Weight Weenies

The point is that aero wheels are always better than lightweight, regardless of your weight... 50mm isn't deep enough that anyone should be blown around assuming you are prepared for gusty winds. Deeper sections, sure... but with 50s you are fine.

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You can actually get away with a much deeper wheel set than you think you can. Due to the aerodynamic features of modern wheels, they are much more stable than an old-style 'V' wheel.

If you are already a light rider, aero is more important that lightness in your wheels as you're more likely to get dropped on the flats than on the climbs.

In modern wheel designs - especially HED and Zipp, you should have no problem with 50 mil wheels unless you habitually ride on open courses in very strong sidewinds.

I can't speak as to "modern" technology. I am 62 kg and have a pair of off brand China 50mm wheels. I don't like them at all on blustery days! No problem if the wind is steady. Maybe I just don't have enough experience with them yet. That being said I still think that the 50's win out.

At at 135lbs, my weight is probably less than most people in this forum but i'd like some opinion on aero wheels. I'm looking in to some aero (clincher) wheels for racing and some fast rides and I have a couple in mind like Enve 6.7 or Zipp 404. My problem is will this depth be problematic in the winds (usually around 5-15mph) considering my weight?

sutrisno42 wrote:At at 135lbs, my weight is probably less than most people in this forum but i'd like some opinion on aero wheels. I'm looking in to some aero (clincher) wheels for racing and some fast rides and I have a couple in mind like Enve 6.7 or Zipp 404. My problem is will this depth be problematic in the winds (usually around 5-15mph) considering my weight?

I don't think you will have any issues at wind speeds of under 15mph. Both of these wheel sets are rather deep, the enves at 60mm front and 70mm rear and the zipps at 58mm. The new rim shapes are supposed to be incredibly well mannered in cross winds.
The problem you may have is that when winds are around 15mph you are likely to have gusts around 20mph+. At 135lbs on a 60mm deep wheel this will probably cause some trouble.
Have you looked at the 3.4's and the 303s? They are still incredibly aero and at those depths they would be very well behaved in some hefty winds. The 303's would probably be the best option for you at 45mm deep. I ride enve 45's and even with the old style v shape they behave well in harsh winds, even over 25mph, although I am a considerable bit heavier at 165.

-EP

I come in at that weight and have been even lighter at around 130lbs. I race on 2010 HED Stinger 6, which are 28mm wide but are not the more blunted nose models. I don't find any discomfort getting moved around with wind or gusts most of the time; however, high speed descents are the exception. Nothing short of a box rim makes me happy at 45+ speeds when there are moments of side wind gusts, and even then I still get nervous when the wind blows. Therefore, my normal training wheels are Mavic R-Sys SLRs and I also use them in any race that will see me approach and exceed those speeds. Oh, and I have found shape to make more of a difference than depth. I got some November 38s thinking they would be a good compromise, but I found them virtually indistinguishable from my Stingers except for the fact that the Stingers are way faster.

I hope that helps.

Thanks for the reply, i'm not considering 3.4 or 303 because it's only 100g lighter and i suppose 25mm more depth is better than 100g lighter. I also live in flat/rolling area and i already own 101 so in my opinion the 3.4 or 303 might not be the best upgrade option but i may be wrong.

Hmm... I only weigh ~130lbs, I have a pair of DV46UL tubs I have yet to glue but they're V style rims not toroidal. Hopefully I wont get too blown around this coming season.

You'll be fine with the newer rim designs. I am the same weight as you are. I am 5' 9", so still can catch a bit of wind in a crosswind. We grew-up riding in the wind, so I am used to it, but I can ride deep wheels in situations where I would never ride ADA's or LW's...

I am your same weight (actually a bit lighter) and have ridden 38-65mm rims regularly without any issues. The only time I have been blown around was with extreme gusts (like 30mph+) of wind from the side hit us at speed (on down hills). It happen twice, but without problem, just got blown around a bit.....BUT so did the other riders and they were on box rims (like 20mm), so...

You should be just fine, ....have fun....get them, you will enjoy them.

Im lighter than you with 49kg weight and I use many wheel with size between 40-55mm

On 50 up yes i get push by side wind easily and that slow me down a bit but not lose steering, still under control