Which wheels to buy
03-19-22, 12:04 PM
#1
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Which wheels to buy
After receiving a bonus from work and looking forward to my early(ish) retirement I've decided to splurge on some carbon wheels
I've always been happy with whatever wheels came on my bike and never been one for upgrading much but after riding a friends bike on a varied bike route I was quite impressed with the speed and comfort of the ride. He was using a pair of Black Inc wheels
i mostly ride flattish roads these days but always loved the challenge of a good long hill. My son is also becoming good on the hills so we can challenge each other
My question is. 45 or 60 depth. Do others have a preference? His i. Relieve where 60 in depth and it was a calm day for riding so I didn't notice any problems with them
if money was no object. Would you go ceramic bearings or stainless steel. Is there much of a difference. There seems to be conflicting evidence online about this
I've always been happy with whatever wheels came on my bike and never been one for upgrading much but after riding a friends bike on a varied bike route I was quite impressed with the speed and comfort of the ride. He was using a pair of Black Inc wheels
i mostly ride flattish roads these days but always loved the challenge of a good long hill. My son is also becoming good on the hills so we can challenge each other
My question is. 45 or 60 depth. Do others have a preference? His i. Relieve where 60 in depth and it was a calm day for riding so I didn't notice any problems with them
if money was no object. Would you go ceramic bearings or stainless steel. Is there much of a difference. There seems to be conflicting evidence online about this
Last edited by Tipmart; 03-19-22 at 12:15 PM.
03-19-22, 12:09 PM
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Are you talking about carbon wheels with rim brakes? Clinchers or tubeless?
03-19-22, 12:16 PM
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It sounds like you know this already, but to be explicit about it: the deeper wheels should be faster in all cases except up hill, at the expense of getting pushed around more in cross winds. The more you weigh, the he's of an issue cross winds tend to be. Deeper wheels tend to be stronger, stiffer, and heavier if any of those things matter to you.
03-19-22, 12:57 PM
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03-19-22, 01:21 PM
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FWIW I was very skeptical about tubeless. But, about 3 yrs ago I saw a great deal on Mavic UST. So, I bought a rear wheel for my road bike. It comes with a Mavic Yksion tire already mounted. I put it on the rear of my bike and took it down the road. I was stunned. Rolled smoothly, spun up quickly and was lighter. I bought the front wheel.Then I bought a set for my wife and another set for my second road bike.Three years later and zero flats. So, a month ago I bought a set for my Colnago cross bike. Mavic matched their tires to the wheels so you can mount them easily with a floor pump. I am totally sold on tubeless and Mavic in particular. It didn't hurt that my bikes also lost significant weight. FWIW my CAAD 12 and Guru steel are rim brakes and my Colnago is disc.
03-19-22, 01:32 PM
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If it's windy or gusty you may not want 60mm, at least not in the front. 45mm is good for all around use. I'd be inclined to go with 38-45mm up front and 55-65 in the rear.
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03-19-22, 02:21 PM
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FWIW I was very skeptical about tubeless. But, about 3 yrs ago I saw a great deal on Mavic UST. So, I bought a rear wheel for my road bike. It comes with a Mavic Yksion tire already mounted. I put it on the rear of my bike and took it down the road. I was stunned. Rolled smoothly, spun up quickly and was lighter. I bought the front wheel.Then I bought a set for my wife and another set for my second road bike.Three years later and zero flats. So, a month ago I bought a set for my Colnago cross bike. Mavic matched their tires to the wheels so you can mount them easily with a floor pump. I am totally sold on tubeless and Mavic in particular. It didn't hurt that my bikes also lost significant weight. FWIW my CAAD 12 and Guru steel are rim brakes and my Colnago is disc.
can you mix and match at a store or do you have to buy two pairs?
03-19-22, 02:31 PM
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interesting. I should try it. I've always used 23s as old timer but considering moving up to 25s I'll talk with the store and see what they say and maybe try them out. I know they stock Pirelli and Vitoria
.
can you mix and match at a store or do you have to buy two pairs?
.
can you mix and match at a store or do you have to buy two pairs?
03-20-22, 02:52 AM
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Some wheelsets are offered with shallower front and deeper rear, but most are offered with the same depth as a set. You can also buy individual wheels to get the depths you want front and rear.
I recently went back to 23s on one bike (that's all the frame has clearance for) after riding other bikes running 25s. The 25s feel much better but I'm a heavier rider.
I recently went back to 23s on one bike (that's all the frame has clearance for) after riding other bikes running 25s. The 25s feel much better but I'm a heavier rider.
03-20-22, 03:25 AM
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Since you .mention hills being important go with the lighter of the choices.
03-20-22, 02:26 PM
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Some wheelsets are offered with shallower front and deeper rear, but most are offered with the same depth as a set. You can also buy individual wheels to get the depths you want front and rear.
I recently went back to 23s on one bike (that's all the frame has clearance for) after riding other bikes running 25s. The 25s feel much better but I'm a heavier rider.
I recently went back to 23s on one bike (that's all the frame has clearance for) after riding other bikes running 25s. The 25s feel much better but I'm a heavier rider.
03-20-22, 03:44 PM
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I was talking about rim depth and then decided to also chime in on tire width. Sorry for being unclear.
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03-20-22, 04:02 PM
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Personally I tired of the deep wheels. I just gave them up For Hyperon's and I'm very happy.
03-20-22, 09:41 PM
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45s and steel bearings. I have been running 25-27 mm deep alloy wheels th east couple of years but definitely prefer light-ish 45s like the ENVE 3.4 or Zipp 303. Just ordered the latter, and have owned the former.
03-21-22, 12:57 PM
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After receiving a bonus from work and looking forward to my early(ish) retirement I've decided to splurge on some carbon wheels
I've always been happy with whatever wheels came on my bike and never been one for upgrading much but after riding a friends bike on a varied bike route I was quite impressed with the speed and comfort of the ride. He was using a pair of Black Inc wheels
i mostly ride flattish roads these days but always loved the challenge of a good long hill. My son is also becoming good on the hills so we can challenge each other
My question is. 45 or 60 depth. Do others have a preference? His i. Relieve where 60 in depth and it was a calm day for riding so I didn't notice any problems with them
if money was no object. Would you go ceramic bearings or stainless steel. Is there much of a difference. There seems to be conflicting evidence online about this
I've always been happy with whatever wheels came on my bike and never been one for upgrading much but after riding a friends bike on a varied bike route I was quite impressed with the speed and comfort of the ride. He was using a pair of Black Inc wheels
i mostly ride flattish roads these days but always loved the challenge of a good long hill. My son is also becoming good on the hills so we can challenge each other
My question is. 45 or 60 depth. Do others have a preference? His i. Relieve where 60 in depth and it was a calm day for riding so I didn't notice any problems with them
if money was no object. Would you go ceramic bearings or stainless steel. Is there much of a difference. There seems to be conflicting evidence online about this
03-21-22, 01:06 PM
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03-21-22, 08:52 PM
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03-22-22, 12:52 AM
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Congratulations on bonus and anticipated early retirement!
I did not want to spend ENVE or ZIPP money on carbon wheels for my rim brake bike, so I have just ordered a set of FFWD F4R wheels, based on some older online reviews and a few positive comments here on BF.
FFWD Wheels Carbon Hand Built Bicycle Wheels | Fast Forward Wheels (ffwdusa.com)
I used a 15% coupon code (WDYAZZKY).
I did not want to spend ENVE or ZIPP money on carbon wheels for my rim brake bike, so I have just ordered a set of FFWD F4R wheels, based on some older online reviews and a few positive comments here on BF.
FFWD Wheels Carbon Hand Built Bicycle Wheels | Fast Forward Wheels (ffwdusa.com)
I used a 15% coupon code (WDYAZZKY).
03-22-22, 11:24 AM
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Black Inc. used to offer mixed depth sets, but I'm not sure if they still do. It's likely they would put together a mixed set if you ask them to.
03-22-22, 12:12 PM
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Really enjoying this wheelset. Deep enough to get some gain and light enough to be worth the depth.
https://www.merlincycles.com/en-us/t...21-232790.html
https://www.merlincycles.com/en-us/t...21-232790.html
03-22-22, 01:25 PM
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i'd go up to 40 or skip it & jump up to 60 if sticking with tubes. The stem length for a 40 & less or a 60 & greater profile rim is easier imo to shop for regarding tubes, unless you don't mind using extenders. Either way, I'd opt for tubeless ready/compatible jic you decide to try it.
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03-24-22, 10:47 AM
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Congratulations on bonus and anticipated early retirement!
I did not want to spend ENVE or ZIPP money on carbon wheels for my rim brake bike, so I have just ordered a set of FFWD F4R wheels, based on some older online reviews and a few positive comments here on BF.
FFWD Wheels Carbon Hand Built Bicycle Wheels | Fast Forward Wheels (ffwdusa.com)
I used a 15% coupon code (WDYAZZKY).
I did not want to spend ENVE or ZIPP money on carbon wheels for my rim brake bike, so I have just ordered a set of FFWD F4R wheels, based on some older online reviews and a few positive comments here on BF.
FFWD Wheels Carbon Hand Built Bicycle Wheels | Fast Forward Wheels (ffwdusa.com)
I used a 15% coupon code (WDYAZZKY).
03-24-22, 11:21 AM
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03-24-22, 06:45 PM
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