Deep section carbon wheels, are they worth it
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2006-04-06 10:38 AM |
Member 11 Cork, Ireland | Subject: Deep section carbon wheels, are they worth it Hi, I'm thinking of buying a pair of planet-x pro carbon 50 wheels. (http://www.planet-x-bikes.com/). They are 50mm section carbon tubular wheels. At the moment my bike (Specalized allez) has a pair of plain alexrims da16 wheels. Just wondering if they are really worth the cost. (800 euro/dollars) I heard that they can add 1-2mph to your average speed over a flat course. Is this true? These wheels cost the same as my bike at the moment, so it sounds crazy to buy them, but if they add 2mph then I think I'll go for it.... Anyone any experience with putting these type of wheels? Thanks, Derek |
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2006-04-06 10:49 AM in reply to: #389852 |
Not a Coach 11473 Media, PA | Subject: RE: Deep section carbon wheels, are they worth it Seems like its wheel season. Aero wheels will make a notable difference. Worth $800? Harder to say. There are less expensive options (as well as more expensive ones). I'd suggest doing some more research on it and decide how much you're willing to spend (and if wheels are the right investment at all for you yet). Some recent threads here and in the Gear section recently should give you some more ideas. |
2006-04-06 12:07 PM in reply to: #389852 |
Expert 900 Austin, TX | Subject: RE: Deep section carbon wheels, are they worth it My deep carbon wheels seem to have made more like .5 to 1 mph in my initial tests rides. I think 2mph is probably asking a lot. |
2006-04-07 10:54 PM in reply to: #389852 |
Pro 3870 Virginia Beach, VA | Subject: RE: Deep section carbon wheels, are they worth it IMHO, a light, deep-section tubular will improve your cycle speed more than any other equipment improvement you could make. Depending on your current fitness level on the bike, they could be the most significant improvement possible. If you don't have several years of cycling under your belt then you could likely gain as much by spending this season focused on your riding...but that doesn't mean the wheels would still help a great deal. Bottom line...do you have $800 of disposable income to spend on triathlon gear and already have all the basics covered? |
2006-04-08 1:47 AM in reply to: #389852 |
Extreme Veteran 707 pnw | Subject: RE: Deep section carbon wheels, are they worth it Alex rims are heavy but on an Allez to gain mph over the long haul add aero bars first. You gain a lot more than any wheel set will give you. Last list I saw went in this order for time saved on a 40k course riding 25mph. (assuming you are already in good shoes, pedals and cleats) aero bars (3:21 saved) rear disc (00:58) aero bar shifters aero drinking system aero helmet deep front wheel 18mm tires (for those 5, another 4:21) Here is another graph..which doesn't totally agree with Joel Friel's #s I posted above. http://damonrinard.com/aero/aerodynamics.htm |
2006-04-08 8:46 AM in reply to: #389852 |
Champion 7036 Sarasota, FL | Subject: RE: Deep section carbon wheels, are they worth it Well they certainly won't slow you down. How much they'll help depends on how close you are to maxing out your current set-up. But hey, if you can afford them without missing a rent payment then go for it. In my case, my bike still has tons of untapped potential that I've not yet been able to extract from it. At the same time, I think bike stuff is cool. I'd love to get a set of Zipp 404's even though they would put me dangerously close to the poser category... |
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2006-04-08 9:16 AM in reply to: #389852 |
Extreme Veteran 384 Albuquerque, NM | Subject: RE: Deep section carbon wheels, are they worth it Well, wondering what kind of bike you have, and what your typical average speed is. There are three sort of "phases" or thresholds as it has been explained to me: 1. When you first start out and are averaging say 10-13MPH, friction is your biggest enemy. 2. From like 14-20MPH or so, weight and aerodynamic drag will most likely hold you back. This is assuming of course that you have the strength to maintain such averages. Usually best gains are a lighter bike and good aerodynamic position. Another think that helps is reducing rolling resistance, usually attributed to the type/profile of tires and the air pressure they can safely withstand. 3. Above 20MPH the gains are harder to come by, and this is where disc wheels and "cheating the wind" start to have the most benefit. Even if you gain 1-2 MPH in average speed, it doesn't really come into play unless you are doing longer-distance tris. I'd look hard at considering a bike upgrade before buying the disc wheels. As for me, I was thinking about deep section carbon wheels, but I made up my mind that unless I start missing podium spots (which I definitely DO NOT have to worry about now) by fractions of a minute, AND my transitions are perfect, AND I'm training properly, I won't buy new wheels. That said, I have a damn nice 2004 Trek Team Time Trial - a carbon fiber rocket ship that is light, gets me aero, and I can't complain a bit. Edited by tnt2tri 2006-04-08 9:46 AM |
2006-04-08 10:29 AM in reply to: #389852 |
Coach 10487 Boston, MA | Subject: RE: Deep section carbon wheels, are they worth it IMO an aero wheel will improve your cycling speed only marginally depending on your current speed. If you are riding sub 18mph you won't notice much difference. If you want a quick "fix" the aero wheels might help, but if you want to be a better/faster cyclist, ride your bike... |
2006-04-08 10:34 AM in reply to: #391292 |
Coach 10487 Boston, MA | Subject: RE: Deep section carbon wheels, are they worth it Nob - 2006-04-08 1:47 AM Alex rims are heavy but on an Allez to gain mph over the long haul add aero bars first. You gain a lot more than any wheel set will give you. Last list I saw went in this order for time saved on a 40k course riding 25mph. (assuming you are already in good shoes, pedals and cleats) aero bars (3:21 saved) rear disc (00:58) aero bar shifters aero drinking system aero helmet deep front wheel 18mm tires (for those 5, another 4:21) Here is another graph..which doesn't totally agree with Joel Friel's #s I posted above. http://damonrinard.com/aero/aerodynamics.htm But how many can hold that speed avg to get the time saving benefit |
2006-04-08 9:03 PM in reply to: #391292 |
Expert 743 Minnesota | Subject: RE: Deep section carbon wheels, are they worth it Nob - 2006-04-07 1:47 PM Alex rims are heavy but on an Allez to gain mph over the long haul add aero bars first. You gain a lot more than any wheel set will give you. Last list I saw went in this order for time saved on a 40k course riding 25mph. (assuming you are already in good shoes, pedals and cleats) aero bars (3:21 saved) rear disc (00:58) aero bar shifters aero drinking system aero helmet deep front wheel 18mm tires (for those 5, another 4:21) Here is another graph..which doesn't totally agree with Joel Friel's #s I posted above. http://damonrinard.com/aero/aerodynamics.htm So, according to the data presented. The theoretical, wind tunnel, laborotory tested, gain in an oly is less than a minute. What applies in the lab is, at best, an estimate of real world gains. A minute saved over what other kind of rear wheel, by the way? I've seen some wind tunnel data (although I can't site it here) showing an aero helmet giving the same theoretical advantage as switching from stock wheels to discs, tri blade or whatever. If this is the case then the helmet would obviously be more cost efficient. I remember telling myself that once I broke the 23mph average speed threshold I would consider aero wheels. I am pretty close to achieving that average speed but am reconsidering whether I really should go with the aero wheels. Reality is this... Most of my races are sprint distance. Best case scenario according to wind tunnel data, the $1000 plus change in wheels gets me 30 seconds. I have had a couple of top ten finishes and pick up enough age group awards to make me happy, but I have never won a race. Considering the data presented maybe my new threshold for buying aero wheels is if I am within 30 seconds of winning (chuckle, dream on, chuckle). The $1000 plus that I apparently will never spend on wheels, considering my new threshold, can be used to get me into the local pool more often and set up in a hotel or two when traveling rather than sleeping in the family grocery getter. I think we all "Jones" a bit too much. We are gadget folks, tech geeks and weight weenies. Fact is, most of us are a bunch of weekend warriors that will never win races nor see many awards. What will the $1000 plus spent to gain a minute really get us? Is the $200 extra to save 20 grams on pedals worth it when one drops more weight is sweat during a race? Edited by B-One 2006-04-08 9:10 PM |
2006-04-09 6:17 PM in reply to: #389852 |
Extreme Veteran 474 Sydney | Subject: RE: Deep section carbon wheels, are they worth it FWIW - whether or not you decide to take the plunge I've heard good things about the Planet-X's on the UK forums. Bought my bike-bag from them and got great service... |
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