem to be a disadvantage. A steady state 25 mph to me screams aero wheel. Jumpy races which average 25-27+ mph scream aero tubulars.

The Bontragers you mention are carbon rimmed clinchers. They're extremely light. They will spin up very quickly, allowing you to accelerate with low perceived effort. If you don't use them all the time they'll feel really, really fast when you do use them. Until you hit about 35-40 mph. That's when they'll feel pretty sloggy. Aero wheels really come into play over 30 mph, and really at 35+ mph. Those slight downgrades when you want to move up in the group and the group is going 35-40 mph... aero wheels really help. Me, anyway, they help me.

My aero wheels weigh somewhere south of 1400g per pair, and they feel fast. My clinchers weigh more, with heavier tires, and feel less fast. The aero clinchers are like Mack trucks - they take forever and again to get going but feel great at speed.

cdr

Clarifications:
- "my aero TUBULAR wheels weigh somewhere south of 1400g..."
- When I say I race Bastognes, that's at the Tues Night training race (avg speed 25-27 mph, I used the tubulars in the faster ones). I race the tubular aero wheels most of the time. In the rain I use the Bastognes.