On Monday, June 2, 2025 at 4:46:06 AM UTC-7 Nick Payne wrote:
You don't say what rims your present wheels are built with, or what tyres you're running, but I doubt that you'll notice much if any difference from changing the wheels. Tyres, that's a different matter. If you're dissatisfied with what you're riding at the moment, look at getting lighter tyres and fit lighter tubes inside them. I beg to differ. I am lucky enough to own and/or have ridden quite a wide range of wheels, often with the same tires and bikes. I can absolutely tell the difference between wheels that differ by less than a pound. I'm comparing high-end wheels and not el cheapo against high-end. Case study: Campagnolo Hyperon Ultra (just over 1200g) vs. Campagnolo 10-speed era silver hubs laced to Ambrosio Excellence rims with 32 DT Revolution spokes front and back (probably around 1,500g). The conventional wheels are not slouch, but the Hyperons just get up and go. I've also extensively ridden my friend's uber high-end Lightweight tubular wheels with carbon everything, and those are even more impressively responsive. Now I'm not claiming these wheels can defy physics; I do understand saving a few hundred grams in weight, rotating or not, won't help you get up hills appreciably faster. Nevertheless, they do feel noticeably different; whether placebo or real, they are helpful when trying to bridge gaps or respond to sudden accelerations. I do realize this is *RBW Owners Bunch*, and given Rivendell is about the Unracer, none of these perceived advantages may apply. But I reiterate that they feel markedly different and perhaps feeling alone can contribute to the joy of cycling, whatever the speed. I do agree that tires (and equally important, *proper* tire pressure) are more bang-for-buck than wheels (because we're talking about hundreds vs. thousands). However, tires are consumables, and once you get hooked on good tires, it's hard to go back to "commuters" so you'll have an expensive ongoing expense. I offer this tongue-in-cheek warning, as someone who only rides Rene Herse or even more supple tires nowadays. 😉 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/639d9f21-c010-4fc3-b0b0-230b5f3f9a54n%40googlegroups.com.
