Aero wheels vs regular wheels



F

fred

Guest
I bought a bike on ebay that came with 2 sets of wheels; one is mavic
aero wheels CXP30 and the other is a regular wheel, mavic ksyrium
ssc. I usually do 20- 30 mile rides by myself on hilly terrain. Is
there any reason to use aero wheels other than in a race? What is the
advantage of one type of wheel over the other?
Thanks.
Fred
 
On 27 Feb 2006 16:49:21 -0800, "fred" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I bought a bike on ebay that came with 2 sets of wheels; one is mavic
>aero wheels CXP30 and the other is a regular wheel, mavic ksyrium
>ssc. I usually do 20- 30 mile rides by myself on hilly terrain. Is
>there any reason to use aero wheels other than in a race? What is the
>advantage of one type of wheel over the other?


If the aero wheels aren't minimal-spoke types, they can have a
stiffness advantage on rough roads; some can resist getting dinged
better than a conventional rim. If they're the oh-so-chic ones with
the large gaps between the spokes, beware of using them in areas with
trees and the attendant common rodents; although the chances are low
that the wheel will become an impromptu squirrel dicer, they are
nonzero, and a 32-spoke or 36-spoke wheel stands a much better chance
of deflecting the furry missile than of trapping it at speed and
destroying the fork. Also, the more spokes you have, the less that
any single spoke's breakage will contribute to making the wheel
wobbly; with a 16- or 24-spoke rim, breaking one spoke often means
that you're going to carry the bike home.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
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I have used aero rims and they just suck for changing the tubes, the
high rim wall makes changing a flat a real pain. And usually they are a
bit heavier than regular rim wheels. I had a pair of aero 28 spoke Fir
rims built up and I ended up switching to a pair of Mavic regular rim
wall 28 spoke Cosmos rims and I love them. I didn't feel the aero rims
made me "faster", actually I feel they made the bike lighter and more
agile. For hilly terrain, I see no reason why to use aero rims.
-M
 
fred wrote:
> I bought a bike on ebay that came with 2 sets of wheels; one is mavic
> aero wheels CXP30 and the other is a regular wheel, mavic ksyrium
> ssc. I usually do 20- 30 mile rides by myself on hilly terrain. Is
> there any reason to use aero wheels other than in a race? What is the
> advantage of one type of wheel over the other?
> Thanks.
> Fred


The Ksyrium SSCs are expensive semi-aero low spoke count wheels. If the
CXPs have more spokes and are in decent shape with good hubs, I'd keep
them and sell the SSCs... I got $400 for the used set that came with my
bike.

The CXP30 is a good durable aero rim, and if it also has oval spokes it
would be about as aero as you could get without going to a deep carbon
wheel... but it is a small benefit and not important if you aren't
racing. Those rims are fine for everyday riding too, though.

How many spokes do they have? What kind of spokes? What hubs?
 
On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 01:22:29 GMT, Werehatrack
<[email protected]> wrote:


>roads; some can resist getting dinged
>better than a conventional rim. If they're the oh-so-chic ones with
>the large gaps between the spokes, beware of using them in areas with
>trees and the attendant common rodents; although the chances are low
>that the wheel will become an impromptu squirrel dicer, they are
>nonzero, and a 32-spoke or 36-spoke wheel stands a much better chance
>of deflecting the furry missile than of trapping it at speed and
>destroying the fork.


Wearing a hardhat while walking around the street is better protection
against falling objects than a baseball cap. While rare, the chances
of that happening are nonzero.

JT



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fred wrote:
> I bought a bike on ebay that came with 2 sets of wheels; one is mavic
> aero wheels CXP30 and the other is a regular wheel, mavic ksyrium
> ssc. I usually do 20- 30 mile rides by myself on hilly terrain. Is
> there any reason to use aero wheels other than in a race? What is the
> advantage of one type of wheel over the other?
> Thanks.
> Fred
>

since you already own both, why not ride both and see which you like the
most?
 
I just went from Open Pros 32H front and rear to Velocity Deep-V (30mm
deep) 32H/36H, and I have been able to measure a speed difference
(Velocities are faster). I can't feel it though. The new wheels are
heavier, but my hill repeat times on the steep stuff here in Austin are
tracking with my training, not wheel weight.

I like the high-spoke count aero better. So, in your situation, I would
sell off the ksyriums. They're really popular, and worth more in cash
form than wheel form. You might be able to get another bike (ss/fixie)
for that money :)
 
jim beam <[email protected]> writes:

> fred wrote:
>> I bought a bike on ebay that came with 2 sets of wheels; one is
>> mavic aero wheels CXP30 and the other is a regular wheel, mavic
>> ksyrium ssc. I usually do 20- 30 mile rides by myself on hilly
>> terrain. Is there any reason to use aero wheels other than in a
>> race? What is the advantage of one type of wheel over the other?


Not much. Some people claim that they like the flywheel effect of the
heavier wheels. Some other people think that weight is more important
(especially when climbing).

> since you already own both, why not ride both and see which you like
> the most?


Probably the best advice you're going to get.
 
On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 19:44:59 -0600, Tim McNamara
<[email protected]> wrote:

>jim beam <[email protected]> writes:


>> since you already own both, why not ride both and see which you like
>> the most?

>
>Probably the best advice you're going to get.


Yup. While you ride, think about what's more important; the bucks you
can get for the surplus pair, or the stlye points you can get for the
fancier ones. (I'm betting that you won't really be able to tell the
difference between them on the bike.)
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.
 
Werehatrack wrote:
While you ride, think about what's more important; the bucks you
> can get for the surplus pair, or the stlye points you can get for the
> fancier ones.


And don't forget that image is everthing.

Andres