- American Classic - Victory
- Mavic Askium
- Shimano WH-561
Cheers.
Regards.
Postby vitualis » Mon Apr 09, 2007 12:30 am
Postby sogood » Mon Apr 09, 2007 6:20 am
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
Postby moosterbounce » Mon Apr 09, 2007 12:15 pm
Postby mikesbytes » Mon Apr 09, 2007 1:31 pm
Postby vitualis » Mon Apr 09, 2007 2:33 pm
Postby mikesbytes » Mon Apr 09, 2007 6:27 pm
Postby vitualis » Mon Apr 09, 2007 7:33 pm
Postby mikesbytes » Mon Apr 09, 2007 8:37 pm
Burn plenty of GlycogenOriginally Posted by ScienceIsCool
From the wheels I've measured, I've been able to notice some trends in the data. The following are important for good performance:
- Aerodynamics improves with rim depth. A deeper rim also makes the wheel more rigid laterally.
- Rotational aerodynamics is better with fewer spokes. However, this makes the wheel less rigid laterally.
- For aerodynamics, smaller spokes are better than large spokes and bladed are better than round.
- Good hubs that are well adjusted reduce the amount of bearing friction. A good amount of the friction is in the bearing seals. They rub (they're supposed to in order to keep out water) and cause drag.
I should also add that durability is a completely separate issue. It's possible to make a wheel with fantastic performance, but does not hold up to regular riding. I don't know of any real way to measure that. I guess looking for reviews for a particular wheelset would give some info.
What is not important:
- Weight is not very important. The differences in weight and moment of inertia that I have measured amount to incredibly small changes in performance.
- Ceramic bearings do not make a large difference. SKF has come up with an excellent "bearing drag model" that is heavy on the physics and engineering. Using that tool, I figure the average improvement will be ~0.2 Watts per wheel at 40 km/hr. That should be a good approximation, anyways.
And without analyzing any data, my personal bias is that good tires make a big difference in ride quality if not performance. I just bought an expensive set of Deda Tre "Open Tubular RS Corsa" tires. I'll be taking them out on their first ride in a few minutes...
I hope that helps.
John Swanson
www.bikephysics.com
Postby sogood » Mon Apr 09, 2007 8:53 pm
I do like it for the fact that you can do intervals without any traffic concerns. The little hill there is also the right gradient and length for a few good workout loops. Just hate the ride across the city to get there, a definite no no around weekday peak hours.mikesbytes wrote:That ride actually goes to Centennial Park. Also a favourite riding ground for Sogood.
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
Postby sogood » Mon Apr 09, 2007 9:07 pm
Definitely ride some more and get to know what you really need before deciding on what kind of upgrade will give you the most bang for your buck. If you just ride laps in Centennial and for fitness, your present wheelset is more than adequate for the relatively flat course there. And even with the best aero wheels, you are not going to be going much faster on top of your present 26.5kph. Aero advantage would become significantly greater at much higher speeds, and we are talking about at least greater than 30kph and into 40+kph pro speed on the flat. As a matter of fact, pros use training wheels that aren't as light nor aero as their racing wheels, and your present wheels are just perfect for training and fitness.vitualis wrote:The more I think about it, I think that sogood is probably right... I'll probably wait before buying about another wheelset.
I'm currently riding mostly for fitness. Currently, I ride laps at Centennial Park about twice a week for about 1.5 hours. At the moment, I'm getting about 26.5 km/h (which has actually improved in the past month or so!).
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
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