Summer/Winter Wheelsets?

[EasyPeez]

Hi,

I've been given a couple of copies of Cycling Active by a friend recently and it seems that a common feature of their reviews of bikes around the £1,000-1,500 mark is to suggest that the stock wheels are heavy and would serve well as winter training sets but that an upgrade to better wheels would be in order to get the most out of the bike. This implies using more than one wheelset on the same bike, changing according to the seasons, but I don't know anyone who does this. Just wondered if many people on here run multiple wheelsets on one bike, and if so how you manage that - separate cassette and chain for each wheelset, or swapping cassette and chain over with the wheels everytime?
If separate chains is the best way to go is it easy enough to break and re-connect them with a chain tool? And is it ok to do this multiple times without causing damage to the chain?

Cheers.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Identical cassettes and same chain, doesn't work so slick if you have full carbon wheels (thus carbon specific brake pads) and alloy brake track wheels.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Ye, I have Summer and winter wheelsets (and now summer and winter bikes).
The summer set are of course lighter construction, thinner braking surfaces and lesss robust sealing around the bearings. They also run thinner less p*ncture resistant tyres.
The winter set are much more robust, more spokes, heavier rims with thicker braking surface, better seals, fatter heavier more p*ncture resistant tyres. Reason being; more riding in the wet with grit wearing rims away, more p*nctures, more riding in the dark so potholes are less visible, etc etc.

New bikes ranges tend to focus on a certain frame with groupset upgrades and fairly basic wheelsets. The fact is that 11 speed Ultegra won't make you that much faster or the bike feel any more liveley than 9 speed Tiagra in the real world (but you do buy more bragging rights), but a light wheelset will make a notable difference. Once you've made the investment you'll want to keep them for the best and fastest days out.

 

[cyberknight]

I have summer and winter wheels for my commuter, the cheap as chips ones being used over winter as they have more spokes and if they get thrashed then i dont mind so much as if i break the nicer pair .
Of course my version of nice would e what cycle mags consider cheap

 

[bpsmith]

I upgraded mine to better wheels, with the thought of swapping back in Winter. I just can't bring myself to swap back though!

They are only Zonda's though, so not hugely expensive, although pretty good.

 

[Cyclist33]

Hi,

I've been given a couple of copies of Cycling Active by a friend recently and it seems that a common feature of their reviews of bikes around the £1,000-1,500 mark is to suggest that the stock wheels are heavy and would serve well as winter training sets but that an upgrade to better wheels would be in order to get the most out of the bike. This implies using more than one wheelset on the same bike, changing according to the seasons, but I don't know anyone who does this. Just wondered if many people on here run multiple wheelsets on one bike, and if so how you manage that - separate cassette and chain for each wheelset, or swapping cassette and chain over with the wheels everytime?
If separate chains is the best way to go is it easy enough to break and re-connect them with a chain tool? And is it ok to do this multiple times without causing damage to the chain?

Cheers.

It only implies that because you infer it. Equally it implies selling the stock wheels or keeping them for emergency.

 

[Drago]

Or saving the money spent on lighter wheels and buying a better bike to begin with.

 

[EasyPeez]

It only implies that because you infer it. Equally it implies selling the stock wheels or keeping them for emergency.

Ok, sorry, I forgot that CC is brimful of sticklers just itching for an argument. I asked the question in good humour and good faith but perhaps I muddied the waters by my careless use of the verb 'imply'. In many cases they imply and I infer. In many cases they clearly suggest running two wheelsets; thus -

"Buy the right set and they will also be stiffer, more aerodynamic and roll better, so not only will you climb faster, you’ll get up to speed quicker thanks to a more efficient power transfer and once you’re there, it’ll be a higher speed than usual, even on the flat. What’s more, you’ll now have a pair of wheels for training/bad weather, and one for best.
Read more at http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/"

Fancy answering the question now?!

 

[EasyPeez]

Thanks @cyberknight & @Fab Foodie for sharing your experience. I get the reasons behind having summer and winter sets but was curious as to how you manage it on a practical level vis-a-vis the chain/cassette issue - what do you guys do, run a separate cassettes and chain(s) for each wheelset, swap one cassette and chain between the two different types of wheels?

Cheers

 

[Cyclist33]

Ok, sorry, I forgot that CC is brimful of sticklers just itching for an argument. I asked the question in good humour and good faith but perhaps I muddied the waters by my careless use of the verb 'imply'. In many cases they imply and I infer. In many cases they clearly suggest running two wheelsets; thus -

"Buy the right set and they will also be stiffer, more aerodynamic and roll better, so not only will you climb faster, you’ll get up to speed quicker thanks to a more efficient power transfer and once you’re there, it’ll be a higher speed than usual, even on the flat. What’s more, you’ll now have a pair of wheels for training/bad weather, and one for best.
Read more at http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/"

Fancy answering the question now?!

I think by "sticklers just itching for an argument" you mean "thoughtful, intelligent people with a passion for the truth of the matter".

Er, well, "clearly suggest" is not at all the same as "imply" - by definition they are quite different!

I can only go on the text as presented, but in your OP you report that a common feature of the magazine is to suggest the wheels would serve as winter training sets - this was therefore a specific reported instance of a reportedly generic reported suggestion so any amount of meaning could have been lost in the transposition. Nonetheless it doesn't specify (or imply for that matter!) that we would be talking of using the heavier wheelset on the same bike as the upgrade pair. So I can't presuppose that. Or infer it. As you did.

Even in the post later where you've quoted the magazine, they don't actually say you would use both wheelsets with one bike, so again that is an inference of yours not an implication of theirs!

Anyway, back in the real world, I tried using two pair on one bike but soon got frustrated with having to faff around with gears and brakes as invariably the setup for one of the wheelsets was completely different to the setup for the other.

Stu

 

[ayceejay]

You ask what you consider a simple question and assume an easy answer.
I presume you are talking about the Genesis that has Fulcrum 5 CX wheels on it, I believe: they are strong, multi spoked wheels that are not that heavy and some would say they would be an upgrade from many stock wheels and different tyres may make the difference you are looking for. In my view they would make ideal winter wheels if you want to go that way and consider a different Fulcrum wheel for the summer - perhaps the regular 5's.
If you have the appropriate tools switching a cassette and splitting a chain is not a big deal but if one back wheel is 10 speed and the other 11 you will have to faf with spacers.

 

[Cyclist33]

You ask what you consider a simple question and assume an easy answer.
I presume you are talking about the Genesis that has Fulcrum 5 CX wheels on it, I believe: they are strong, multi spoked wheels that are not that heavy and some would say they would be an upgrade from many stock wheels and different tyres may make the difference you are looking for. In my view they would make ideal winter wheels if you want to go that way and consider a different Fulcrum wheel for the summer - perhaps the regular 5's.
If you have the appropriate tools switching a cassette and splitting a chain is not a big deal but if one back wheel is 10 speed and the other 11 you will have to faf with spacers.

There isn't enough difference in weight, design or strength between the 5 CX and 5 to make such an option worthwhile. The only difference to the CX version as I understand it is it has double-sealed bearings to better admonish runoff from getting in, but the regular 5s are sealed anyway. Rims hubs and spokes are identical I think. It would be a good way of extending the life of both wheelsets but it wouldn't solve the magazine's reputed problem of the stock wheels being too heavy.

You're probably looking at double the price you can get R5s or R5 CXes for, in order to see any real weight saving. And then there is the mathematical stuff, which I can't begin to go into..!!

 

[Fab Foodie]

Thanks @cyberknight & @Fab Foodie for sharing your experience. I get the reasons behind having summer and winter sets but was curious as to how you manage it on a practical level vis-a-vis the chain/cassette issue - what do you guys do, run a separate cassettes and chain(s) for each wheelset, swap one cassette and chain between the two different types of wheels?

Cheers

I just swap the cassette from one wheel-set to the other. 10 min job with the right tools.

 

[cyberknight]

I just swap the cassette from one wheel-set to the other. 10 min job with the right tools.

+1

 

[ayceejay]

There isn't enough difference in weight, design or strength between the 5 CX and 5 to make such an option worthwhile. The only difference to the CX version as I understand it is it has double-sealed bearings to better admonish runoff from getting in, but the regular 5s are sealed anyway. Rims hubs and spokes are identical I think. It would be a good way of extending the life of both wheelsets but it wouldn't solve the magazine's reputed problem of the stock wheels being too heavy.

You're probably looking at double the price you can get R5s or R5 CXes for, in order to see any real weight saving. And then there is the mathematical stuff, which I can't begin to go into..!!

I agree, if we are talking about the Genesis that sells for circa £1000 what is a sensible price to pay for summer wheels?