I can understand why a wheel should be strong, but many people mention the stiffness of prebuilt wheels as an advantage. Are there noticeable advantages compared to traditional 32 3x wheels?

I can understand why a wheel should be strong, but many people mention the stiffness of prebuilt wheels as an advantage. Are there noticeable advantages compared to traditional 32 3x wheels?

Once a wheel has enough spoke tension so that it does not go slack when a load is applied, then vertical stiffness is insignificantly different from one wheel to the next, and now where near as significant as tire pressure, saddle stiffnes, and bar/stem flexibility. Lateral stiffness is largely a function of bracing angle and number of spokes. Your statement about prebuilt wheels being stiffer is not correct - for example MAVIC Ksyriums are one of the more laterally flexible wheels due to low spoke count. No noticeable advantages.

No noticeable advantages.

Yup. Here is some old but good info:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/wheel/data.htm

I can understand why a wheel should be strong, but many people mention the stiffness of prebuilt wheels as an advantage. Are there noticeable advantages compared to traditional 32 3x wheels?I've built and ridden several pairs of wheels: Zipp 404s, Zipp 303s, Velocity DeepV wheels, CXP30 wheels, etc. What you tend to get is a wheel that rides stiff vertically, but may or may not be stiff laterally.

Think 'flex the big triangle' and you'll see why the aero rims are stiffer up and down vs. a box section rim.

Is it better? That's open for debate. Is it different? surely.

I didn't particularly like riding my 1st gen Cosmics on long rides, or on rougher surfaces, but MAN! were they fast wheels!

I DID like riding my GL330 wheels on the same stuff, but they're not as fast a wheel.

Its all in whatcha need.

M

the "stiffness of prebuilt wheels as an advantage" refers not to vertically but to laterally stiffer wheels. Some of the responses here are discussing both, and I don't know why, as the degree of lateral stiffness varies and is more important (some have pontificated here in the past that differences in vertical stiffness are essentially undetectable by the rider. I can't say). But...

As you know, lateral stiffness is the more important to prevent softness in the wheels while hammering up a climb, or on the descent, or on uneven, cobble-like surface and you are fighting the bars more than you would like to maintain a straight line.

As noted in other reponses, some of the fancy wheels, by virtue of the lower spoke count, might tend toward the above worst-case scenario. Others would not. In the pursuit of lightweight wheels, some of them give up too much, IMHO. Traditional wheels are somewhere in the middle of pack, stiffer than some, somewhat less than others. I have read reviews of some $$ pricey wheels that were soft laterally, so price doesn't always correlate with stiffness.


I can understand why a wheel should be strong, but many people mention the stiffness of prebuilt wheels as an advantage. Are there noticeable advantages compared to traditional 32 3x wheels?

I've built and ridden several pairs of wheels: Zipp 404s, Zipp 303s, Velocity DeepV wheels, CXP30 wheels, etc. What you tend to get is a wheel that rides stiff vertically, but may or may not be stiff laterally.

Think 'flex the big triangle' and you'll see why the aero rims are stiffer up and down vs. a box section rim.

Is it better? That's open for debate. Is it different? surely.

I didn't particularly like riding my 1st gen Cosmics on long rides, or on rougher surfaces, but MAN! were they fast wheels!

I DID like riding my GL330 wheels on the same stuff, but they're not as fast a wheel.

Guess what? It's all in your head. The GL330s were likely much stiffer vertically than the Cosmics. Despite the common misconception, aero rims don't necessarily make a stiffer wheel. More spokes do. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/wheel/grignon.htm

Plus, you will not be able to perceive the difference between a wheel that is relatively flexible and one that is relatively stiff. The amount that the wheel will deflect in regular use in tiny compared to the flex in tires, seatpost, saddle, stem, and handlebars.

Guess what? It's all in your head. The GL330s were likely much stiffer vertically than the Cosmics. Despite the common misconception, aero rims don't necessarily make a stiffer wheel. More spokes do. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/wheel/grignon.htm

Plus, you will not be able to perceive the difference between a wheel that is relatively flexible and one that is relatively stiff. The amount that the wheel will deflect in regular use in tiny compared to the flex in tires, seatpost, saddle, stem, and handlebars.
Umm yeah. Now you're an expert on what MY butt feels?

M

Umm yeah. Now you're an expert on what MY butt feels?

M

Pretty much. It ain't rocket science, but it is science. Your butt can't feel what's not there. I might "feel" like my car is levitating, that doesn't make it so.

You look at a wheel and create an expectation of ride quality. Then, that is what you perceive when you are riding. The expectation is creating the perception, not reality.