Road racing wheels

[cyclenut]

Will you feel an immediate difference when you change wheels ?

i have never ridden aero --- too scared --- only 56 kg !

So' date=' should i get aero or not ?

[/quote']

 

At 56kg, YES you will feel an immediate difference, I suggest you don't go greater than 50mm.

You will eventually get used to them and learn how to position yourself against a crosswind - especially on downhills - it's the blustery / gusty conditions that are hard to ride in.

[Baltazar]

thanks guys --- its amazing how much i learn here !

[FrancoisO]

Thanks for all the replies, tubbies or clinchers.  I know the tubby wheels are normally lighter, but how easy can a tubby climb off the rim?

[Prince]

Main problem with tubby is puncture, end of race, unless you have a support vehicle with a spare wheel.

[Pickled]

Thanks for all the replies' date=' tubbies or clinchers.? I know the tubby wheels are normally lighter, but how easy can a tubby climb off the rim?[/quote']

 

 

 

I am not big on Tubbies, if you don't have the support veihicle, then thats it. Or you could sit on the side of the road and try and glue a new tyre, which you have to carry with you, to the rim.

 

 

 

I am partial to Clinchers and have 2 tubes in my saddle bag for any issues.

[Cocaine]

I was scared of that at first also... but once you glue your first set of tubbies on and realize how difficult it is to put them on and take them off you realize that they don't come off easy... unless you do a really poor job of gluing them... even so, I had a friend who often used to ride in TT's without even glueing his tubbies and reckons he never roled a tubby yet.

Remember as you inflate the tubby it gets tighter on the rim, and the beauty with tubbies is you can inflate them to very high pressures. Also a clincher tends to have a bit of a box shape by nature where as a tubby is perfectly round which makes for better more consistent handling.

[Spinnekop]

Tubbies RULE!!!! 

 

Althought the clincher technology is slowly creeping up......with better rolling resistance etc.

 

Tubby coming off the wheel??  You must seriously screw up the fitment.......and if you can screw THAT up....you can screw up the fitting of a clincher!

 

I have ridden on Zipp 404 clinchers.....404 Tubbies and on the Boras.

Between the lot the Boras are for me the nicest (Note....not the best!!)  The finish on them are perfect and the durability awesome!!

But the downside is that they are overpriced. 

 

[Pieter Henning]

Wheels like the Zipp 404 hae a point where the aerodynamic qualities start to loose it effect in a cross wind if you fall below 70kg's. obviously' date=' a hectic cross wind and it does not really matter how much you weigh.

Depends what you want to do with them. If it climbing/cross winds a lot, the possibly mix a 50mm rear with a 30/40mm front wheel.

You also need to look at if you want and clincher or tubby.[/quote']

 

HELP.

 

I weigh in at 55kg's. What exactly is the trade-off between aerodynamics VS. energy lost riding in a cross wind (or something similar, you techies no what I mean), for a rider of my size? And is it better to rather take a very low profile front wheel on a windy day? Or is 30mm good enough?

 

Ideal wheelset?

 

I've raced on a Zipp 303/404 combination (303 front and 404 rear), which felt (handled) pretty good in crosswinds and gutters.

[TarmacPro]

I've been riding low profile wheels since ever. Was to scared to the wind will take out the wheels from under me.

I then tested a set of Zipp 404 s on the Double Century and the handling, climbing and speed converted me to deep section wheels.

The low profile wheels is now the training wheels.

 

Best is... Borrow a set and decide for yourself.

 

[Christie]

@ FrancoisO: For performance, there are 3 issues to consider, in this order 1. aerodynamics 2.stifness 3. weight.

Tests have shown that Zipp makes the most aero wheels money can buy, with decent lateral stiffness, and weight is also quite low. On the negative side is durability problems with the Zipps. Zipp have changed the rim design for 2008, they claims that they have destructively tested 80 rims from their competitors, and their new rim is as strong as the best out there.  

@ Phen: The perfect wheelset for you would look a bit different. Priorities would be: 1.weight 2.stiffness 3.aerodynamics. Options would be: Lightweights, Cosmic Carbon Ultimates, 2008 Zipp 202. Each of these have got some pros & conns... 

[ShortLegs]

my 2c

 

I've got a pair of 404 tubs that I use exclusively for racing. Tubs (in my opinion) are way better than clinchers in every respect bar punctures.

 

The reality is that a puncture in any race is tickets for that race and comes down to getting back to the start/finish. I've replaced my tub in a race (after 15kms) which lost me 10mins on the guys I was racing with and my thumbs were nearly bleeding but I did it and got safely round the entire course. Tub tape is one option but I prefer to glue the suckers on.

 

Vittoria Pit Stop is another option but I haven't had the displeasure just yet.

 

This past weekends high winds on the Cobra convinced me to put my Ksyrium up front, but seeing guys riding with both meant it can be done although we didn't have to race down Ou Kaaps where the wind was worst.

 

Bottom line; if you've got the money then splash out on a pair of deep-section tubs, you won't be sorry

[racman]

will deep section also have a worthwhile effect for heavier riders i.e. 90kg + and what makes etc are strong enough for the 90-100kg heavyweights?

[Pickled]

will deep section also have a worthwhile effect for heavier riders i.e. 90kg + and what makes etc are strong enough for the 90-100kg heavyweights?

 

 

 

I know Zipp make the Clysedale range which are for your higher weights, but no doubt, other manufactures have a similar setup

[swift]

The one brand missing from this is Corima... been making carbon clinchers since the 1980's. Price wise, they are under most competitors. I have the normal aero's, which are about 40mm deep. Strong and quick, i train and race on the full crbon clinchers. Very impressive... and there is a areo+ which has carbon hubs... not the lightest on the market, but given how many potholes i have hit and jumped, they are still ok...

[Thug]

So to summarise for those newbie roadies amongst us (myself included).

 

Deep section rims 40mm & greater are far superior in terms of rolling resistance and handling than normal road wheels (ie Ksyrium's).

 

Allied to that tubbies on those deep sections are superior than clinchers.

 

Yay or Nay ?

 

 

 

 

[ShortLegs]

Yay