Wheels: No Weightier Matter

Let’s just get down to the nitty-gritty. Weight weenies will purchase the lightest wheelset at pretty much any cost to the wallet and overall performance. Let’s examine though why at least in principle it is ideal to get the lightest wheels suitable for your own particular application, without going to extremes.

Wheels are not like forks, handlebars, seatposts or the like; static weights just hanging from the bike frame. Wheels play an even more important role in terms of weight because they represent static weight as well as rotational mass. They contribute to both the over all weight of the bike as well as how easy and fluid the bike rolls. It is absolutely possible to have a 19lb bike that pedals or climbs less easily than a 23lb simply because the rotational weight that turns is heavier. Other factors such as hub engagement and bearing quality also play intricate roles in how easily a wheel pedals, but those will not be discussed here.

Here’s a real life application: the larger the wheels & tires are on a car the more it exponentially increases the need for horse power and torque while decreasing gas mileage. The same application is made to wheels, tubes and tires with regards to leg strength (anaerobic) and endurance (aerobic) requirements. So let’s just now come out and make the statement I’ve been waiting to throw out there: in terms of pedaling, the single most important area on your bike to shave weight are your wheels. You can shave off 2-3lbs of weight off of your complete bike in various areas and it still won’t make as much of a pedaling difference as shaving off 150g (1/3lb) of your wheels, specifically the rims.

The over all weight of your wheelset is NOT the most decisive spec either though. Some wheelsets distribute as much of the wheelset’s weight into the center of the wheels, as close to the hubs as possible so as to reduce the amount of weight furthest from the center. In other words the main goal here is not necessarily to get the lightest wheelset, but to get the lightest rim, so that as much of the weight as is possible will be centralized at the hub, where the weight literally travel less distance in a smaller orbit if you will. Some wheelsets are light due to light components throughout so that the weight is relatively distributed. Other wheelsets come in at the appropriate weight spec simply because of their light weight hubs, but therefore will not pedal as easily as will a wheel with a lighter rim, but will at least be stronger and more durable in comparison to competitors within their own weight category.

ACCELERATION
If you’ve ever driven a large van or truck for an extended period of time and then sat down in the driver’s seat of a small sports coupe, you’ve genuinely experienced the difference of acceleration between heavy and light. In most cases the smaller cars also have proportionally smaller engines. That moment of initial movement requires more energy than it takes to keep the vehicle moving at a constant 30mph. Objects in motion will remain in motion, but stationary objects are a pain to get moving because it requires exponentially more energy to get an object up to speed; hence freeway gas mileage can be considerably better than city mileage, where there are frequent stops and just as many accelerations.

Now apply that concept directly to wheel weights instead of the entire bike. Standard road wheels have larger diameter than mountain bike wheels, making them automatically harder to pedal from a physics point of view. Road riders also pedal constantly, almost non-stop without interruption throughout the duration of the ride, which is significantly longer in terms of mileage. Therefore between the larger diameter rim, non-stop pedaling and comparatively longer rides, road wheels make up for this with lighter, thinner rims, tubes and tires (reduced contact point with the road = less friction) and increased aerodynamics.

remergent therapy

Standard mountain wheels have other issues as well that increase rolling resistance. Width and depth in order to structurally strengthen the rim often play more important roles than obtaining a light weight wheel, for the purpose of elongating the durability. Increasing the spoke count also decreases the pedaling ability in order to reinforce the rim. Light weight rims can be just as much of a liability as they are a benefit, and therefore should not be sought after with tunnel vision, seeking out the holy grail of race wheels to make pedaling easier.

As with all things, the key to successfully finding the answer rests upon being honest with yourself and then discovering how to achieve the balance that you seek. DSC believes that the wheels we carry represent efficiency, but also offer that all important balance to bring you some of the most reliable and solid wheelsets on the market. From this stand point, of coarse we’re going to offer you some less popular wheelsets that you aren’t as familiar with, but that’s where we realize that you rely on accurate information in order to make the best decision and that’s why we’re working so hard to bring it to as most efficiently as we know how.

Here are some really cool features that we believe live up to their theoretical potential in terms of building light wheels:

• Spoke nipples at the hub
• Spokes threaded at both ends (hub & rim)
• Lower spoke counts with higher tension
• Light rims capable of higher spoke tension
• Light hubs

We may not do or offer or encourage you to do what “everyone else” is doing, but then again, who is “everyone else” to tell “us” what to do. I guess this is just another case of “us” against “them,” right?