Choosing rim depth... 50mm or 60mm?

[Burras]

I'm going to buy a pair of china tubulars for training (or maybe racing if theyre any good). I've since earlier only been riding branded wheels with lower profiles up to 25mm deep. (Sadly) I'm not living in a very mountainiuos part of the world, so I'm opting for more aero performance, but still allround wheels, and have been looking on 50 or 60mm deep and 25mm wide rim U-shape profiles. Then the question is if I should go for the 50 or 60mm version? The weight difference is about 120gr + for the 60mm version. Will the 50mm be noticeable more allround? Im 74kg and relatively experienced rider but really don't like to be affected that much in breakouts and such when racing. Will the 60mm be noticeable more difficult to handle?
Which one should I go for?

[CBRE]

I have Zipp 101, 202FC, 303FC and 404FC, all of my fastest times have been on either the 101's or the 202's. I live in a very hilly area, lot's of ups and downs, also been a lot of wind as of late. Ive had Boyd 50mm tubi's and clinchers(great wheels), DT 425/525 tubi's and a host other wheels but for daily use and even racing too pick only one set it would be my 202FC clinchers with 4000's and latex tubes.

[audiojan]

I have 90mm wheels (HED Jet's) that are easier to handle in cross winds than 58mm wheels (Cosmic Carbone)… It's not as simple as depth only, the profile (and even spokes and lacing) makes a difference.

What type of terrain do you ride in? Not mountainous, but what? Pancake flat, short/steep climbs, gentle rolling? What about wind conditions? And finally, what do you expect to get out of the wheels? If you're truly looking for them to be a pair of "break away wheel", then the weight will mean less, but aerodynamics more. If you are looking for a pair to do everything, then depending on the conditions above, the 50mm may make more sense.

[Burras]

To be more specific, maybe the terrain could be labeles more rolling. For example my Garmin logs 400m of ascent on a ride of 60km and that I would call a more hilly ride in county. On the more flatter ride in the area the ascent logged are 320m over 80km. Since I live by the gulf of Botnia (northern Sweden) we almost always got some kind of wind. 5-7 meter/second average and 12-15 meter/second in the gusts is a pretty average day. But then we got more calm weather, especially when going on races more inland and later in the summer when the weather is more stable.

I've actually ridden a pair of deep profile wheels borrowed on a couple of races last years. But they where old-school V-shape rim design and as far as I've heard the new U-shape design also offered "china" wheels works better in a wider variety of yaw angles?

[audiojan]

Being from Uppsala originally, I kind of know where you're from.

I would definitely get the 60mm wheels. That terrain is only gently rolling, so nothing crazy. I wouldn't worry at all about weight. Have you considered a pair of gently used HED Stinger's instead? Chinese wheels do have an attractive price tag, but quality may be great or terrible… and if something is not perfect, you have no way to return them to get the issue resolved. You might just as well spend the same money on a pair of used wheels...

[Burras]

audiojan: then you know what I mean with "not very mountainous" Anyways, since I want to be able to use the wheels when going riding abroad, for example Gran Canaria and the like, with more climbing and more wind than home, maybe 50mm would be a good compromise?

[53x12]

I know you mentioned you were looking at Chinese generic rims. That is one route if you are on a budget but I have to honestly say that if you are looking for something that is fast, comfortable, good in the wind and climbing, you would be hard pressed to do better than a set of used Zipp 303FC. For all around performance I like the 404FC better, but if you are looking for climbing/wind/comfort the 303FC are slightly better from my experience. Nearly as fast as the 404FC but they are designed to take a slightly wider tire without affecting the aero. The 303's aren't a lot lighter than the 404s, but they still climb well, at least for me, while still being aero. I have never had issues with the 404FC or 303FC in winds, and I typically get 32-35 km/h winds where I ride. Something worth considering. I personally like saving up a little longer to get a higher quality item that I know I will like and is the best I can get, than to get the cheaper item earlier. Wheels is one area that I personally won't go the cheap route. Just my $0.02.

[Burras]

Unfortunately the budget as a student is pretty slim, and the market for used Zipp wheels not very big around here. I've got several riders in my club that has ridden thousands of km on china-rims without any problems and are happy performance-cost wise. But of course I realize that there's bigger factor of chance in the open moulds vs a brand-wheelset.

[CLEAR]

Depends on how "cheap" I'd the Chinese carbon wheelset. I've tried then a set of generic 50mm with generic hubs (I'm thinking token or similar shape but unbranded) paid $400 something plus shipping luckily didn't have to pay customs. And well, with all the advertised hypes, u shaped, light hubs, 25mm width etc, I had to try them myself. Not dissapointed at all, but I think it's worth what it is.

But honestly, if you are within that budget, I'd save up and get second hand wheelsets for the price. For example, I sold my 2011 stinger 5 few months ago for a mere $450, which I will say have better hubs than even zipp of the era. Also sold 2012 stinger 6 for $650 locally and got a 2014 stinger 4 for more all around and daily rides next to my nicer LWs and clinchers

Bottom line, 50-60mm is say stick to lesser one, considering less weight, and more practical for your terrain. If you want faster wheels.... Well, 60 still isn't enough. I rode stinger 6 front and stinger 9 rear, now that's fasttt....

[davidalone]

If youre on a student budget, get a pair of flo 30s for racing and training. Get a used powertap or a stages powermeter and train with it. Will make you faster than any race wheel.