Aero wheels. Anyone go back to standard wheels?

[p nut]

Built up a new bike this year and for the first time, I went with 45mm wheels. First few rides were great. I haven’t seen faster times but that may attribute to the lack of riding this year compared to prior years.

But yesterday’s ride, I got into some fierce cross winds and scared the crud out of me on the fast descent. I’ll probably get used to it. But it was an uneasy feeling.

I’m thinking at this point, if I don’t see much improvement in times this season, I might go back to 30mm rims. The sub 1,300g would be nice.

[Spdntrxi]

all wheels are not created equal. You need to name the brand and the tire you used and be specific.

[saab2000]

I tried several sets of ENVE wheels and am happier riding Boyd Altamont Lites. I didn’t love the ENVEs, though I’m sure they would be faster if I still hung out at the pointy end of fast rides or races. I don’t. I prefer that the Boyds are unaffected by gusty winds and given my old style rim brakes, I prefer aluminum rims.

[benb]

Originally Posted by Spdntrxi

all wheels are not created equal. You need to name the brand and the tire you used and be specific.

Also (and I don't have any super aero wheels anyway) you need to consider that high winds + aero gear might exacerbate any issues you have with bike fit

- not enough weight on the front wheel will make everything seem worse the more aero the front wheel is

- any kind of asymmetrical fit/functional issue might put you slightly off balance and magnify the effect of crosswinds and/or the effect of the aero gear in the crosswinds

I think I can even feel these differences just from going from a totally standard box rim to a "marginally aero" wheel.

[Likes2ridefar]

Since I’m not trying to win a race I have very little interest in riding wheels that are deep. As you mentioned, they scare the crap out of me on high speed mountain descents or even flat roads in gusty winds. I’ve been blown across the road a few times on mountain descents…

Some brand designs are better able to handle the crosswinds than others but none are immune.

I use 30mm wheels too on my all road/dirt bike and think they are the sweet spot. I’d be surprised if there is much difference in speed between the 30 and 45mm in most conditions.

[nmrt]

Like many, I have ridden many different depths from 22 mm to 50 mm. But unlike many, perhaps, I really do not enjoy riding depths 35 mm and higher. If I were riding "at the pointy end of a group ride", I would ride greater rim depths even though I do not enjoy them.

I cannot put my finger on it but something about how the bike steers with deep rims is off putting. And no, it is mostly likely not the overall weight of the wheels as my 45 mm wheels are light -- 12XX g.

On my solo rides, wind or not, I love my shallow 25 mm wheels.

[GregL]

I'll be the odd man out. Unless it's very windy, I like 55mm deep rims for all road riding. On the days where I risk being blown off the road, I'll use 30mm or 26mm rims.

Greg

[madcow]

I ride all sorts of depths, and as a 140 pound rider I find I tend to feel the wind more than a heavier rider. After years of riding deep wheels I've certainly grown accustomed to it, but I will say for me the tipping point for a well engineered wheels like Zipp, Enve etc... is about 45-50mm. I get some push but am generally not bothered even when descending the mountain in shifting winds. I do sometimes still get caught off guard on my 65mm coming down the mountain. I'd tend to generalize and say that for most riders who are not racing, 25-35mm you don't feel push, at 35-45mm you feel it a bit but rarely get bothered by it. 45-55mm is the break over where it really depends on the rider and the conditions. And anything deeper and you will most of the time be aware of the push.

[glepore]

Originally Posted by madcow

I ride all sorts of depths, and as a 140 pound rider I find I tend to feel the wind more than a heavier rider. After years of riding deep wheels I've certainly grown accustomed to it, but I will say for me the tipping point for a well engineered wheels like Zipp, Enve etc... is about 45-50mm. I get some push but am generally not bothered even when descending the mountain in shifting winds. I do sometimes still get caught off guard on my 65mm coming down the mountain. I'd tend to generalize and say that for most riders who are not racing, 25-35mm you don't feel push, at 35-45mm you feel it a bit but rarely get bothered by it. 45-55mm is the break over where it really depends on the rider and the conditions. And anything deeper and you will most of the time be aware of the push.

Yes. And older wheels are more sensitive to yaw, which is really the big problem.

Not said is that absent a crazy impact, modern 35-40 mm rims are hella strong.

[cmg]

I like riding my btlos 60mm deep wheelset. Holds speed better. I'm heavy 190lbs, wind doesn't toss me to much but I haven't ridden in winds above 25 miles either.

[dmitrik4]

My road bike is on Roval CLX50s + 32mm GP5ks and I love them. The first ride on the bridge across Lake Washington in Seattle was a bit of a wakeup, but it didn’t take long to get used to it and now I barely notice crosswinds. You might consider giving it a few more rides to see how you feel.

[JMT3]

When I built my Litespeed T3 disc I ordered from Farsports a set of 38mm deep wheels built with Bitex hubs and Sapim CX-Ray spokes. Loved them and ordered a set of 55mm deep wheels for fast rides. Received the 55’s got them set up and put on the bike, Same spokes and hubs. Here several years later those 55’s have only come off the bike to clean it, change tires or fix a flat. They are 25mm u shaped and work amazing well in the wind and it is very windy at times where I live in Central Illinois. The 38’s sit in wheel bags in my utility room of my house with less than a 1,000 miles on them, I keep them as back ups.

[BobC]

Here in VB, it's ALWAYS windy (just varies how much)

So, I ride a 32mm rim on the front & 50mm in the back. Works well. Fire & forget.

[verticaldoug]

If you are in a consistent wind like along the coast, on the plains etc, it really doesn't matter all that much. As people have said, you compensate.

It is tricky in gusty situations or when the wind is changing directions. At the end of the ride, you feel like you wrestled with the bike the whole way.

In the winter and spring when we have windier conditions, I ride my lower profile stuff, in the summer and fall when the weather is quieter, I will go to deeper rims.

You need the right tool for the job/

[robt57]

Originally Posted by glepore

Yes. And older wheels are more sensitive to yaw, which is really the big problem.

^^This. I'd inquire of the OP what the shape of his rims is.