So my first ever road race is approaching, and I’m wondering about wheels. My road bike has a powertap on it, with matching front wheel, and 32h Mavic Open Pros.

I also have a set of Shimano R500 wheels I could use. Ok so they are cheap and not that light, but they are quite a bit stiffer, have fewer spokes and are deeper section.

Are they likely to be even slightly faster in a mad bunch sprint?

No, not that it’ll make any appreciable difference. Use the PT and get some very useful data.

Race whatever you can afford to break.

Race whatever you can afford to break.

+1!

dknwhy is correct. Big crash at the RR last night and since it was a vets race with lots of bling bikes, the crunching was akin to burning a pile of £100 notes.

Your wheels won’t make much difference. The legs do the talking and if you end up in the bunch sprint in your first road race your wheels will be the last of your thoughts.

This race is the ‘World Corporate Games’ which will feature a lot of people with very little or no cycling experience never mind racing, and possibly a small number of good cyclists. I’ve no idea what’s going to happen!

This race is the ‘World Corporate Games’ which will feature a lot of people with very little or no cycling experience never mind racing, and possibly a small number of good cyclists. I’ve no idea what’s going to happen!

Get off the front and stay there, or take body armour 😯

Kit makes very little difference. Legs makes a huge difference.

That’s obvious, but I only have one set of legs whereas I have another set of wheels in the garage 🙂

Looking forward to your race report on this one 🙂

I think it’s going to be a small race won by some Cat 3 rider; plus an awful lot of people on a rather long miserable ride of 30 laps around a flat wide motor racing circuit with about 5 bends in it. In hot weather, with no shade 🙂

Take the Powertap. Post that normalized power. Watch it go up. Which course?

Aintree