How fast are aero wheels

I am looking for an all-rounder, and I am also hoping to go to the Dolomites in the future. I keep trying to locate an article you did about myths or change of opinion on wheel depth.

While I have mostly rollers where I live, there is also a lot of crosswinds, and that is the biggest issue from keeping me from purchasing a deeper rim tire. Can you add a link where you have talked about this?

Thanks for the feedback. If one is racing in bunches i. The bunch is being aero for you. Light weight wheels will always help over heavier wheels up climbs — even short non steep climbs. The choice is simple — light weight wheels over aero wheels for racing. Aussie and NZ being flat — really?! NZ — a lot of it is hilly. Most of my riding I aim for the hills and a lot of my racing here in Auckland is hilly. Regards, Paul. Paul, Thanks for your perspective.

The benefit of light wheels on short hills vs. I love a good, light climbing wheelset when I head to the mountains but hate when their speed tops out or I have to work too hard to keep their momentum up on flatter sections. Hi Steve, I see your mention of HED alloy wheels in your article and that you say to look else where.

I know everything is about Disc wheels lately but people with rim bikes should still take a look at HED Jet 6 plus wheels either regular or black series. In fact, It would be interesting for you to test out a black series out to see how close it is to Disc wheels for braking power. There is lots of data of these wheels on the web showing them very aero and comfortable riding wheelset for years. Have you ever tested the the HED Jet 6 plus and would you ever consider doing so?

Also if anyone out there still use the Jet 6 Plus wheels please leave comments about them. Are Corima and Lighweight wheels too expensive to review? Also would like to see a review of hubs. Being an independent, reader-supported site rather than an industry-driven, ad-supported one , I want to review what I think the majority of our readers are or should be interested in choosing between and can afford. Price, reader demand, distribution, dealer service, technology, company track record, etc.

As to hubs, we review them as part of wheelsets. Well thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I may be spending more time on here and making future purchases form your recommended sites.

Thanks again and have a great week! Hi mate, a bit late to the party but this popped up in my google recommendations. Is there any reason yourself and every other reviewer neglects reputable Chinese manufacturers when they review wheels? Considering the major difference in cost, the minor difference in aerodynamics if there is a repeatable and measurable one, and the fact they are even uci approved and tested, they represent a much better value for money proposition for most people.

Take a read through those posts and come back and let me know what you think about the value proposition. All great wheels I am sure however if your review of RSL comes out positive its a bit of a cost saving compared to the 2 other options. Bontrager are also the more wider and modern dimensions of the 3. Honored that you were awaiting my review to help make your decision. Would welcome your support when you make your purchase so we can keep cranking out reviews to help you and others make those decisions.

Cheers, Steve. I was about to place an order for the Zipp Firecrests based on your reviews thank you! For my riding, the specs of the are definitely appealing over the deeper and heavier Enve 65, but the within spec 21mm inner rim width of Enve is making me reconsider. And you are only talking about tire width. If you dare look at the min pressures on tubeless tires these days, they are almost always higher than the max pressures recommended by wheelset manufacturers.

Nate, Miles, and I have all ridden those tires on those wheels and Miles successfully raced them several times this summer without issue, albeit at a more reasonable pressure. Your email address will not be published. Read my full review here. So if you want to go faster, an aero wheelset is part of what will make it happen. The Firecrest wheels set a new standard for rim and wheel design. Danny Su November 19, pm.

Steve November 20, am. Hi Steve, Another great overview. Curious how that influences your assessment of the relative aero performance of the wheelset. Cheers, K. Steve November 25, pm. Thanks Steve! As always greatly appreciate your expertise and candor.

Stephen Martin February 7, pm. Steve February 7, pm. Paul February 9, pm. Steve February 9, pm. As to disc vs. Dave G February 10, am. Steve February 10, pm. Chuck August 22, pm. Steve August 22, pm. Chuck, Thanks for your comment. Chuck August 23, pm. Jaime September 16, pm. Steve September 16, pm. Eric Anderson October 3, am. Steve October 3, pm. Eric Anderson October 4, am. Hi Steve, great thanks for that. Well it seems Enve is still Topping the throne! Amazing how they still keep at the top of the list for best overall aero wheels Thanks again.

Jason October 4, pm. Hi Steve, I was about to place an order for the Zipp Firecrests based on your reviews thank you! Thanks again for your reviews and all the work you put into the site! Steve October 4, pm.

Jason October 5, pm. Low rr and stiff, for hard accelerations. Last edited by guadzilla on Fri Jul 10, pm, edited 1 time in total. Post by Butcher on Fri Jul 10, pm There is no justification but if you have the money, go for it. Not certain why you need someone elses ok to spend your money.

What works for some may not work for you. It's just a bicycle and if your life feels better knowing you are going as fast as you can, I do not understand why you would not buy something. Post by Alexandrumarian on Fri Jul 10, pm When cruising 2kph is maybe optimistic but 1 is certain to happen from my own tests.

You will see a similar difference about 10w between a deep 50 to 60, not talking goofy stuff like discs and shallow in hambinis chart. Post by Alexbn on Fri Jul 10, pm Aero wheels look and sound cool.

That's enough for me. Post by alcatraz on Sat Jul 11, am If you are keeping up with a heavier rider downhill, then you are more aero I'd say. It could come down to the wheels.

All I know is that on my climbing bike I can't keep up with my heavier friends descending. They absolutely destroy me. However on the aero bike I can coast and keep up with them. It's a big difference. But there are many factors. It adds up to a big difference though. Post by guadzilla on Sat Jul 11, am I honestly have no issues with people getting whatever enjoyment or perceived speed benefit from their wheels.

No skin of my nose, and if it makes you happy, I am all for it. But some of that is leading to extremely poor advice on this thread to someone who wants accurate information on how much faster aero wheels will make him. On fast descents, weight, riding position and clothes will play a bigger role than wheels. But there is no way the two bikes are equally fast - the steel bike got better wind conditions.

Reverse those conditions and the aero bike would have been a lot faster. They are talking about a 48 second savings over a 40k TT W, going from box sections to deep sections.

Assuming W results in riding at 40kph, that means a 0. At slower speeds, the speed increase is lower although total time savings is larger. By way of comparison, you would save 3 min by getting lower.

Good luck going kph faster with 5W extra. My non-rigorous testing leads me to believe that i am about 1. You, as the rider, are bigger than your bike and, as such, account for 70 to 80 percent of the frontal area of the bike plus the rider, explains Brownlie.

Unsurprisingly, lowering your torso toward the bike significantly reduces frontal area and drag. But you hit the point of diminishing returns more quickly than you would think the lower you go. One study by Barry and a team of researchers at Monash University tested riders in a series of hand and body positions as they pedaled against a constant 28 mph wind, chosen to simulate the race speeds in elite road races and triathlons.

The highest drag position was the classic upright riding position with your hands on the hoods, which required watts to overcome air resistance. Lowering into the drops with straight arms saved a bit of energy, requiring watts. Going even lower in the drops by bending the elbows and hunkering down saved more energy still, requiring watts.

But the most aerodynamically efficient posture was actually hands on hoods, arms bent with forearms parallel to the ground.

In that position, the rider needed to produce watts, a For a rider churning out watts on a 40K 25 mile time trial course, that simple adjustment of posture bending the elbows and lowering the torso could shave off nearly three minutes from start to finish.

But as it turns out, there is such a thing as too aero. Research shows that altering your position on the bike also affects your breathing and power production. In one study , 19 trained cyclists performed a series of power tests, starting at a degree torso angle and dropping incrementally to zero or as close as possible; not everyone could get that low.

Every performance parameter tested, including efficiency, heart rate , cadence , V02 max, and peak power output worsened as the torso angle dropped. Power output fell 14 percent—51 watts—from the highest position to the lowest. However, the researchers concluded the lowest position hindered performance so much that even trained competitive cyclists should avoid it. Establish a baseline: Find a nice flat section of road that you can ride uninterrupted.

Then, using your normal position, do two out-and-back runs at an RPE of 6 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being as hard as you can go.

Check and record your average speed. Test yourself: Lower your torso a few degrees. Again, without looking at your numbers, repeat the course at the same RPE. Repeat the test without wearing yourself out in incrementally lower positions until your average speed slows down. Stretch and train: Keep your position right at that breaking point for three weeks, riding at least three times a week, including one long ride on the weekend.

During this time, stretch your hamstrings, glutes, calves, quads, and hip flexors daily.