I am looking to buy new wheels for my road. I am very light at only 115 pounds and i was wondering if you guys think is the best depth without getting blown across the road also has anyone used elitewheels
45mm
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Im a similar weight, as a climber i thought it was my duty to get a climbing wheelset.
So very much wish i would have gone with something deeper than the enve 2.3s i got. Would have been so much more aero at minimal weight penalty.
Id suggest a good mid depth set like enve 3.4s or 4.5 type of thing
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I have ridden multiple expensive wheels with different depths in the past 2 years (enve, roval, mavic, willier, pancho, etc) from 32mm to 65mm and between those sizes i personally felt not that much of a difference from depth alone (in terms of crosswinds) but depending on the manufacturerer the wheels behaved very different for me. for me personally the rovals where the best wheels because they where very stable in crosswinds and on descents. alpinist and rapide (i tried both extensivly) where very good for handling.
i have 69kg and ride 30mm tires with a bit less than 4 bars. I sold off all wheels but the 50-60mm i liked that depth best.
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Pay for shipping I have some Roval 60s.
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The Goldi Locks depth is 40–50 mm at present: most wheels are very benign in cross winds and give a good aero advantage. The next step up would be 60ish mm.
Personally, I see no reason to go shallower for general riding, racing and anything but something highly specialized like British-style short hill climbs where total weight is a significant factor. I own a pair of 3T Discus 45|32 LTD and they have been great.
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Deeper always looks better though - and surely that is the most important thing?
I also agree with @gufo in that depth alone does not dictate how a wheel will react in crosswinds. Rim cross-section and even the spokes play a big part.
My campy WTO 60 wheels are great in crosswinds - far better than a 45mm set I had from another manufacturer that had a different cross-section and flat spokes.
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I am 185cm/72kg and have the elite helix 57, I definitely feel the crosswinds, so if I were you I’d get the least deep ones…
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I’m feeling fat at 136.6 lbs, but its not just the depth but the profile of the rim, there’s probably other factors too (spoke pattern etc). I picked up a set of Swisside Hadron 625 (62.5mm) during their kickstarter year’s ago. I found their rounded profile handled better (less likely to be blown across the road) than my 25mm of the time.
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I’m also interested in this topic. I have a pair of Ultegra C50’s on my Cervelo Soloist but I’d like a super light pair for big climbing days and when it is very windy. So, assuming the OP is trying to minimize being blown around due to size, where can we find actual data on which shallow(er) wheels behave best in crosswinds? In the 30-45mm range?
Why sacrifice weight for aero? A buddy has these, they are really nice. I’ll likely end up with the CRW CS 6575’s this spring.
It pays to learn as much as possible about not just depth but inner and outer rim widths. There is a definite relationship between the ratio of inner to outer rim width that can have very noticeable effects on crosswind stability. Depth alone tells very little. As has been mentioned, Roval’s are quite good in the wind and while on the leadng edge of most metrics CRW’s do not do as well in crosswinds (seen reviews to this and have a friend, 120libs. with CRW’s and he finds them a handful in high wind). I owned a set of Zipp 404 Firecrest and they sucked in crosswinds (I’m 160lbs). I’ve got two pairs of Lightbike AR wheels in 46,5 and 56.5 and they behave very well in all but the nastiest wind conditions. In my case it was pure luck but going forward I will be keen on specific rim specs in the hopes of not only speed but stability in as many varied conditions as possible.
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@natebiker12354 look for something in the 40mm to 45mm range but don’t select based just on rim depth. Make sure the cross sectional profile is more toroidal or U-shaped…in my experience that is just as important to keep your front wheel from getting jerked around by cross winds and oncoming traffic.
If you want to run something deeper on the back you’ll probably never notice the difference even if your run an 88 on the back.
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40-60. If you are particularly worried about crosswinds, consider shallower in the front than the back.
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I would suggest considering tire/tyre choice as well. I have the new Factor 48/58s and the Aero 111 front tire. This wheel seems to be almost completely unbothered by crosswinds. I recent reviewer on VeloNews thought these wheels could be twitchy in crosswinds, so I am guess the credit goes to the tyre/tire.
I believe a significant factor, in addition to everything that has been stated such as rim depth, profile shape, tire, etc. is rider weight. I’ve been 135-142lbs for the last 20 years and I seem to get blown around more than others, and I suspect its even more of an impact for the OP at ~115lbs.
I don’t have any good data that I can find, and I’ve only ridden 3-4 different deep carbon wheels, but my opinion based on my own experience would be something a little shallower that what is optimally aero might be better in this case, maybe in the 30-40mm range. Especially if you are going to be descending in the mountains or riding in very windy conditions.
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Let me add something: deep aero wheels have gone a long way. The first time I tried them, they scared the bejeezus out of me. That were the default wheels on a 2016(ish) Trek Domane SL6 Disc.
I have tried several deep wheels and have friends/riding buddies with deep wheels, I think this is, by and large, a thing of the past. None have complained. A list includes 3T Discus 45|32s (mine), 3T Discus C35s, C60s. A friend owns Zipp 303S. All of these (and many more) are completely benign in the wind. The only time I can feel front wheel steering input is when the wind is so strong that I can feel the wind pushing across my entire body. I don’t think that changes much if you are a lighter rider. 40–50 mm deep wheels are completely ok these days, no need to go shallower “just to be safe”.
For reference, I used to live at the coast of Japan, and it could get very windy. I remember riding in the wind one time, I was in my lowest gear … on my mountain bike. And the wind pushed me around … again, on my mountain bike with non-aero wheels. So I have experience riding deeper wheels in very windy conditions.
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What model year were these? I find the 303S (45mm deep) very stable in crosswinds, much more so than Lightbicycle R55 (not the AR model), and have been eyeing the 404FC.
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My 404’s were older, 2012, but the big selling point at the time was the Firecrest shape and stability in crosswinds. Very good quality rims but they did not live up to the hype for me anyway. I have learned much over the years and have been fortunate enough to be able to own a number of different carbon wheels and have a good idea of what I look for in a rim. My main point is doing research. This is especially true if going for a premium brand and the associated price.
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Hold my beer 