Pimping my Ride (Wheelset choice Help)

Equipment
21

The way the owner describe it “visually” was he pointed to the frame and showed to say that between the tire and the frame there was very little space for wind to get out and there was a large surface area for gusts of wind.

I also saw video on GCN talking about people shifting out of aero to compensate for getting blown about.

I find with my 32s that a windy day can get scary on narrow paths with people trying to pass. Like our local Lions Gate Bridge.

22

The thread’s gone off the rails a little bit, but there are a few things here:

  • Frame - you’ve not specified what frame you’re running that I see: is this a TT/Tri bike or a road bike? I have been assuming lightweight road bike based on what you’ve written, but maybe not.
  • If it’s a road bike, I can’t imagine a frame that creates such a block that running a 45mm rim up front would cause much more of an issue than running your current rims would. I don’t know why your shop owner is so hard up on that, and without being cynical I can’t come up with a reason he’d be telling you that.
  • “People shifting out of aero to compensate for getting blown about.” - This happens in tris and on TT bikes. If people are doing this on road bikes, they shouldn’t. You have more control in all cases in the drops - better braking, better control over the front wheel, lower COG - and it is usually your most sustainable aero position on a road bike. People shouldn’t be “coming out of aero” on a road bike in a crosswind; exactly the opposite.

Again, my vote here is already in - stick with what you have until an aero wheelset upgrade is viable for you, then get a solid all-round aero set. The sets you’re looking at aren’t going to be marked upgrades and would be rendered obsolete by a good all-round aero wheelset.

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23

Sorry to derail the attempt at getting the thread back on track but if you really are worried about crosswind stability there are plenty of other wheelsets out there that would be an upgrade over your current rims but not cost the earth. Usual suspects would be mavic kyrium elite, fulcrum racing 3 or DT Swiss 1600.

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