this forum is fun cause you can ask all kinds of crazy questions. like this one.

feed my curiousity:

wheelset 1 has bladed spokes, and a 25mm semi-aero rim.

wheelset 2 has 30mm aero rims and rounded spokes but weighs 270 grams less than wheelset 1.

is there any significant advantage to using wheelset 2 in a 17-25 mph crit (22 mph avg)?

bonus question: also, if your wife says its ok to get them, are they worth picking up?

aerodynamically, i'd take wheel 1

weight, i'd take wheel 2 (duh)

i'm guessing wheelset 1 is somewhere along the lines of a shimano 550/560?

personally a 30 mm rim with rounded spokes is counterintuitive.....i assume we're talking about factory builds?

we also didn't get a spoke count to work with...if wheel 2 is significantly less, then definetley worth the buy

this forum is fun cause you can ask all kinds of crazy questions. like this one.

feed my curiousity:

wheelset 1 has bladed spokes, and a 25mm semi-aero rim.

wheelset 2 has 30mm aero rims and rounded spokes but weighs 270 grams less than wheelset 1.

is there any significant advantage to using wheelset 2 in a 17-25 mph crit (22 mph avg)?

bonus question: also, if your wife says its ok to get them, are they worth picking up?


According to the data at the Zipp website, rim shape far outweighs spoke count for aerodynamics:

A Note on Spoke Count (http://www.zipp.com/Portals/0/Technology/Documents/A%20note%20on%20spoke%20count.pdf)

From this Zipp report, spoke shape can be important, but is still less important than rim shape:

A Note on Spoke Count (http://www.zipp.com/Portals/0/Technology/Documents/A%20note%20on%20spoke%20shape.pdf)

Even in a criterium, aerodynamics generally trumps weight. But, aerodynamically, there probably isn't much difference between the two wheels you are considering. So, it would seem that the lighter wheels would have the advantage here - but realistically, I'd recommend going with which ever set is are the stiffer and sturdier wheels. The difference between these wheels isn't so great that they would make you win - but if they are not sturdy enough, they could make you lose.

I am a little surprised that the 30mm deep wheels are lighter than the 25 mm deep wheels - its usually the other way around. What make and model are these?

wheelset 1 has 18front/20rear spokes.
wheelset 2 has 20front 24 rear.

i guess this is a big difference. not sure why the rim is so much lighter for wheelset 2.

thanks for the links Mark McM. You guys are making this an interesting and informative thread after all.

i will reveal the actual wheelsets name in a separate post to keep this discussion objective. :)

my guess for #2...easton vista sl...

double butted round spokes, 30 mm rims, 20 front 24 rear

only thing that gets me is the weight....1697 grams....

ok folks the wheelsets are:

wheelset 1: mavic ksyrium elite.
wheelset 2: reynolds alta race.

so it seems to be a bit if a wash in terms of performance. theres definitely weight difference but im not sure it will cause a performance improvement. unless the 270 grams will be noticeable. (i dont think stiffness is that much an issue at my weight of 154lbs.)

but I really feeel that any advantage towards aero by either of these sets would have to be calculated into the millionths of a second. If you record a 1hr 25min 15.6578 with wheelset "A" compared to a 1hr 25min 15.6565 with set "B" is it worth the money to you? in a crit, there isn't a high probability of anyone lapping the field because of "aero" wheels. Even on a flat course it'd be rare. Training would make a much more significant difference in the end than a wheelset. Best of luck in whichever direction you go. :) Edit: if your wife says it's O.K. to buy ANYTHING, don't waste time posting, GET IT FAST!!! :) :)

i got the alta race wheels and rode them about 22 miles so far. obviously its too soon for a full report, but i have not felt any buyers remorse. in the end, the significant weight difference made the sale as did the opportunity to get a purportedly decent wheelset for less than $300 bux.

Inspecting the wheels out of the box revealed what appears to be decent build quality with no seams or funny noises. the hubs spin nice and smooth and the QR skewers were lighter than the stock mavic boat-anchor skewers.

initial impressions are that there is a noticeable change (for the better) though its hard to articulate. handing is a bit more twitchy with the lighter rims and lack of bladed spokes. the wheels spun up easily on a couple of quick hard starts which is either the weight or smooth hubs.
ill post a review as i put some miles on them.

-gv