Stable aero wheelset

[JWTS]

I'm have been riding some Reserve 42/29TA's for the last couple of months. I got them with gravel in mind to be honest, as I would normally race on a deeper wheel, but I'll likely use these for some big climb races next year. I'm generally not bothered by deep wheels, but these are wheels for someone who is looking for stability... They still seem plenty fast based on my not-too-rigorous testing, but they are close to a box section wheel in terms of handling.

I just had a chance to do high speed mountain descent in "wind advisory" conditions, >80kph gusts (don't really recommend this), and I was shocked at how well they handled. I could tell there was a little something going on up front, but they are just incredibly stable. They were also the easiest wheels I've ever set up tubeless.

[maxim809]

Got it on Belgium/Racing at high level. Slightly off-topic incoming, but I think for racers it's good to consider replacement policies too.

I raced a set of Aeolus RSL 51's for a full year and a half. I've never crashed, but after the end of the season I've had damage on both rims. Our roads here can be insane, and in mass-start racing you can't always choose your lines so you just need to run over stuff. Moreover with racing, sometimes you just HAVE to put your wheel where it doesn't belong. As a result, the rims accumulated chips and nicks over time. And to be clear this would have happened on any wheelset. Secondly, racing at a high-level also means potentially a lot of travel and transporting the bike, which is another source of damage I see racers experience.

Anyway, Bontrager's Carbon Care is basically a no-questions asked full replacement policy for the first 2 years of ownership. I was able to get my RSL 51's fully swapped at no additional cost due to wear and tear from racing and transport damage. In effect, it's 2 wheelsets for the price of 1. It's not something I was ever planning to use, but hey it was there, and yeah the wheelset is stable in wind.

I don't know what all the other brand's policies look like, but cursory glance looks like either:
- No crash replacement policy for Farsport and Campy.
- A 10% discount for LB on covered rims, 38% on Elitewheels
- FFWD has a discounted crash replacement too
- I am having a hard time understanding Reserve's crash replacement policy but seems they have one

Ascent Polaris now has 56mm depth which might be a sweet spot for you, and their crash replacement is lifetime even for racing. Labor is paid for, but the replacement parts are all free.

Anyway, food for thought since you have until March next year.

[ieatwood]

Hi all,

Thanks for the extensive feedback. I've been away from some days without internet so that's why i'm responding only now!

I'll think about all recommendations and list them up next to eachother.

At first glance there are some options that appeal the most to me at this moment being:

- Custom wheelset via LB or Wheelsfar.
- Yoeleo wheelset since i'll be off it way cheaper
- Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 for the great policy and certainty i'll have top quality. However on this one i seem to struggle finding it at a reasonable price ay this moment. So if anyone can link to a shop with a good deal would be nice.
- i'll also check the Polaris Ascent, i didn't know about this brand before.

[Nohands83]

Another vote for RSL. They do come up on ebay from time to time (well in the UK anyway) - presumably from people who have bought a top-end Trek and want something 'better', think I paid £1000 for mine and they were like new.

[okx]

Reynolds BLACKLABEL 46 should have very good stability, but it's almost impossible to get them in Europe.

[cleanneon98]

Keep an eye on eBay for the RSL, there are a few sellers in Japan that ask ridiculous prices for them, but I've seen sets sell in the 1000-1600 USD range. I got mine slightly used for $1200 USD

[ieatwood]

I seem to have a hard time finding the Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 at an affordable price unfortunately.

I have now also a custom wheelset option from R2 bike on my radar.

Dt swiss 240 hub, sapim cx ray, duke baccara x 48 or 56 slr2 rims and fully tubeless setup.

It would end up costing 1320€.

* Why go with R2 instead of LB or Wheelsfar? Well I don't have the customs hassle.

* Anyone have experience with the performance of these rims?

* The difference between 48mm and 56mm depth seems small. Would there be big impact on aerogains vs crosswind stability?

I've not yet decided but this would fit within the budget is quite light and has similar hub setup as my existing wheels.

[tiberiade]

I seem to have a hard time finding the Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 at an affordable price unfortunately.

I have now also a custom wheelset option from R2 bike on my radar.

Dt swiss 240 hub, sapim cx ray, duke baccara x 48 or 56 slr2 rims and fully tubeless setup.

It would end up costing 1320€.

* Why go with R2 instead of LB or Wheelsfar? Well I don't have the customs hassle.

* Anyone have experience with the performance of these rims?

* The difference between 48mm and 56mm depth seems small. Would there be big impact on aerogains vs crosswind stability?

I've not yet decided but this would fit within the budget is quite light and has similar hub setup as my existing wheels.

Lightbicycle makes the rims for Duke, so not worth paying 2-3 times more. Besides, customs will be included in the price or minimal. WR50 sounds like your pick (go for DT180).

[ieatwood]

I don't understand how everyone claims they are 2-3 times cheaper. I just tried to create an order and compared both R2 with LB.

R2 is 1320€ (Duke Baccara X48) vs LB is 1260€ (WR50)

Both specced with the same hub and spokes. I even added the 'discount' code of 10% at LB.

Yes it is cheaper but not by any big margin. Or am i doing something wrong here?

[okx]

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.

I'm looking exactly for the same, but I'm ~53kg, so it affects me even more.
After long digging, my list:
1. Reynolds blacklabel 46
2. reserve 42|49
3. bontrager rsl 51
4. roval clx I (not a big fan of tubless).

Basically all of them have only very positive feedbacks regarding stability in cross winds.

At the moment I'm riding duke 36 on dt240 hubs and I like them, but when it comes to stability and higher profile, I don't think that companies with smaller R&D bugets can spend same time and $ for development and time in wind tunel.

[rollinslow]

I found Bora’s to be perfect in crosswinds

[goroldM]

Light bicycle has the Turbo series which is designed to be particularly stable in crosswinds. There aren't many reviews yet since they are pretty new. But those that exist in the Light Bicycle thread in on ww are very positive regard crosswind stability.

[JWTS]

I'm looking exactly for the same, but I'm ~53kg, so it affects me even more.
After long digging, my list:
1. Reynolds blacklabel 46
2. reserve 42|49
3. bontrager rsl 51
4. roval clx I (not a big fan of tubless).

Basically all of them have only very positive feedbacks regarding stability in cross winds.

At the moment I'm riding duke 36 on dt240 hubs and I like them, but when it comes to stability and higher profile, I don't think that companies with smaller R&D bugets can spend same time and $ for development and time in wind tunel.

I'm about 60 kg right now, and on high speed descents in some incredibly windy conditions, 80kph gusts at 75kph speeds, the Reserve 42/49's have been as easy to handle as a 25 mm deep wheel. Shocking, really; and given what I've seen on here recently regarding Farsports' attitude regarding dealing with cracked rims, I'm glad to have the Reserves.

[warthog101]

A bit heavier at 75kg.
Light Bicycle WR50s are pretty damn stable for me. Never felt any need to go shallower.

[Singlish]

* Why go with R2 instead of LB or Wheelsfar? Well I don't have the customs hassle.

If you ask nicely, LB will mark the value way down on the customs statement so you may not pay much tax at all.