Looking at getting a carbon wheelset for my Tarmac (self built on a frame so didn’t have fancy wheels to start with) and relegating the current 23mm DT Swiss wheels to winter duties. Am looking at options mostly 50mm deep but getting a bit worried about how much they’ll get affected by crosswinds, even on my current 23mm rims I’ve had a couple of times when they’ve caught. Am I over analysing this or is the performance different vs a 35-40mm rim negligible? I know I could go mixed depth f & r but I’m bike vain and don’t think mixed depth look right. Looking at the usual suspect sub £1k options plus Vel from Sigma. I ride mostly surrey hills areas if it matters.

I’ve got some zipp 303’s 45mm. Most riding they are not effected by the wind at all.

At the weekend I was riding in the lakes down a big hill with very gusty winds coming off the sea and at ~40mph it kind of gave me a ‘drunk’ feeling ie the bars wouldn’t quite go in a straight line.

That’s the worst experience I’ve had in 2 yrs but wouldn’t change the profile for anything less

Deep wheels look fast even when they are not moving

Is your Tarmac the disc brake version?

Deep wheels look fast even when they are not moving

and that is what the heart says

Is your Tarmac the disc brake version?

Yes, SL6

Personally I have 35mm deep carbon rims on my Giant and they are never affected by the wind (that I’ve noticed). Previously I have had 80mm depth for TTs and they were horrendous on windy days. 50mm is mostly ok but is affected on very windy days.

So 35mm would be my choice but 50mm is faster if you can put up with slightly twitchy handling on windy days.

The reason I asked about disc brakes was the answer for a rim braked bike is always aluminium rims for everyday use.

I think mixed depth looks ok so it is what I went for.

I notice the deep wheels aren’t as stable in cross winds as the shallow alu ones on my old bike. Up in the NE on the moors its exposed and always windy. 30mph is common. In the lanes at the bottom of the valley its fine.

Its perfectly manageable though. I’d say it is comparable to the way my heavier winter bike felt compared to my light summer bike previously. The winter bike was definitely more stable and solid but the summer bike was fine.

I have 2 pairs of carbon wheels. One is a set of 45mm deep giant slr 1s, which are fine in all conditions

I also have a set of prime 60mm which look amazing, and feel super fast, but a bit dodgy in the wind

I’d say you can get away with a set of 50mm in most conditions, unless you plan on cycling in a Gale.

I’ve got 303’s too. No issues in wind. If its really windy I wouldn’t go out anyway…riding into a head wind is not my idea of fun, but ultimately the surface area of my body is far greater than the area of the rims so any blowing around is from the wind acting on me rather than the wheels. Obviously riding none handed while freewheeling down a hill is asking for trouble, but other than that its not an issue.

I really struggled with anything over 35mm in wind 🙁 I’m not a big guy but they were frightening to me on a typical Scottish windy day ! Only run 30mm max now

I’ve got 50mm Rovals on my Tarmac, strong gusts can catch them a bit, I mostly notice it if the road is sheltered and I go past a gate or gap where it’s suddenly not sheltered. I wouldn’t say it’s to the extent that they feel sketchy though or I worry about being blown off the bike.

The design of the rim shape does make a difference, my older 40mm rims with a narrower profile were more affected in cross winds than the current wider more rounded rim profile on my 50mm wheels.

I was having this debate with myself recently but in the end ordered some AR46 rims from Light Bicycle.

I find modern (more rounded) 50mm deep wheels okay in all but the worst of days, but you do definitely feel crosswinds more. If you’re running a second set of wheels anyway, I’d definitely not go for anything under 45mm.

I’ve got Enve Foundation 45s – Fast downhills in the wind are scary!

It’s strange because I had 55mm rims on a Giant Propel previously and can never remember having an issue.

I have 56mm, fine in all but very windy conditions where you just get used to not taking both hands off the bars when it’s blowing across!

I was planning on building a cheap 35mm set for the windiest days but after riding them pretty much non-stop since March I’m not sure it’ll be worth it, I’ll just take the ‘winter’ bike.

I’ve got DT Swiss ARC 1400 48’s on my KTM Lisse and they are fine in cross winds, an awful lot of it has to do with the new U shaped rims as opposed to the old school V shaped ones.

You’ll also notice that almost everyone who has posted who doesn’t have issues with cross winds has expensive wheels under 50mm in depth, I’m not saying it’s a given, but it’s a safer bet.

Anyway, they look amazeballs. One thing I have noticed though is you don’t get that woompf, woompf sound as much as you always used to hear, probably aero dynamics coming into play?

I’ve got an SL6 with the stock Roval C38’s & they are a handful when its windy round Holmfirth. I think its worth researching what the wheels are like in crosswinds rather than assuming any 40mm rim will be less affected than any 50mm rim. Likewise, it’s probably worth looking at Tyre width if you’re looking at aero gains, the consensus nowadays seems to be that the rims should be at least as wide as the tyre if not wider to keep the airflow attached. I’m running 28’s on mine which probably spoils the airflow but i prefer the comfort, but then wider tyres supposedly have lower rolling resistance so gawd knows.
There’s no escaping the fact that deeper rims do look badass though, even if they do put you in a hedge!

I never had issues with my 50mm Cosmics. Can’t say for sure whether they made me faster or not, but they looked damn cool and sounded even better!

You make a good point mos.  I’m trying to find reviews of the different wheels I’m considering, trouble is that different testers can have conjecture (seen this for Hunt 50s), also wondering whether my current wheels have caught a touch before as they are quite narrow in profile.  I had one particular steep fast descent on IoW where the wind really caught to a scary extent which still troubles me, I’m normally reasonably quick and confident DH after years on the Mtb. Given the comments above I think 45-50s will still be the aim.  Will be running 28mm tyres.

Got to be honest – riding road bikes of any kind is a bit of a handful in high winds. I’m not convinced the wheels make a magic amount of difference. The rider is as big a windcatcher as anything.

75kg, inflite with 303s, before that an aeroad with Reynolds ar58s (v shaped) – neither worse than my old cube litening with alloy hunts.

Bought a set of Scribe carbon 38-50 as in South Lakes it gets very gusty and as I’m not that heavy it tends to affect me. They’ve been a good compromise and are comfortably quicker than the Scribe Pace and Hunt Race Aero they replaced.

I’m running the Light bicycle WR45’s on my SL6, 28mm S-Works tyres are about 31mm on them and the same width as the rim, great stable wheel set that are super comfortable.

Personally I wouldn’t go less than 50. I’ve got loads of wheels, ranging from 32mm to 65mm.
My 37 and 40mm wheels don’t feel the wind but also I think there is less “free speed”.
My 50mm wheels are pretty much unaffected by the wind. Nice and light wheels. Decent performance. Probably what I would call the sweet spot.
My 65mm wheels are most definitely my fastest wheel. I have ridden them in hilly areas with strong winds, noticeable but not frightening. (Reynolds but can’t remember the model)
The worst wheels were on a Systemsix, stock 60mm wheels. Rode them in Girona, fast descents and mild wind, but it was like riding a tiger down the mountain!!

So for me, I’d go no less than 50mm and if the weather is really windy, just use your current wheels.

I tend to ride 40mm during the winter just because they’re my winter wheels. And more importantly from a bike vanity perspective, on a non aero frame I’d say 40mm is the right depth.

I’ve got some lightish 38s (1350g region) and find them to be quite badly affected by the wind. Have been tempted to go to 30s.

And more importantly from a bike vanity perspective, on a non aero frame I’d say 40mm is the right depth.

The Tarmac is semi aero, I guess I’m still ok on 50’s? 🤔

I’ve been riding with 404s (56mm) for years and can’t say cross winds really bother me, occasionally the odd gust tugs at the front wheel but you get quite used to it. Modern deep section wheels have a more “U” profile than “V” and are supposed to handle side winds better.

My Orbea Orca came with 40mm which I can’t say I notice at all in cross winds, but I’m tempted to stick those on the winter bike and get something deeper for it, maybe 60mm.

Got to be honest – riding road bikes of any kind is a bit of a handful in high winds. I’m not convinced the wheels make a magic amount of difference. The rider is as big a windcatcher as anything.

Wheels definitely can make a considerable difference. It’s less constant winds, and more gusts, or passing gaps.

Cross sectional profile matters. I have an old pair of zipp 400s (yes, that old! From when they were sold as rims) that feel even puff as inverted V’s. I have some wide aero 60/90mm HEDs that I don’t feel at all. Never deeper than 60mm on the front for me (I am light), but The pSLR Giants I also have are excellent. Even my heavier TT colleagues have switched from 90mm on the front due to instability now.

Go deep, but go modern cross section. 303 is too shallow, barely noticeable at the cafe 😉

Can Ogden or anyone else give me some information on the experience of buying from light bicycle (presumably via the European part of their site?), Delivery time and final £costs of the AR45 wheelset?

Thanks

@aidy

Then I guess at 75kg on a 60mm v-section wheeled aero bike I’m just too heavy for it to make much of a difference?

Or I get less bothered by it once I’m used to it. It’s hardly much worse than how much you get thrown about descending technical stuff on a mountain bike.

Can Ogden or anyone else give me some information on the experience of buying from light bicycle (presumably via the European part of their site?), Delivery time and final £costs of the AR45 wheelset?

If I may chip in, I had AR56 on DT 240 EXP with CX-Rays for £800 delivered (incl 10% discount code I blagged in the run up to Black Friday).

2 months from ordering to them turning up on my doorstep which was to be expected…order somewhere else if you want next day delivery! Was actually a little better than I thought given the time of year with Christmas and NY holidays etc.

Excellent aftersales as well when my freehub suffered an issue (not LB’s fault).

Or I get less bothered by it once I’m used to it.

This. It’s just a small tug on the bars, a bit scary the first few times then you just forget about it.

Holy thread update!

Bit the bullet and went for Vel 50s from Sigma with some new tyres and discs.  Tubeless went up nice and easy.  Bias opinion, but I think they pass the all important aesthetics test.  Test ride to follow….

Can Ogden or anyone else give me some information on the experience of buying from light bicycle (presumably via the European part of their site?), Delivery time and final £costs of the AR45 wheelset?

Thanks

@warns74 I’d contemplated buying some for a few years now but never bit the bullet until recently. They are to go on a Camino I’m slowly collecting parts for, and given the parts shortage at the moment, the time I’d have to wait for them didn’t really bother me – usually I want things next day.

I went rim only not for a full wheelset. I ordered them on the 6th and they are currently at the sanding stage of the manufacturing process – you can track them all the way through to shipping. Comms with LB through their website has been spot on, any question they get right back to you, no matter how silly or how many times you’ve asked it.

Depending on the rim choice the delivery times will be different as they are made to order. The AR46s I ordered had a build time of 2-4 weeks, whereas the WR45s I really wanted were 12-14 weeks. Shipping times vary depending on which option you select at payment – I went for the pre paid tax shipping that’s a bit slower than DPD but works out cheaper an less to worry about.

All in the 2 rims cost me £297.73 including tax, shipping and some valves. I’m expecting them to take about 6-8 weeks in total.

Hope that helps.

Holy thread update!

Bit the bullet and went for Vel 50s from Sigma with some new tyres and discs. Tubeless went up nice and easy. Bias opinion, but I think they pass the all important aesthetics test. Test ride to follow….

@razorrazoo They look spot on! I’d looked at the Vel wheels before ordering rims from LB but couldn’t find many reviews that weren’t by “influencers”. Be interesting to know how you get on with them.

@ogden being local to the store I had the benefit of being able to go in and have a look at the wheels before buying. I’ve got a bit of a loyalty discount there so they came out at a reasonable price vs other similar options.  All good so far, came taped and with valves plus spare spokes and nipples.

How much do you weigh?

I use 50mm deep wheels full time on the road. The only time its ever really bothered my was when descending the west side of Bealach-na-Ba in a hurricane; I came out from behind a sheltered rocky section onto an exposed causeway expecting a gusty greeting. What actually met me was an actual 50kt gust which immediately pointed my front wheel off the side of the causeway and caused oncoming driver to conduct an emergency stop 50m down the road.

Ride to the conditions folks…

Other than that; 50mm wheels don’t bother me in general road riding. They’re fast comfortable and look great.

this, always ride 50’s….well I did until my bike was killed, new bike is 41’s

Got the bike out this morning and happily the tyres seemed to have sealed well and lost little, if any, air overnight, I had upgraded to Stans Race in the hope that it will perform better at higher pressures than the regular stuff.Managed a quick 20 miles at lunch time, it was fairly blustery at times and new wheels didn’t feel any different to the old ones which is good.  Wheels pick up speed nice and quick and seem to hold it well, perhaps felt a little easier holding good speed (20mph+).  I was a little worried about the hub sound, but actually the buzz from the Vel Hubs is not that bad (higher pitched then the previous DT Swiss 370s).  Just need to experiment with tyre pressures now.  Started at 80 but will have a go a little lower I think.

I came out from behind a sheltered rocky section onto an exposed causeway expecting a gusty greeting. What actually met me was an actual 50kt gust which immediately pointed my front wheel off the side of the causeway and caused oncoming driver to conduct an emergency stop 50m down the road.

I’ve had that on a normal bike!