Stable aero wheelset

[ieatwood]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently looking to buy me a nice aerodynamic wheelset. In the past i've always ridden a climbing bike with a low profile climbing wheelset.

However this year I bought a Cube Aero frameset for my more flat races since I'm hearing everywhere 'aero' is making such a big difference.

Anyhow in this crowded market and with not a lot of knowledge myself i'm looking for advice.

What I look for is:
* Aero wheelset (45-55mm?) - basically the fastest possible.
* Stability in crosswinds (i'm quite light at 66kg, and i've never liked wheels that get me moving to much)
* Reliable/strong wheel (i prefer not having any problems, so if carbon spokes are more prone to breaking steer away from them)
* I would say weight is less of an issue but if it can be lighter why not?
* Inner rim width is a big discussion but i don't know how important it is (on my actual bike i'm still running 25mm tires, never ridden anything bigger, so maybe i'm missing out on something?)
* I plan on running the wheels with an inner tube as i don't like the hassle of tubeless when getting a flat.
* Since I read hookless is not safe i'd prefer to stick with hooked rims.
* Comfort is always nice to have.

My budget? Well I would say maximum 1.600€, but if I can get something for 1.100€ that's even better.

I've read so many things already that I simply don't know where to go for.

What I've already come across as options:
* Bora WTO 45mm (either 19c on a big discount or paying premium for 23c)
* Light Bicycle (Hyper?)
* Bontrager Aeolus RSL (hard to find at discount and is max of my budget if can be found)
* Farsports
* Elitewheels Drive
* FFWD (hard to find decent discounts)
* Reserve (i read a lot of good things but seems to be over my budget and cannot find it at any discount)
* Fulcrum/Mavic/Corima/Zipp... Endless list of brands

I'm open for any suggestion actuallt. If you have a link to the wheels even better! I have time so i'm not really in a hurry to pull the trigger. I would need the wheels by let's say March/April '25.

I'm even open for second handed but I find it hard spending such an amount on second handed. So than i would be looking for a lot lower.

Any help/direction would be greatly appreciated.

[Rabble]

Before people start throwing out their preferred whellsets, you would do yourself a real service by reading about the things you mentioned (hookless vs hooked, wide tires, etc).

There is so much amazing information in this forum, that you already have access to.
Once you understand the basics, you'll ask more pointed questions and get better answers as a result.

Just a thought

[TobinHatesYou]

To me <40mm = shallow, 40-50mm = mid-depth, >50-65mm = deep, >65mm = very deep.

My race weight is in the lower 60kg range and I run >60mm deep wheels in all but the hilliest races.

I have carbon-spoked wheels, I have steel-spoked wheels. The carbon-spoked wheels have a noticeably harsher ride. Strength will not be an issue for you.

If you have to ask if you're missing out on anything by not going wider than 25mm, I don't know what to tell you. I raced much of this season on 33mm WAM tires. Even if you stick to nominal 25mm tires, you should be on 23mm internal rims.

I run tubeless because flatting is a hassle and I've pretty much never had a tubetype clincher last to the end of its tread-life before it would start chronically puncturing inner tubes. Tuesday I did 80km on <20psi with Vittoria Air Liners because I couldn't be bothered stopping.

[gloscherrybomb]

Judging by your relative inexperience in this area, I would suggest the Yoeleo Nxt 50mm.

Save yourself a huge chunk of money (around $750 with discounts), hooked, steel spokes, super light. You won't go wrong. If you decide to go tubeless (as you should, or at least tpu tubes) they have covered spoke holes in the rim bed so that's easy too.

Spend any more than this and you quickly hit some diminishing returns.

Or, after a few months of reading the ww forum, you can go down the rabbit hole and start splurging on some very marginal gains.

Like me.

[ieatwood]

Before people start throwing out their preferred whellsets, you would do yourself a real service by reading about the things you mentioned (hookless vs hooked, wide tires, etc).

There is so much amazing information in this forum, that you already have access to.
Once you understand the basics, you'll ask more pointed questions and get better answers as a result.

Just a thought

The problem is i already read a lot on the forum but it seems to be pointing in all different directions.

For me most relevant is keeping as much as possible crosswind stablitity while having some kind of aero gains. That's why I think it's not possible going higher than 55mm deth, but since I don't have experience with it it's a thought of course.

And I run latex innertubes which has been working very good for me always.

Thanks already for first feedback and suggestion. More are always welcome.

[Nickldn]

If you're worried about crosswind stablitity and still want maximum aero gains consider a staggered depth setup, say a 55mm front and 65mm rear. Several manufacturers offer this type of config, as popularised by Specialized with their Roval Rapide CLX wheels.

[warthog101]

LB WR50s are my everyday wheel with a 30 on the front and a currently a 32 on the rear. Doesn't blow around at all. Hookless. I bought them for gravel but repurposed for road. No concerns about unseating a tyre. 50psi at each end is plenty for my 76kg on our crap roads.
I also have some Reynolds AR60. Pretty stable too but prefer the WR50.

[toxin]

Ascent polaris are famously stable, even at 69mm

[maxim809]

Hi eatswood,

Not sure what type of racing but assuming some form of mass start road (as opposed to gravel or TT). I’m assuming your new Cube is disc. That said, will shotgun some things:

If Stability is a priority, consider Aero 111 tires on the front with any of the modern wheels.

When researching for stability, look for the key words “Steering Moment” on the front wheel. As mentioned above, Ascent Polaris wheelsets design for stability, and they publish Steering Moment data on their website for their different depths.

Aero 111’s website also publishes graphs.

Internal width sweet spot today for HOOKED is around 21-23mm internal, if the types of roads you train/race on vary between decent to poor tarmac. Unless your main discipline is TTing or you are on perfect roads, I’d recommend 29mm Aero 111’s on the front and a wide tire on the back. It will be a big change from your 25mm tires. The IntW story might change if you’re trying to do heavy amounts of gravel or hookless.

I would NOT go for the 19c Bora WTO 45. I have those on my old rim along with WTO 60. Those were great half a decade ago on rim bikes. They are too narrow, meaning they will leave a massive air gap between your fork and seat stays well.

My opinion on 19c on modern disc bikes that afford wide tire clearance, is any wide tire you put on the 19c will still look ultra narrow, bulb out weird, or both. It’s more a crime to aesthetics before even talking performance and missed opportunity.

Yes, going 21-23mm internals with 28mm or larger tires will be a big difference coming from 25mm tires. I am excited for you.

[BigBoyND]

Ascent polaris are famously stable, even at 69mm

They're also the widest you'll find at such a depth. Great wheels.

[ieatwood]

Thanks for the feedback.

To put into perspective which races i do:

I'm from Belgium competing in the national scene. Highest level under the pro's. So main races are 120km with 1000-1200meters of climbing/hills.

Only a couple of times I race in the Ardennes with 2500-3000m of climbing. But even than I could swap to my climbing bike if needed.

Oh and the roads are most often 'ok'. I never ride any offroad or gravel. Just some putholes here and there. But there can be quite some wind in Flanders.

[cleanneon98]

I am running the Aeolus RSL51 and they are very stable in the wind for me but I'm 77kg

[Lakal]

I have Bontrager Aelous RSL51, Ascent Polaris 69mm and Lightbicycle AR55.

The most stable wheelset is RSL51 but AR55 is pretty close.
The Polaris wheels are great for its depth, though. And with the GP 111 installed, they feel like the RSL51's in the crosswind.

[Aesch]

I'd suggest the RSL51 too. I love them, all of my friends who've borrowed them for a race (or even TT) have bought them straight away. Can be found at 1699euros in Europe.
Alternative would be the suggestion of gloscherrybomb. Save the money and put that in some really good tyres.

[Requiem84]

Thanks for the feedback.

To put into perspective which races i do:

I'm from Belgium competing in the national scene. Highest level under the pro's. So main races are 120km with 1000-1200meters of climbing/hills.

Only a couple of times I race in the Ardennes with 2500-3000m of climbing. But even than I could swap to my climbing bike if needed.

Oh and the roads are most often 'ok'. I never ride any offroad or gravel. Just some putholes here and there. But there can be quite some wind in Flanders.

I'd go for the following set-up in your case (I know the roads in Belgium! ):

Wheelsfar carbon spoked with RD270 hub (or equivalent)
24mm IW, 30ext width.

45/50mm front, 50/55mm rear

Conti 111 29mm in front for crosswind stability and grip. P Zero RS 30mm rear for ride comf.

And please please, dare to go Tubeless. You can run much lower pressure and it will feel so much nicer on the Belgian roods.

Remember: if you flat a tubeless tire 90% of the time it fixes itself. The 10% it doesnt you can plug it in 5seconds. And if that doesn't work you can always put a tpu tube in.