What constitutes a wheel made for climbing, if there is such a thing.

[vegasbabee]

I have Bontrager Race Lites which seem to be a good all around wheel. Is it a decent rim?

What would be an upgrade and why would it be? Is there a climbing specific wheel?

 

[JohnO]

Sure are climbing specific wheels. I read a writeup on Jan Ullrich's wheels built specifically for the 2004 TDF TT that was all climbing - so light that they were not considered safe for descending, and the additional loads of high speed cornering.

It's weight above all else - a deep dish aero rim and bladed spokes aren't important, because the speeds at which those aero pieces come into play are not achieved in a climb. As I recall, Armstrong averaged around 15mph when he won the 2004 TT up Alpe d'Huez.

 

[PeterF]

I have Bontrager Race Lites which seem to be a good all around wheel. Is it a decent rim?

What would be an upgrade and why would it be? Is there a climbing specific wheel?

For us recreational riders/racers, it would be light and stiff at the expense of being aero or smooth. Campy Neutron would be a good example. Bontrager Race Lites aren't super light but they won't hurt you either. Wheels get pretty pricey when you start getting down there in weight.

 

[artmichalek]

Sure are climbing specific wheels. I read a writeup on Jan Ullrich's wheels built specifically for the 2004 TDF TT that was all climbing - so light that they were not considered safe for descending, and the additional loads of high speed cornering.

It's weight above all else - a deep dish aero rim and bladed spokes aren't important, because the speeds at which those aero pieces come into play are not achieved in a climb. As I recall, Armstrong averaged around 15mph when he won the 2004 TT up Alpe d'Huez.

http://www.carbonsports.com/LW_Alpe_dHuez.lasso
And no, they don't sponsor Jan. He lays out $5k a pair just like anyone else who wants them.

 

[dhk]

Sure are climbing specific wheels. I read a writeup on Jan Ullrich's wheels built specifically for the 2004 TDF TT that was all climbing - so light that they were not considered safe for descending, and the additional loads of high speed cornering.

It's weight above all else - a deep dish aero rim and bladed spokes aren't important, because the speeds at which those aero pieces come into play are not achieved in a climb. As I recall, Armstrong averaged around 15mph when he won the 2004 TT up Alpe d'Huez.

You've hit the problem with ultra-light "climbing" wheels for us recreational riders. For most of us, hard climbing is followed by high-speed descents, often involving hard braking and cornering on rough or bumpy road surfaces. I want strong wheels that can hold up safety to this kind of useage for many thousands of miles without constant tweaking or maintenance. Hitting rough stuff at 50 mph, who wants to worry about the strength of their wheels?

Of course, if your a Jan Ullrich looking to shave the last few seconds off an event with an uphill finish, by all means go for the high-dollar specials. When the prize for the day exceeds the cost of a wheelset, that's a much different set of requirements and cost tradeoff than I play with.

 

[artmichalek]

You've hit the problem with ultra-light "climbing" wheels for us recreational riders. For most of us, hard climbing is followed by high-speed descents, often involving hard braking and cornering on rough or bumpy road surfaces. I want strong wheels that can hold up safety to this kind of useage for many thousands of miles without constant tweaking or maintenance. Hitting rough stuff at 50 mph, who wants to worry about the strength of their wheels?

I'm sure your brakes would crush those rims long before you made it to any bumps.

 

[domaindomain]

Light and stiff are what they need to be with light tyres pumped up well

Anything that flexes or compresses saps the energy that is being transmitted to the road.

But, as others have said, the difference will be negligible and a decent road wheel like the Kysirium range will do just fine for most people

 

[hd reynolds]

I have Bontrager Race Lites which seem to be a good all around wheel. Is it a decent rim?

What would be an upgrade and why would it be? Is there a climbing specific wheel?

Yes there are rims made specifically for climbing. One such wheelset is from LIGHTWEIGHT, a german company that supplies wheels for Jan Ulrich. They are deep-dish carbon wheels with carbon spokes and hubs. They also have an identifying text printed on the side (aside from the Lightweight logo) which says 'UP-HILL ONLY'.