Road Bike, Cycling Forums banner

Lightweight Clincher or Carbon Aero Clincher?

6K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  simonaway427 
#1 ·
I'm ready to upgrade from my 1700+ grams Aksium Race wheeset to a much lighter wheelset. Can anybody give me advise on which one to pick? I'm trying to consider either a lighter aluminum or aero carbon clincher.

I love to climb and rip on flats....

Suggestions Please:D
 
#3 ·
With few exceptions, most truly aero wheels are slower for climbing due to having more mass on the rim unless you are getting some really expensive wheels. Tough decision!

I guess it will depend on what you will enjoy more. The Mavic Ksyrium SL or Bontrager X lite are fairly light at about 1500 grams per set and are also fairly aerodynamic.

Good Luck!
 
#4 ·
fdolorenzo said:
With few exceptions, most truly aero wheels are slower for climbing due to having more mass on the rim unless you are getting some really expensive wheels. Tough decision!

I guess it will depend on what you will enjoy more. The Mavic Ksyrium SL or Bontrager X lite are fairly light at about 1500 grams per set and are also fairly aerodynamic.

Good Luck!
No they aren't.
 
#5 ·
fdolorenzo said:
With few exceptions, most truly aero wheels are slower for climbing due to having more mass on the rim unless you are getting some really expensive wheels. Tough decision!

I guess it will depend on what you will enjoy more. The Mavic Ksyrium SL or Bontrager X lite are fairly light at about 1500 grams per set and are also fairly aerodynamic.

Good Luck!
I'm looking at 1300+ grams Aluminum or 1500+ grams 50mm Aero Carbon...

Yes..some crosswinds but only during winter...
 
#7 ·
Hi Loneclimber,

Check this site for info on aerodynamics and if you click on the link at the end of that page compare the inertia of various wheels.

http://www.rouesartisanales.com/article-15505311.html

The idea, as explained in the article, the smaller the drag, the more aerodynamic the wheels are, and the lower the inertia, the lesser the energy required to spin the wheels at a given velocity.

Cheers!
 
#9 ·
Not quite

fdolorenzo said:
The idea, as explained in the article, the smaller the drag, the more aerodynamic the wheels are, and the lower the inertia, the lesser the energy required to spin the wheels at a given velocity.
It takes a tiny bit less energy to SPIN P a lighter rim/tire combination, but once they are up to speed there is virtually no energy penalty for heavier wheels when on the flats. A wheel that weighs 300 gm more costs about 10 seconds per hour when climbing a 6% grade.
 
#11 ·
I just got a set of 2011 Easton EA90 SLX's (with fancy ceramic bearings) and love them. I went back and forth over these or a pair of Ksyrium SL's or SR's end ended up with Easton's.

They are very smooth, much lighter than my Askiums, and so far no crosswind issues.
 
#13 ·
Understanding physics

MerlinAma said:
Doesn't it make a difference as to whether that 300gms is at the hub or at the rim? And does it matter how much power you are applying when computing the time difference?
If your speed is steady, then where the weight is means nothing. 300 gm lighter rims/tires plus 300 gm more water in your bottles and your climbing speed is the same. Even if you are accelerating and decelerating during the climb, it all cancels out: it takes more energy to acclerate a heavier rim/tire but you get that energy back when you slow down. For a given increase in power output, a lighter rim/tire will accelerate more and decelerate more when you back off the power.

I just ran four examples on a 6% grade with a 300 gram weight reduction. The time saved is for every hour of climbing due to the weight saving.
180 lb rider, 300 watts: 10 seconds faster
180 lb rider, 200 watts: 11 seconds faster
150 lb rider, 300 watts: 11 seconds faster
150 lb rider, 200 watts: 13 seconds faster

Yes there is a difference depending on rider weight and power output. It's not much, just like the total time saved is not much.
 
#14 ·
MerlinAma said:
Doesn't it make a difference as to whether that 300gms is at the hub or at the rim?
And does it matter how much power you are applying when computing the time difference?
There is much debate about the whole "rotating mass" thing. While I've read all sorts of convincing arguments either way, the most convincing thing I've ever experienced is grabbing a wheel spinning at 30mph on a bike in a repair stand. There just isn't that much mass that it won't stop nearly instantly with a good grab - any bicycle wheel. Since it takes so little energy to stop a 30mph wheel, why worry about how much it's going to take to spin it up when it's going to take much longer than a second to go from 0 to 30 on the road.

The inertia that matters is the unit as a whole. A light rim is good because it makes for a light wheel.

That said, you can feel a light rim. But you can feel the weight of a feather, too.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top