Upgrading To Carbon Wheels Advice

Cycling Weekly

Upgrading to carbon wheels is advice that is often thrown around but there are a number of things to consider before you do so! In this video Sam Gupta runs through everything you should think about before you start to upgrade one of the most important components on your bike.

Transcript

00:00So, you want to buy yourself your first set of carbon wheels? In my opinion, that's a wise move.

00:06For reasons you're probably well familiar with, you'll be able to enjoy less weight,

00:11better aerodynamics and potentially more comfort. To guide you through the process of choosing which

00:16wheels could be right for you, I've created this video which is broken down into different sections

00:22with each one hopefully providing useful guidance on every major part of the wheel selection process

00:28and how to ensure you end up with the right ones for you.

00:39An important place to start is of course, budget. Carbon wheels can range from hundreds

00:44to thousands of pounds. The cost of a wheelset can be impacted by brand, material quality and

00:51manufacturing processes, among with some other variables. I think it's wise to set a budget for

00:57yourself before you start shopping, mainly so that you don't get carried away. But also,

01:02it works as a handy filtering tool to remove options from you that simply aren't right for you and

01:08ensures you get the most for your money. I would recommend setting your budget to the nearest

01:13500 pounds or dollars because as a starting point, this tends to work very well as a way to group

01:19together different levels of wheelset. Next up is a very important category indeed, choosing the right

01:29depth of wheel. There's no right or wrong when deciding how deep or shallow to go, you just have to

01:35consider the type of riding that you do and your own anatomy. Shallow rims that are 25mm or less are a

01:42better choice for cyclists who prioritise stability and handling over aerodynamics. Shallow rims offer

01:50better stability in windy conditions, making them a good pairing for those that live in windswept

01:55environments, but also for riders who weigh less as lighter weight riders will be more susceptible to wind gusts.

02:01Shallow rims are also lighter in weight, which can help make your bike easier to ride when climbing hills.

02:09Deeper rims with depths of 40mm or more possess a different set of pros and cons. They are more

02:15aerodynamic and provide better speed on flat roads. They're well suited for riders who prioritise

02:21aerodynamics and speed over weight and stability. However, these rims are more likely to be affected by

02:28crosswinds, which can make them less stable in windy conditions. However, again, if you're a heavier

02:35rider, this might not impact you too much. In a nutshell, shallow rims are better for hilly terrain,

02:42while deeper rims are better suited to flat riding. If you care more about weight and stability, go

02:48shallow, or if you prioritise speed and aerodynamics, then you'll benefit more from deeper rims.

02:59We're going to talk about rim width now, and I'm going to keep this as easy to understand as possible,

03:04because the subject can become quite convoluted and nuanced very quickly.

03:10When discussing rim width, there's two measurements you may hear banded around – internal and external

03:16width. The internal rim width relates to the measurement taken between the two inside edges

03:22of the rim. The external rim width is the measurement taken between the two external edges

03:28of the rim. Over the past 10, 20 years, these two measurements have slowly gotten bigger and bigger,

03:35especially with the introduction of bikes with disc brakes. That has allowed for cyclists to run

03:40wider and wider tyres. This in turn has allowed for greater comfort and grip while out cycling. So,

03:47you can see why it's happened, right? To decide what rim width is best for you, it's a good idea to

03:53reverse engineer things and start with what tyre width you would like to run. 28mm is now the common

03:59choice for most road cyclists that favour performance. However, 30 and 32mm is often

04:06chosen by those who want extra comfort and grip. If you're in the former camp, then opting for something

04:12with a 20mm internal rim width will suit you fine. If, however, you'd prefer to run 30 or 32mm tyres,

04:20then you may want to look at something a little wider, like a 23mm internal rim width.

04:27Those wider tyres will still work very well on a rim with a 20mm internal width,

04:33but they'll perform just that bit better on something wider.

04:42By this point, you've already made some of the biggest decisions, but there's one more to consider.

04:48But happily, it shouldn't affect your purchasing journey all too much. Do you want to run tubeless

04:54or inner tubes? Like I said, this doesn't actually affect things too much right now as many carbon

05:01wheels do come tubeless ready, but if you're eyeing up a pair and they don't say they're tubeless ready,

05:07then you may want to consider buying some rim tape and valves to get them ready.

05:12We've made videos in the past on how to set up tubeless tyres, so I'll leave a link to that in the corner of the screen.

05:25We're nearly there with finding the perfect set of wheels for you,

05:28but we have to ensure what you're looking at will actually be compatible with your bike.

05:34There's a number of things to consider like axle type, wheel diameter and brake compatibility.

05:41For instance, a wheel set designed for rim brakes may not work for a bike that has disc brakes.

05:47To work out what's right for you, check the spec sheet for the wheels that came with your bike

05:53and the specifications of the ones you're looking to upgrade to. Also, be sure the wheels you're wanting

05:59to upgrade to align with your intended use, i.e. don't buy mountain bike wheels for a road bike.

06:06Wheel sets often come with different free hubs depending on what group set your bike has.

06:11If you have a SRAM group set, then you'll need a SRAM free hub. The same goes for Shimano

06:16and Campagnolo. Some simple checks here will mean you don't end up buying rim brake wheels with a

06:22SRAM free hub body for a disc brake bike with a Shimano group set.

06:32You may see some chatter online about hooked versus hookless wheels. In my opinion, if you're unsure,

06:38just go for hooked rims. That's not to say that hookless wheels are bad, it's just that you need

06:43to ensure you fit hookless ready tyres to them, which can be an extra layer of confusion which you

06:49might not want to get into when you're buying your first set of carbon wheels.

07:00Finally, we're onto our last consideration and this one kind of plays into the first one.

07:05Cost of maintenance. While this can be attributed to full bike servicing,

07:10I think it's at least important to give it a bit of a thought before committing to a super swanky set of

07:16wheels. More expensive wheels can come with fancy ceramic bearings, which are said to reduce rolling

07:22resistance and make you faster. But in reality, that saving is minuscule and if that saving really

07:30makes a difference, then it's likely you're a professional cyclist. Bearings like these can wear

07:36out quite quickly and can be costly to replace. So while they may sound exciting, the reality is,

07:42for most people, they can be left alone. If you buy wheels from a reputable brand like Hunt,

07:48then you can choose the wheels you're after and opt for stainless steel bearings and select the right

07:52free hub for you, making the buying process much easier. I would always recommend buying from a well

07:59known brand like Hunt, so I've left a link down below to the wheels that I've shown you in this video

08:05if you want to find them for yourself. If you have any questions about buying carbon wheels, then drop them

08:11down below and I'll do my best to answer them.

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