Anyone here running aluminum "high end" wheels?

What are you trying to accomplish with this wheelset?

34mm rims aren't going to give you much "aero" advantage. Most other factors are pretty irrelevant in triathlon.

Not trying to accomplish TOO much.  The thought of trading out wheels just seems (at the present time) a hassle.  I'd like to pick up "something" without having to worry about switching out wheels all the time.

No delusions of grandeur.  Looking at maybe a really good (multi-use) everyday set.  That's all.

What's wrong with your current set of "good (multi-use) everyday" wheels?

As far as I know, there's nothing wrong with any set of wheels anyone is using.  But, people change their wheels for events.....for a myriad of reasons:  weight; aerodynamics.....you know - the obvious stuff.

If these wheels are lighter and more aero than my current wheels (and I'm asking) --- wouldn't I just be doing the same thing?  I'm not sure I understand the questioning.

Wheels can be cheap. They can also be inexpensive.

The question is why do you actually want other/new wheels? Are the ones you have not filling a need or perceived need of yours? If that's the case, what need is it?

A lot of us have wheels that fill a specific want of ours. Aero wheels are a huge market for this.

If you are just looking for race wheels, are you going to be doing primarily bike racing, stop/start, hills, that sort of thing? Or are you going to do primarily triathlon bike riding or time trialing where you go mostly straight and have constant output for a longer time? The wheels that best suit those two are just about mutually exclusive of each other.

I'll refer back to my first answer:



"Lighter" is one of those other, irrelevant-in-triathlon, factors. Basically what I'm saying is if you're looking to improve your triathlon performance, these wheels aren't going to do much for that. If you're looking to replace a defective wheelset, or just like the way these look, they're as good as any.

Edited by the bear 2010-05-22 6:01 AM

I ride Mavic Ksyrium SSC SL's (1500 gram clincher wheels).

They are relatively "high end" for weight and cost when new.  But they are also pure road wheels and no aero section at all.

I sold my Zipp carbons otherwise I would run them (even on my road bike in tri races).

True.

In order to get an aero benefit, you are looking for at least a 3:1 aspect ratio; so assuming a 23mm tire, you are going to need at least a 46mm rim in order to get a true aero benefit.  Most aero wheelsets begin in the 50mm range and get deeper from there.

Another consideration is the shape of the rim; Zipp and Hed hold the patent on the torodial shape which tests faster than anyother rim shape (based on the aero data I've seen).  This is important because the inside of the rim is both a leading and trailing edge and needs to perform well in each role.

Shane