Evaluating Wheels: flex, etc?

[Starfish]

Hi all - I'm new to the boards and searched unsuccessfully for a thread like this, so here goes...(apologies in advance if this is out there somewhere).

Bike reviews often include comments about wheels...their spinning weights, amounts of flex, etc. I have some (limited) understanding in my head about these issues and how they impact the ride or suit various styles of riding, but I have only had one road bike so far, so have only ridden one set of road wheels. I would like to know what you actually feel on the bike when wheels are "too flexy" etc.

Could anyone share how you can tell when it is the wheels that are influencing your feel on the bike, vs. other parts, and so forth? Also, maybe how to prioritize wheel upgrades in the list of all the upgrades we dream about making. Thanks!!

[KnottedYet]

If you want to play with the physics of bikes, take a peek at "Bicycling Science" by David G. Wilson. I haven't gotten far enough into it to see what he says about wheels, but the book is very cool. Sno-Isle libraries has it. You can always interloan it if you can't find it.

There's a physical therapy book about bikes and riders and the kinesiology of the whole shebang, but for the life of me I can't remember the title right now. That would focus more on how the wheel effects the body of the rider.

Off to Amazon to search for the title of the PT book....

[Veronica]

What kind of riding are you doing? Or want to do? That would help to point you in the right direction.

V.

[Starfish]

I'm not in the market now...kind of just interested in learning about the whole scope...

But, right now I just ride for fun, so far anywhere up to a century. I really enjoy climbing, though not great at it. Dream of doing a 1-day STP (Seattle to Portland), and aiming toward hilly rides up to 150 miles. Right now mostly riding 20-60 mile rides with about 2-4K elev gain. My bike is hilarious. We are both overweight, so counting grams is silly. I have mountain gears on the back and aero bars on the front! It is comfortable and has been durable. I'm not muscularly strong, but I like riding long, and hope to get faster at it so I can do longer, mountainous rides within time cutoffs. I know the number one performance upgrade I can make is losing 15 pounds. If I ever even thought about racing in a local thing someday, I'm most interested in time trials.

Just kind of interested to learn more about wheels.

[Veronica]

I ride what a lot of people consider to be a stiff wheel - Mavic Ksyriums. I had been riding the other wheels for about two years and wanted something a bit lighter and more aerodynamic. My husband loves to do research, so he went looking for what he thought would best fit my stated desires.

I describe the difference in feeling as, I could feel the road better and I felt like I was more stuck to it, like I had better traction. I use either 23 or 27mm tires. With the 23s there is a definite increase in speed, none really with the 27s. But I like the feel of the wheels so that's okay. I also feel the bumps a bit more - but on a steel bike with a Brooks saddle, it's not really an issue for me. The only time I've felt like it was an issue was on a bumpy climb (Morgan Territory) when I was wearing a one piece top with a shelf bra. But I also want ZERO boob movement when I ride.

V.

[maillotpois]

I have to second the Ksyriums. They're fast downhill!! I can outrun heavier riders who use different wheels. And they're rugged (so far). I've never needed to have them trued, and I've hit some major bumps/holes (especially this year!).

[bikerz]

I have the same wheels as V amd MP and I really like them - they made the single biggest difference in my appreciation and enjoyment of my riding, and my sense of stability. I had a lot of trouble with what felt like flex in the stock wheels that came with my bike, and I broke a spoke on them after relatively few miles. They olf wheels felt squishy to me when I would stand on a short climb. These Ksyriums (Ksyria?) feel very solid and strong.

[Starfish]

Thank you. I'm finding this really interesting. I have been riding a couple years and definitely still feel like a novice. It is fascinating to me that you can really pinpoint the difference the wheels make, vs the tires, etc. I sure do appreciate everyone's willingness on these boards to be so helpful. I'm new on the boards, and really enjoying it. Thanks to all!