certainly no reason not to go deep if you’re comfortable with the idea. Depending on the wheel set it can be a marginal weight penalty with the aero gains generally outweighing that negative. The only other potential downside is a bit more sensitivity to crosswinds as has been said but that can be alleviated if you’re a bigger or stronger rider or with the newer U shaped profile (though reynolds new shape is a curious thing). The thing about all deep and deeper section wheels short of a disc is the leaf spring effect of that wide carbon side wall you get to help soak some of that road buzz. Granted I think the tires I was using on this example might be questionable but with comparing a set of dt swiss aluminum wheels with a tubeless set up measured 31mm my flos with 25mm were far smoother and more comfortable.
As for myself for my 64kg frame and modest watts I’m riding 44mm wheels everywhere. By most accounts they’re the sweet spot between low weight and decent aero gains. I was riding on flo45s but recently upgraded to FFWD RAW and the improvements are night and day. Somehow 200+ grams lighter than the flos with the U shaped profile making them near invisible in crosswinds versus how sketchy the flos were on windy descents. Ride feel with them is superb as they feel just so much more reactive and responsive but yet ever so smooth. Sure I’m also riding them with 29mm measured tires tubeless but these wheels are everything I need as far as I’m concerned.
In the rim brake area people of course used to safe their expensive carbon wheels for racing to not wear them out but with disk brakes that has become irrelevant
The times differ by seconds. I know that the drag of the various wheel depths differs most at certain yaw angles. Considering this and all the input above I will probably stay on my DT Swiss 45mm reasons:
They are halfway modern wheels, wider, optimized for 28c
Good sidewind stability and 45mm is not dangerous for a noob like me (like after 4h of riding I don’t have to care too much about gusts)
They are light
Aero spokes (marketing says it saves 1-2 W)
I know how to service the hub and I get the front wheel with a discount
I think that aero wheels around 50mm look best on most bikes
yeah, I think the 45-50mm is the sweet spot for aero and good handling. I’ve been running that depth for a while and no issues with cross winds or descents. I have a set of Winspace 65(?)mm deep wheels and they are a lot of fun but I don’t like them for long or windy rides as they catch cross winds more and I need to be more attentive.
Something to consider is that 35mm might not be as aero, but they might feel ‘better’ than the 50mm wheels. I notice my 35mm wheels are more comfortable (longer spokes), little better in cross winds, feel more responsive with accelerations, feel better climbing.
Thanks that‘s a concern of mine: I‘m not super experienced and when I‘m getting tired in the last hour(s), I don‘t want to risk anything.
I also like a bit of comfort (28c tires, but I may try 25c).
I run Bora WTO 60s all the time. The longest ride I have done on them is 600km round the west/north coast of Scotland. At 65kg I had no issues handling wise and the weight savings of shallower wheels are marginal.
Pretty much all current 40–50 mm deep wheels behave really well in cross winds. I hardly feel them, and even in the extreme circumstances when I do, I mostly feel the presence of wind rather than some invisible person yanking on my handlebars. I’d definitely go deeper next time, I’d like to try 60ish mm deep wheels next.
I’m running ZIPP 303s on my Roadbike for everything, I will probably change to a lighter 40-50mm wheelset next year and use the Zipp wheels for my Gravelbike. I’m having no issues with Crosswinds and they feel nice on the Flats and on climbs.
As mentioned by a few folks above, the two key game-changers here are disc brakes and U-shaped rims. Disc brakes means no more need to ‘save’ your race wheels for race day. The move from V to U shaped rims means cross winds aren’t really an issue anymore. So even though there are good reasons to ride deep rims on long training rides, the bigger argument is just that if you already own the wheels there’s not really any reason not to ride them all the time.
Only thing I have to add is I think even in the last 5 years the move to ever wider rims and more carefully designed U-shapes has made things more stable yet again. My first mid-sections were 2018 Prime Black 50s at 19mm internal and 28mm external - already pretty modern and stable, but I’m under 70kg and still found them unsettling sometimes on windy days. Now I’m on Rapide CLXii or LightBicycle WR50s which are the same depth but a lot wider and even more modern and it would no longer even cross my mind to consider something shallower for a windy day.
I bet I could actually go to 65mm front and 80mm rear now before feeling like a windy day might get scary.
@WindWarrior If you don’t mind me asking, where are you located in the West Coast?
I live in San Francisco (super windy and super hilly). I’m trying to choose between the Alpinist 33mm and the Rapide 51mm. I’d like to go for the Rapide, but I’m worried about cross-winds. Do you have any advice on how it climbs and does in crosswinds?
Canyon Aeroad running 62mm front/rear full time
Custom LandShark (round tube climb bike) 50mm full time
Salsa Warbird running 40mm 95% of the time and 25mm for the ultra chonk
@greenbike I’m considering the Rapide CLX and am concerned about the 35mm rim width clearing my fork. I used a set of calipers and there’s about 3mm of clearance on each side of the rim wall to my fork.
What bike are you riding? I’m surprised my 2019 Cervelo R3 (technically only rated up to 28mm tires) can clear the 35mm rim.
I’m in Sacramento metro near the delta, definitely windy but flat here. Many years ago I lived mid Peninsula (Santa Clara to Burlingame) but only rode routinely along the Bay (Foster City to Burlingame) and on a late 80s MTB / hard tail. Road bike and faster now, have battled crosswinds in the canyons along the coast and Napa and Sierras. No real issues but I’m not pushing more the ~40mph on descents these days. I’ve thought about getting an Alpinist front wheel for really windy mountain rides because the crosswinds in the canyons can be brutal. Here in the flat delta the Rapide CLX is no problem at 20-30mph in 20-30mph gusty conditions. Sorry I can’t be more helpful as I don’t ride along the coast much except to see my daughter in SLO / Central Coast.
I’m thinking about doing exactly this. Anyone else running 60/80? I have Zipp 303FC currently that I’d keep for climby days and I’m not convinced going to 50s/60s is enough of a difference to warrant the cash.
Contributions to the thread, I live in chicago area and ride all year round a 60mm/70mm combo. I am slightly heavier and have a lot of experience and pretty good bike handling technique.
I occasionally (maybe once or twice a year) will really get blown around or worried.
reasons:
(like after 4h of riding I don’t have to care too much about gusts)
