Are deep section carbon wheels better for a heavier rider?

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jspaceman
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Location: Ontario, Canada
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by jspaceman

I'm about 96kg. Would deep section carbon wheels be better for someone of my weight? I was looking at shallower Fulcrum and Campy wheels, but with their lower spoke count and shallow rim depth I'm worried that they would be too flexy for a heavier rider like me. Whereas a deeper wheel, like the Reynolds Assaults, with a higher spoke count with give a stiffer ride. Am I correct in thinking this?

AJS914
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by AJS914

I'm your weight and have had no problems on Campy Eurus wheels. Before that I had some Proton wheels and no problems there.

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rossjm11
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by rossjm11

I would say deeper are better for you. My thinking is that at your weight, the small weight savings in the wheels are going to have less impact on your riding than a 70kg rider. So why not take the aero benefits of the deeper wheels?
BMC SLR01 2015
Redline Conquest Team

morganb
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by morganb

You are also going to be less affected by crosswinds than a smaller rider so I would go with something deeper.

charlieboy52000
Posts: 111
Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 5:43 am

by charlieboy52000

jspaceman wrote:I'm about 96kg. Would deep section carbon wheels be better for someone of my weight? I was looking at shallower Fulcrum and Campy wheels, but with their lower spoke count and shallow rim depth I'm worried that they would be too flexy for a heavier rider like me. Whereas a deeper wheel, like the Reynolds Assaults, with a higher spoke count with give a stiffer ride. Am I correct in thinking this?


You are correct. I have had that problem in the past. I have assaults SLG 2015sh with over 20k in them.
If you race and ride about 200-250 mpw. I'm usually 200-205lbs. No flex and excellent durability. I build them with prowheelbuilder. They are 24/24 spokes.
Anything below 24 spokes will flex. While racing I cracked a zipp 404 in the front when they used to be 16 spokes. A pair of cosmic carbones cracked 2 times. With the zipps The rear at 20 spokes flexed so much I had to stop a couple times in a hilly crit to re align the wheel at the hubs to decrease the effect.
Get custom made wheels from a good builder. The price is about the same for the Reynolds custom if you use decent hubs. I used American classic and those are my go to hubs.



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charlieboy52000
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by charlieboy52000

Oh wait Reynolds stopped supplying rims only. The bastards!


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morganb
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by morganb

charlieboy52000 wrote:Oh wait Reynolds stopped supplying rims only. The bastards!


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This is unfortunately the case with almost all of the non-direct from Taiwan/China carbon rim manufacturers save ENVE.

charlieboy52000
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by charlieboy52000

morganb wrote:
charlieboy52000 wrote:Oh wait Reynolds stopped supplying rims only. The bastards!


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This is unfortunately the case with almost all of the non-direct from Taiwan/China carbon rim manufacturers save ENVE.


What I have done is but the wheel alone. The rear rim with 24 holes and rebuild it with my stuff.


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Lelandjt
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by Lelandjt

Yes, a deeper rim will be stiffer and stronger for a given spoke count. However, consider your braking and heat management needs (terrain and braking style). More weight means more heat so you may want to consider carbon rims with an alloy braking surface.

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