Choosing a good wheel will depend largely on its intended purpose, however whilst difficult to nail all aspects, ideally a good set of wheels will be durable, have dependable hubs, provide confidence inspiring braking, be stiff for power transfer, yet also be lightweight. Lightweight wheels keep rotating weight down by having a shallow rim profile and low spoke count. As well as reducing overall weight, a fringe benefit of this is comfort.
Deeper wheels are fast but the ride quality is often described as 'harsh', conversely lightweight wheels often provide good levels of compliance.
Quality lightweight wheelsets will typically be below 1, grams, some extremely lightweight wheelsets coming in under 1,grams for the pair! Aerodynamic wheels aim to be as fast as possible by reducing drag. Aerodynamic wheels are typically greater than 40mm deep at the rim and are becoming wider as well.
This speed does come at a cost with deep-section wheels more susceptible to crosswinds which can make them difficult to handle, and the extra material does add weight. Wheelsets not so focused on performance commonly have features which make them more appropriate for everyday use or general training. The braking surface is aluminium providing better performance in all weather conditions when compared to carbon fibre, higher spoke counts are used to aid strength, and rim width is wider to cater for larger tyres.
As a result of these features, weight increases with quality wheelsets typically ranging from 1, - 1, grams. With the extra strength, wheels in this form typically weigh in excess of 1, grams. Most entry to intermediate level wheels will feature aluminium rims of varying quality, while high level wheels will typically feature rims made of carbon fibre which reduces the weight while increasing stiffness.
Aluminium as a rim material provides better braking performance than carbon fibre, which tends to perform poorly in the wet and on long descents as heat builds up under braking. Based on this, some brands offer an aluminium braking surfaces fitted to a carbon fibre rim. The shift to disc brakes has well and truly begun and is quickly becoming a new norm on road bikes. Moving away from rim and conventional caliper braking affords manufacturers some experimentation when it comes to both frame and wheel design as well as the obvious benefits of increased stopping power.
Wheelsets that use disc brakes don't need to have a brake track or confirm to a specific width in order to fit into tight fork and frame clearances. As a result, wheelsets for disc equipped bikes can have a modified profile to improve aerodynamics and performance. The drawback is that wheelsets for disc equipped bikes will have to be stronger to contend with the additional braking forces, meaning more spokes and specific hubs, which could potentially offset any weight saving or other performance gains.
However, weight saved at the outside of the wheel rim has a far more noticeable impact on how light it rides than weight closer to the hub. A huge benefit is the performance of carbon wheels, which traditionally have poor braking when compared to wheels with an aluminium brake track. Disc brakes allow for the performance benefits of carbon wheels to be maintained or improved upon without reducing the braking performance. Wheels designed for use with disc brakes should not be confused with aerodynamic 'disc' wheels which form a single piece from hub to rim in the effort to reduce wind turbulence in time trial racing events.
The trend is for modern rims to be wider, resulting in better aerodynamics and improved comfort through greater tyre air volume. This coincides with the shift to larger tyres that are said to improve lower rolling resistance as well as comfort by running at a lower pressure. Rim width can either be measured internally or externally, which potentially provides some confusing numbers. By current standards, a narrow road rim when measured internally is anything under 15mm, while a wide rim is anything measured internally greater than 17mm.
When measuring externally, anything under 19mm is considered narrow while anything over 22mm can be considered wide. While closely interrelated, the external rim width will mostly influence the wheels aerodynamics, while the internal rim width will influence comfort, rolling efficiency or tyre shape.
The depth of the rim will affect the aerodynamics of the wheel and the handling of a bike. Generally the deeper the rim, the more aerodynamic, but also the harder to handle given they will be more affected by side wind than a shallow rim. The extra material required will also create a harsher ride, not offering as much compliance as a shallower wheel.
It's worth noting that not all deep rims are created equally, and the exact profile varies greatly between brands. The best options manage to achieve fast speeds while being well controlled in cross winds. Deep-section wheels will typically measure at least 40mm from the rim to the nipple, some extending to over 80mm. These are more cumbersome than a spare innertube. Changing a tubular tyre is just as quick as changing an inner tube, so there is no time penalty. Tubular wheels require more preparation depending on whether you choose glue or tubular tape as a mounting method for your tyres.
YouTube has some great videos showing methods of installing tubular tyres. More info on tubular wheels at Wiggle. Tubeless wheelsets have become hugely popular in recent years. These wheels are usually slightly heavier than a clincher-only version as there is extra material required on the rim to provide an airtight seal for the special tubeless tyres used.
The upside is you don't use inner tubes so lose some of the all important rotating mass. Pinch punctures are also less likely due to the construction. Here's our pick of the best road bike wheels available now. Get more great content, useful tips and inspiring stories, plus all our latest product releases straight to your email inbox. Sign me up.
Follow Wiggle on YouTube. Road wheels buying guide. Posted in Cycle. Road bike wheels explained Road bike wheels are fundamental to your cycling experience. The anatomy of road bike wheels Here are some of the key components of a road bike wheel: Hubs : Hubs are the central component of the bike wheel structure. The rims are supremely stiff and now been widened 22mm to better pair with wider tyres. Using what the brand called a C17 rim, it's milled to reduce weight and sees a differentiated rim height and the brands Mega-G3 Spoke pattern.
This spoke arrangement makes for a surprisingly robust rear wheel that has quite a lot of snap when you put the gas on. Wide rims allow the wheel to better slice through the air while also creating more air volume inside the tyre, allowing you to run lower pressures and improving ride comfort.
External width, while somewhat dependent on the internal size, is more closely related to aerodynamics. And, as wheels and tyres have become broader, an unfortunate side effect is that some newer wheels won't fit in older frames. Next is rim depth.
The deeper a rim is, generally the more aerodynamic it is, especially when compared to a low-profile box-section rim. However, deep-section wheels use more material and therefore weigh more than their more svelte counterparts.
However, if your local roads are pan-flat, something deeper might be more your style. Deeper rims are also more affected by crosswinds because there is more material for the moving air to grab.
No wheelset is complete without a good set of tyres, and your rim will dictate whether you can run clincher, tubular or tubeless tyres. With many wheels now available in both disc and rim brake varieties, many brands are including multiple end caps, allowing a single hub to accept quick-release skewers and 12mm or 15mm thru-axles. Sign up to the Cyclingnews Newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how to do this, and how we hold your data, please see our privacy policy.
Group 3 Created with Sketch. Cyclingnews The World Centre of Cycling. Sign in. The Planning Hub offers in-depth guides to planning permission in England, brought to you by Cyclingnews's planning experts. Zipp S Carbon Tubeless Disc. Quietly rapid, responsive, comfortable and versatile, with an impressive price. Specifications Depth: 45mm. Brake: Disc. Tyre format: Tubeless. Rim width: 23mm internal. Weight: 1,g with tubeless valves. Reasons to avoid - Not Continental tyre compatible.
Vision SC 55 Disc. Specifications Depth: 55mm. Tyre format: Tubeless and clincher. Rim width: 25mm external.
Weight: 1,g. Reasons to avoid - Rim graphics could be bolder. Zipp Firecrest Carbon Tubeless Disc. Pioneering road-off-road wheels that offer outstanding performance. Rim width: 25mm internal. Reasons to avoid - Not Continental tyre compatible - 28mm tyres and up. Bontrager Aeolus RSL Specifications Depth: 37mm.
Rim width: 21mm internal. Roval Rapide CLX. Radically wide front rim paired with a deeper rear makes high-speed stability. Tyre format: Clincher. Reasons to avoid - Not tubeless. Prime BlackEdition Specifications Depth: 38mm. Brake: Disc, Rim. Rim width: 19mm internal. Another fine article that is very helpful in making the important and expensive decision about new wheels. I am planning on buying the ENVE 4.
Hoping for warm weather soon!! All the best! Wheldon, Nice! Enjoy, Steve. Hey Weldon. I have a Defy Advanced Pro purchased at a nice discount early last year wuth 5, miles on it. Love the bike. Alloy wheels with QR, they seem to work fine.
So, for me the stock Carbons on the later Defy APs might be a nice upgrade. Not sure tho that those wheels have a QR adapter? Maybe you know? Yes, losing another 10 is the most effective way to that goal. Still thinking about climbing vs upgrade vs all around in that regard. Thanks for the nice feedback on your Defy Advanced Pro.
I am guessing they will feel better than the alloy wheels that came on my previous Defy Advanced 2. Our routes in central Ohio are pretty flat, so climbing is not a big concern for me. I am just getting my FTP near the point where aero wheels should make some advantage for me. Still need to gain 10 to 15 watts and lose 2 kg body mass. Good point re. On the days I do go out alone, I rarely maintain an av ride speed of kph solo. Good read Steve! Thanks again for taking the time and educate us!
Needless to say they were purchased after reading your posts over and over again. So you mention that stock wheels last 10k miles. I put 25 k on some stock wheels and i had to constantly tweek them and it was a pain in the butt. Javan, It depends on what you ride and how you ride them. If you had wheels built for you, you can often change out the rims once they wear down and keep the hubs going if they are quality ones. Rim brake wheels and disc brake wheels have different considerations.
Alloy vs. So it depends on a lot of things. Hi Steve, I love your website, amazing. My targets are races in the Alps, like haute route or climbing rich single day races. I have bought a bmc teammachine which comes with DT Swiss R23 spline stock wheels. My budget can stretch to 1. Also, I would like to have something that I can ride in the wet, if possible. After eagerly reading all your posts I think the best option would be Mavic ksyrium pro carbon with conti gp4k 23c tyres.
Do you have a better alternative in mind including also top alloy rims? Or maybe my stock wheels are good enough? Thank you so much for your blog and help!! One of my goals with this post is to help readers put together a profile and use their it to guide them to the right wheels based on their profile. Kind of like the old saying about the benefit of teaching someone to fish versus giving them a fish for a day.
The more I do that, the less time I have to ride, evaluate gear and post reviews. If you still want a recommendation from me, please take a look at the second paragraph in the last section of this post just above the comments and below the stars. Thanks, Steve. Hi Steve, brand new to the site. It has stock Paradigm wheels. It has 28mm tires on it. I race MTB but love trading on road.
I want a faster rolling and stiffer wheel than the Paradigm. Thanks much! A couple errors there. I find your website very interesting, and as a beginner i wonder if I should wait for allround wheels or go for upgrade wheels. Lighter ok, Stiffer ok but doest it really matter if you are going without attacking and no race. I would say if it helps to maintain tempo or speed easier this is a good argument for me otherwise not really.
Revisit this post and others on the site at that point for help in deciding what wheels you might want to move up to. Thanks Steve for your answer.
To give you more information about me. What i can tell you more about me is that i weight 78kg for 1m81, still hoping to be on the 75kg? With my bmc i was able to ride 88km at 29kph considering m ascent in a triathlon. Refarding the stiffness i would say it seems ok with aksium on flat areas.. Anyway, i need to ride more and then i should be able to feel what is missing.. Thanks again Steve for you articles. I own a Trek Domane 2. I am not a fast rider by any means. I cannot find many reviews on the Comp TLR wheelset.
Pricewise it seems to be on par with the Campy Zonda. The Elite a bit pricey though compared to other alloy upgrade wheelsets that are just as good if not better in some performance aspects. Hi Steve! Have you ever tested Schmolke wheelsets?
If you want something lighter they have the 45TLO weighting grams with tune hubs. Just looked them up. Sounds like you bought them at the right time.
So many wheels out there to consider. Actually, you make that choice based on your answers to the rider profile, not where you live though the topography and traffic where you live may affect your profile. Your email address will not be published. Take this right-hand turn, I thought to myself.
Start the turn. Oh crap! My rear wheel is sliding out. Bring her back in!!!
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