Expensive wheels make that much difference ?

[puffdaddy]

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/195367 Yes check the above link,,Some good climbs especially Mountain road and the climb up out of Piha,,The new american classics supposed to be good but the price has gone up heaps,,

[Burt 'Pigeon Racer' Jones]

The new american classics supposed to be good but the price has gone up heaps,,

Not here they haven't.

What do they rrp for in NZ?

[puffdaddy]

I can get the them for $1150:00 at the moment ,,so not bad

[Marty Moose]

Hey Puff can you borrow a set from your mate and see for yourself ???

MM

[ft_critical]

The bike I bought in 2005 had R550. I soon swapped out the back wheel for a Double Butted spoke CXP33. But I could still flex the front wheel climbing. I then put on DT Swiss RR1900. Heavy but no flex. I tried my mates TWE custom Alu wheels which were so much tighter than my RR1900 and felt faster. I have Campy Neutrons on my race bike and they are solid, light and react positively to standing on the pedals. Haven't talked about hubs but ...

In sum, no metric for performance, but with all the technology being put into latterally stiff vertically complient, any lateral flex should be eliminated and get some awesome hubs.

[Mean Machine]

Are the likes of the RS 80's etc going to make a difference worth the extra $$

It really depends on how you define "difference". If you're talking about the "feel" then yes, wheels almost always make a difference in how the bike "feels", this includes just plain, flat road riding but also hills/climbing and descending. I'm pretty sure you'll feel some difference if you switch from cheap R500 to a more refined pair. If you're talking about performance, then hardly any. For that, you would need deep profile, aero wheels if you want to gain some speed or very light, stiff wheels if you want better acceleration.

Does 400 gram's difference in a wheel set matter when sitting on a steady 40 kph ?

Weight by itself, like 400g, almost nothing. Again, to gain speed, you want to improve aerodynamics, not weight.

I have a mate who has purchased a $ 17,000 bike and he appears no faster,,placebo or no placebo ?

As far as performance goes, he wouldn't be worse off on a $2,000 bike. Of course,I'm sure he wouldn't feel the same riding a $2,000 bike, and this could be important, the emotions I mean.

[ft_critical]

If you're talking about performance, then hardly any. For that, you would need deep profile, aero wheels if you want to gain some speed or very light, stiff wheels if you want better acceleration.

Indeed, a heavy rider stresses more the wheels than a light rider. If this heavy rider uses a too flexy wheel, it will easily go out of shape while sprinting and its spokes (most of the time the rear wheel non drive side spokes) will often lose their tension. This has three consequences: the wheel will go out of true if the spokes are not locked, the rider will feel the lack of stiffness which is poor for the performance and the spokes will have a shorter working life (and break).

This is a wonderous resource for those unfamilar, and the young minded web-user will be able to access its little gems:

http://www.rouesartisanales.com/

[BarryTas]

"A good cyclist on a rubbish bike wil always beat a rubbish cyclist on a good bike."......that depends on the bike

i say go for it unless it breaks the bank. I feel that i am at the point that when i race, the only people that bet me have far better bikes.....but then i often overtake more expensive bikes. It think the bike tends to match the rider. Its better to be fast on a average bike then avergae on a fast bike.

Set yourself a goal to bet on your current set up and then once to have achieved it then reward yourself with an upgrade.

[puffdaddy]

Glad to hear that ,,my bike is 9.3 kg with aero bars,,I have several friends with bikes well under 8 kg ,,maybe I am overestimating the advantage they have on the longer climbs,,I hope so
Mike ,,,from NZ

[Quinns Rocks Roadie]

Do lots of solo,use the aero bars heaps but also do a lot of hills,,Here's Sunday's ride,,
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/195367

Hell, with multiple climbs like that I'd be getting a motorbike.

Eric 'staying on the west island' McG.

[puffdaddy]

Riding through the Waitakere Ranges is a little addictive ,,,Today's ride,, http://ridewithgps.com/routes/204075
The wind and rain was not so much fun

[GrumpySmurf]

for me having a nice bike/wheels provides motivation to get out there and ride...so yes it will make you better

+1

[taka]

I dunno. New to forum, with all the respects to u guys. lots of info here.

in terms of expensive wheels, besides getting lots of comments and my Lightweight clincher making me look more like a jerk more than a serious rider . Anyway, I brought because it looks good and make me feel good.

I swap from Lightweight from Ksyrium SL. I use the Lightweight even to train. It is way stiffer, easier on the bump and very aero compare with the Ksyrium. The only down side is braking. But something I have got used to now. Just don't brake going downhill

In term in performance, I am sure it is more me than the wheel. I am riding my riding partners off my wheel a few odd times while previously I just follow their wheels. I was struggling with hill climbing and now I improved my time from 22 mins 30 on 1:20 (mt dandenong) to 20 min 40. And in Sept I rode with Kysrium up Kinglake with a time of 27 mins + to yesterday just over 24 mins with Lightweight. Just a month apart. The bike is 600g lighter - that helps I think (very little indeed)... but I am sure it is ALL ME

Yes I am still an average rider. At least psychologically I am just think I am in the better half of average. . My friend's Zipp 404 carbon clincher looks great too.

[neomoz]

I think aero wise, the RS80s will be on par with the R550. Shimano shallow rims are pretty aero for a shallow rim. The difference in the weight is mostly on the rim with the RS80s, so you'll notice the benefits in accelerations, the RS80s will take less effort to get up to speed.

What that means for your performance will vary, if you're not doing a lot of start stop you may not notice much difference, if you like closing gaps the ability to accelerate easier will help there.

RS80s are also just a nicer quality wheel which you'll appreciate over your R550s, better quality hubs, finish etc, i find them very stiff also, i weigh 82kg and have the brakes around 2mm from the rim and went putting the power down out of saddle, i get no brake rub. They're excellent wheels for the money imo.

[puffdaddy]

The cheap R 500 wheels I am using have been great,I get them retention after 300 km or so from new an re pack the bearings with decent grease and its also cheap to fit dura ace cones and bearings when the old ones are worn,,Had a fantastic run out of them ,,