Aero wheels. Anyone go back to standard wheels?

[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.

[54ny77]

this.

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.

[Dave]

The cross winds on my local mountain roads are strong enough on occasion that I've decided to stick with my 29mm BTLOS rims. No more 40mm.

[carpediemracing]

I find that until about 40 mph almost any front wheel is okay. By 45 mph it gets sketchy.

The front wheel catches wind and steers the bike, which is not what you want your bike to do. This can set up a wobble because basically what's happening is the wind is initiating a turn for you.

However, a shallow front wheel will prevent that because it catches less wind and won't initiate a turn (aka turn the bars) as easily.

A tall rear wheel doesn't really matter until the wind is enough to blow you sideways off the road. This is because there is no steering effect when wind hits the rear wheel, since it doesn't turn your bars or whatever.

For rides where I expect to be going relatively fast (over 50 mph) I'll use a non-aero front wheel and stick with a 90mm rear. In the old days I've even used a disk wheel in the back.

[makoti]

I had Enve 3.4s. Sold them and just ride standard Pancenti rims on that bike now. I honestly made the change because I hated swapping brake pads, but other than the look, I don't miss them

[GiantSmokey]

I didn’t notice enough difference on 45s to make it worth it. Switched to Enve 65 and the speed is addicting. It did take a while to get used to it (I live in a windy area) but after some miles I don’t really notice the struggle anymore, just the speed.

[Permanent socks]

I don't notice cross winds with my enve3.4s, winspace hyper 50s or 67s.

I notice the wind with my 90mm deep wheels. They're terifying decending in strong winds. They're strictly for flat tt courses now..

[robt57]

Yaw, yes defiantly newer aero rim profiles are less of an issue for breezy situations VS rims of old. I've had Zipps since 90s and when they got to Firecrest profile the improvements are marked.

That said, being old and slow anymore, I've settled into 303s for fav everything. I do still have old 404s in use on CX for woods riding just to use them. Why not, they are solid and nice weight. But my days of 404s being an advantage passed me by about 10 years ago mostly.

[ridethecliche]

Originally Posted by carpediemracing

In the old days I've even used a disk wheel in the back.

Who do you think you are...!?
Paul Curley?

[bigbill]

I have a set of Altamonts from 2017 that are 30mm tall. I have 32mm tires on that set and notice that with higher winds or a truck passing close that I'll get blown around. I also have Boyd 60mm, Cosmic Carbones from 1997, and a new set of wavy BTLOS 45mm. The wavy rims are pretty nice in the wind, I seem to fight them less than the Mavic or Boyd set. I summer in central Wyoming with very little wind, and winter in NE Arizona where the wind howls most of the time. In AZ, I get most of my miles off road where the wind doesn't matter. In Wyoming, most miles are on the road.

[fogrider]

I've learned to ride with Reynolds 47s front and rear, mostly able to handle the cross winds but on the Golden Gate Bridge, its holding on for dear life on a windy day. Honestly, crossing the bridge on a windy day on anything is holding on for dear life. My current go-to ride has 35mm on the front and 45mm in the rear. I'm looking for a new set with the same setup.

Originally Posted by carpediemracing

I find that until about 40 mph almost any front wheel is okay. By 45 mph it gets sketchy.

The front wheel catches wind and steers the bike, which is not what you want your bike to do. This can set up a wobble because basically what's happening is the wind is initiating a turn for you.

However, a shallow front wheel will prevent that because it catches less wind and won't initiate a turn (aka turn the bars) as easily.

A tall rear wheel doesn't really matter until the wind is enough to blow you sideways off the road. This is because there is no steering effect when wind hits the rear wheel, since it doesn't turn your bars or whatever.

For rides where I expect to be going relatively fast (over 50 mph) I'll use a non-aero front wheel and stick with a 90mm rear. In the old days I've even used a disk wheel in the back.

[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.

[ridethecliche]

Originally Posted by robt57

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

Wow, that's a personal question.

[p nut]

Originally Posted by robt57

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

BTLOS WARC44

https://btlos.com/all-road-24mm-inne...arbon-wheelset

I’m getting used to it. Few windy days and although a bit unnerving at times, it’s not bad.