Lighter wheels - Do they REALLY make alot of difference?

[zexel]

No.

 

[PaulSecteur]

@zexel

Is that no to they won't make a difference, or no to will I need a spacer?

 

[Fab Foodie]

Fast light tyres: "I think you are lovely wheels"

Light tubes: "I agree. Your rims have a lovely profile set off by those sexy fat spokes."

Mavic Wheels: "Why thank you!"

It's late. I'm bored. Forgive me.

Forgiven

 

[zexel]

@zexel
I have heard that some wheels will need a 1mm spacer. Do these wheels need it, and will there be one I can use on the cxp22s
Is that no to they won't make a difference, or no to will I need a spacer?

Forgot you asked another question .

No, they won't make any quantifiable difference. You may notice a difference in ride, but as to faster it will be psychological.

If you are using a 10 spd block then you will need the spacer, you may have one on your existing wheels, check when you take the cluster off. It will be stuck to the hub or cluster most probably. You may be supplied one with your new wheels.

 

[Fab Foodie]

OK, if lighter wheels make no difference, why do people buy them?

 

[zexel]

OK, if lighter wheels make no difference, why do people buy them?

Bling baby bling and it's a good opportunity to reduce overall weight.

Sorry yes, let me qualify it slightly. Ok, it may make some difference depending on what wheels you change from/to. Obviously if you change from 2.5kg wheels to 1.2kg wheels, you will notice a difference. But a difference of 0.5kg is not going to be noticed by non-professional cyclists. IMO of course.

..and of course it's the psychological factor that makes you go faster.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Less rotational mass, easier to accelerate, less effort when done lots of times on a ride, quicker overall.

I thank you.

 

[gavintc]

Less rotational mass, easier to accelerate, less effort when done lots of times on a ride, quicker overall.

I completely agree, lightening your wheels, including tyres and tubes has the most significant effect on the bike performance. You also need to look at your tyres - get some decent light tyres as well.

 

[smokeysmoo]

I specced THESE when I bought my CAAD10, and I really believe they do make a difference. I've never had what I call a 'proper' wheelset before, the best wheels I'd had before these were DT Swiss R1900's, and the SL's just blow those out of the water.

The most noticeable difference I found was on hills, don't get me wrong, they haven't made me into Mr Schleck and they never will, but they definately help.

Is it psychological? Perhaps to some degree, but I believe in them, and if it helps me get my fat @rse uphills then it's worth every £

 

[smokeysmoo]

So what, why should we not have the best stuff we can afford?

Absolutely, my bike is far, far better than I could ever need, but I do like nice things, so I bought it. I'll never exploit it's full potential, but I'll always enjoy riding it

 

[brockers]

As there ain't no such thing as a free lunch, wheels with light rims also decelerate quicker due to not being able to hold as much rotational energy as a heavier rim. Meaning you have to keep applying micro-accelerations to maintain speed - everything else being equal. Lighter wheels might help you gain time in a stupidly long uphill drag when you're at the peak of fitness, as the time taken is proportional to watts per kilo, or giving you an advantage in accelerating out of a corner in a tight crit circuit, but in everyday use you won't actually notice much of a difference to your times. Being stiff and aero is more important. The weight you can lose from your body. Aerodynamic Mavic Cosmics used to be the fast wheel of choice on a budget: they're relative boat anchors at 1900g per pair, but when they get rolling, they're pretty hard to stop.