Deep section carbon wheels on a budget?

@Power13, good observation and feedback. What benefit does the wider internal width provide? (I’m still learning.) I guess I could go with the AR56 that has 23mm of internal width but need to check if the 30mm outside width fits my older 2010 Motobecane.

Also, is there an appreciable difference between 50mm depth (Bontrager) and 55mm (LB)? Based on what I’ve read there are little aero differences for those 5mm.

A wider internal width allows you to run wider tires (which in turn are made even wider by that width). SO a 23mm tire will often measure as a 25mm tire when mounted on a wider rim. Wider tires increase air volume and allow you to run lower pressure…that provides a more comfortable ride and is actually faster.

Now, that said, you just added a critical piece of info…you are riding a 2010 Motobecane. it is unlikely that you would be able ti fit a tire much wider than a 25mm anyway on a frame that old (let alone the wider rim)…so given that, your original wheel options would probably be OK choices.

I’ve done some crude measurements by putting on my existing wheels/tires, which I know the outer dimensions, and checked clearance with allen wrenches of varying widths. I’m confident I have clearance for either the Bontrager or LB WR55. My current front wheel has an internal width of 17 mm and the rear has 18 mm.

FWIW, I have Prime RR-38s, V2 I believe, well made, run smooth but they certainly are not the lightest. They also are a real b*tch to get GP5Ks mounted on.

For my groadie, I took the leap on some Superteam 40mm carbons so I could use my Novatec Jetfly alloys on another bike. We’ll see how they fare out.

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I bit the bullet a few weeks back and bought the Bontrager Aeolus Pro 5 at my LBS, went with GP5k TL and vittoria inserts. With me being a heavier rider at 90kg+ they handle great when I push hard in corners or sprint. Also really stable in crosswinds at 14-15m/s. All in all I think they are great.

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@emilberge thanks for the info. I ended up getting the Light Bicycle Falcon R55. They came two weeks ago and I’ve only been able to get two rides on them, but one was a 75-miler up an HC3 climb. I set them up tubeless with 25mm tires (I have an older bike and it cannot go much wider) at around 80 psi and am loving the more comfortable ride compared to the 23mm at 90-100 psi (I’m 75 kg). Other than it taking seven weeks to make and ship, I’m quite satisfied so far.

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I agree, riding at lot lower preassure makes it alot more comfy when riding.

Kael_McCutcheon

How have these held up? I have a set of DT240 hub 24H/28H WR50 Pros in the lightweight config and Sapim-CX Ray spokes on the way. Gonna run TL GP5000s 28mm, should set up 30mm to adhere to 105% rule. Hopefully these are the comfort/aero combo I’ve been looking for. What is your experience? Mine should come in around 1355g for the pair. Super stoked!

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I’ve been in the same boat for a while… have an amazing (older) bike with rim brakes that would really benefit from a great set of wheels, but hard to justify spending big $$ (also, I’m a weekend warrior, so there’s that…). Ended up getting a set of (slightly used) FFWD F4R and have noticed a BIG difference compared to my Fulcrum Racing 3s. Love the Fulcrums… they’re great… the FFWDs (45mm) are stiff and twitchy, but they roll smooth and fast. I’m running a new set of Conti Pro 5000 TL tubeless 25mm, and they look HUGE on the 26mm outer rim width of the FFWDs. I do find it interesting that Conti’s pressure range is 80-109 psi… I’d love to run these as low as possible, but I get nervous running them towards the bottom of the rating… anyone have any experience running these tires low? For reference, I’m about 90 kg and the roads around here are pretty rough.

I run 80/85psi generally on the same tires and similar rims.

I’ve run them as low as 60 by accident but it felt like I was hitting bottom going over some railroad tracks.

When I do a group ride on the weekend, I go a little higher (90/95) for a little extra pothole / rim protection.

I’m about the same weight as you and really feel like 80 is the bare minimum to keep from bottoming out and to protect your rim.

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Anyone here have any experience with the new AR45 Light bicycle wheels? Trying to decide whether they are worth the wait and extra cost for the lighter rim and more modern shape against the AR46.

I ordered the AR465 on 6/30. They supposedly shipped from China on or around 8/3. Say 2-3 weeks to make it to UPS to finish but UPS still doesn’t have them. So sorry for the non answer but as soon as I get them I can chime in.

My R55’s took a solid three weeks to arrive once they shipped. You won’t get any updates until the cargo ship is unloaded and your wheels are scanned into a UPS facility. From there it is like tracking any other package in the US.

I can’t speak to the ARs but I have been pleased with the R55s. They are my first carbon wheels, though, but have been great so far. Stable even in cross winds, but you do need to be wary of potential gusts, as with any deep section wheels. I opted for DT Swiss 240 hubs and have been very pleased with them. Tubeless setup has been relatively painless. Only down side is that it took nearly 3 months from order to receipt.

Finally got my wheels a few weeks ago. They actually came in perfect timing. I blew a spoke on the stock DT Swiss wheels on a Saturday ride and they showed up the following Thursday (usually do indoor TR rides Tues and Thurs so didn’t miss anything).

These are the AR465s. Mounted Michelin Power Road 28mm. Went on very easily once I figured out what I was doing. Final weight difference vs stock was 391.5g lighter for the AR465 vs the DT Swiss R470 that come stock on most Specialized comp models these days.

Have only done about 3 rides so far - 1 big one and have been running around 80 PSI. I don’t have a ton of experience to compare different wheels but I think they feel great. Much easier to hold speed and downhill they just fly. The SL7 is a bit twitchy steering and I think the deeper wheels ‘heavy’ that feeling out - in a good way. Very pleased so far aside from the time as mentioned from other users. Ordered 6/30 and showed up 9/2.

Sorry for the lack of #supernice but just wanted to grab a quick picture after a ride.

sl7_buckeye

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Nice. I also run mine at 80 psi but with 25mm tires (I have an older frame and can’t run anything wider). Way more comfy than my 23mm tubed tires at 100 psi.

Just watch for some heavy crosswinds. If these are your first deep section wheels you will notice the front end wanting to turn a little. Nothing drastic but it could catch you off guard if not paying attention. Once you experience it a few times you’ll get used to it and rarely think of it again.

Enjoy!!

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Maybe I should have known better, but I just received a set of 2023 Winspace Hyper SE 45R wheels:
There seem to be some creases in the layup of the front wheel, running towards a spoke. The surface feels perfectly flat and the wheel also seems to be very true.
These aren’t super cheap wheels so I am a bit disappointed at the build quality, especially since it’s always being praised by the influencers. Would you ride this?





I’d be disappointed with the quality control especially with the price Winspace charges for wheels. Is it going to blow up some day? My guess would be that it’s all glued together fine and this is mostly cosmetic.

Winspace has done a great job at marketing by seeding all the youtube influencers with free wheels to test. Personally, I’m not understanding the premium chinese wheel thing. I bought my first high quality direct from China wheels (Farsports) for $580 shipped. Since comparable wheels were selling for $1500-2000 at the time, I figured it was worth the risk of international shipping and tough to collect upon warranty.

Since Covid, the quality brand Chinese wheels are often around $1000+ but you can get entry level Rovals, Bontrager, Zipps, Fulcrum, etc. for $1000-1500. I’d rather have the later with a lifetime warranty.

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