Today's article summarizes the “misconceptions” about road wheelsets, some of which were true in the past but have become less true as they have evolved, and others which are intentionally or unintentionally propagated by manufacturers who present one aspect of an advantage as an overall advantage. The following opinions do not refer to specific brands.
1. Carbon spoke wheelsets are better than steel spoke wheelsets across the board?
Wrong. The only advantage carbon spokes can confirm over steel spokes is lightness. Many people think that carbon spokes have direct power and accelerate faster than steel spoke wheelsets, giving them an advantage in climbing and sprinting. But the reality is that the acceleration feedback of a good steel spoke wheelset is not inferior to that of a good carbon spoke wheelset, and the difference in performance between a good carbon spoke wheelset and a steel spoke wheelset is only 1 second. If you are riding at lower power, the difference in performance from the spokes is almost negligible, and theoretically the aerodynamic performance of steel spokes is even better. So you just need to choose the wheelset that suits you, without minding whether it's steel or carbon spokes.
2. The one-piece structure design of the wheelset is more advanced?
Not entirely true, one-piece construction designs have the obvious advantage of being lightweight, but at the cost of very poor (or no) repairability. Monocoque wheelsets are always touted by brands as being superior to traditional spoke construction across the board, mainly because of the excellent lateral stiffness and directness of the wheelset due to the excellent construction. But the question is, will too much stiffness benefit the rider? Just like the rigidity of the frame, it becomes a burden to the rider when it is increased to a certain level. The feedback of a one-piece construction wheelset is very direct, and it can be said that you can feel the difference in a few kicks. But is too much direct feedback faster? Not really. Perhaps a well-designed one-piece construction wheelset would allow you to maintain a moderate power output without excessive fatigue, which is the kind of power that is needed to climb long hills, and with the lightweight advantage that comes with one-piece construction, it might make a good climbing wheel. But for the most part, traditional spoke construction is more flexible and allows for a more well-rounded and better designed wheelset.
3. Straight spokes (hubs) perform better than bent spokes (hubs)?
Wrong, the idea that straight spokes are better than bent spokes probably stems from the fact that in the early days, only branded wheelsets used straight spokes, while self-compilation was still using bent spokes. But nowadays, many custom wheelsets use straight spokes, and some good brand wheels use bent spokes, such as the Zipp 454 NSW. Honestly, there is no difference in performance between straight and bent spokes, and even the 454 NSW has an “unpredictable” feedback, which is felt more and more the more you ride it. The disadvantage of bent spokes is the fatigue of the J-head section, the advantage is that you can get a wider flange distance.
4. The lighter the wheelset, the better?
Not entirely true, lighter wheelsets are good, but add the prerequisites. If it's flat, then aero must be more important, if it's climbing, then feedback must be more important. If the wheelset is only considered light, then it can be really light, floppy rims are light, less spokes are light, hubs are substantially skeletonized without regard to durability are light, and the combination of these is a disaster. So the premise of lightweight must be not to sacrifice aerodynamics, feedback and durability.
5. Unstable high-frame wheelsets?
A few years ago this notion was true, but in recent years the aerodynamic concept of wheelsets has been completely revolutionized and high frame wheelsets have become more and more stable. Thanks to two things, the rims have become wider and blunter, and the rim shape has been optimized. Typical of the former is the Roval Rapide CLX, which increased the outside width of the front wheel to 35mm, sparking many questions and even ridicule when it was first introduced. But within a few years, questioning the lightning - understanding the lightning - became the lightning, and more and more brands introduced ultra-wide front wheel designs. After using the Bontrager Aeolus RSL 62, we know that rim shape optimization also improves stability, with a front frame height of 62mm and an outside width of 30.9mm, it doesn't reduce the front frame height or increase the outside width to an exaggerated degree.The Aeolus RSL 62 feels very stable, and it can be used on windy days, so a pair of high-frame wheelset like this can be used in all kinds of weather conditions. This is a high frame wheelset that will give you aerodynamic gains in all weather conditions.
6. Narrower tires are more aerodynamic?
If we only consider frontal wind, it is true that narrower tires are more aerodynamic, but in the real world, most of the time we have to face side winds, and the combination of wider tires and wider rims is not only more aerodynamic, but also more stable. In addition, wide tires have lower rolling resistance because the deformation in contact with the ground is rounded, which reduces the deformation loss of the tire. Not to mention that wider tires can be used to improve comfort with lower tire pressure, so the width of mainstream road bike tires has evolved from 19mm, 21mm, 23mm to 25mm, and even transitioned to 28mm.
7. Tubeless tires are harder to mount than open tires?
Partially correct, the first difficulty with tubeless tires is the initial installation, which requires the tubeless tire to be inflated and stuck into the tire lip seat (lip hook), often with the help of an air pump or a reservoir pump, as a large enough volume of air is required to jack up the tire. But there are many tubeless tires that fit very well. We tested the S-Works Turbo 2BR T2/T5; the Pirelli P ZERO RACE 4S; the Sevin One and Pro One; and the Goodyear EAGLE F1, which can be mounted for the first time with a regular vertical pump. It's easier than an open tire + inner tube, because the inner tube has to be carefully adjusted when using it (especially with ultra-thin TPU inner tubes), even more so if you use a pry bar, and the use of an inner tube may cause the tire to be mounted incorrectly. Tubeless tires don't have these worries, just simple and rough mounting, so sometimes tubeless tires are better mounted instead.
