Aero Bike Wheel Buyers Guide | By an Engineer

SINCE I use rim brakes on the dirty road i will continue to use alloy wheels for reliable and safe use :) SO IF THERE S ANY ADVICE ON WHICK ALLOY WHEELS YOU WOULD RECOMMEND I D GREATLY APPRICIATE IT :)

love to know your thoughts oin the new Hyper 23 SE wheelset...about to pull the trigger on wheels so these are definitely interesting

what is your opinion on bontrager rsl 62 wheels? im looking for a deep aero wheel and these seem to get my interest

Fianlly - a wheel guy who understands that for crit racing, wheels being lighter is more important than rim depth

fix your voice jumping left to right..

Do you have power comparisons if the wheel is slightly wider than the tire? How did you create your power plots? How did you determine/discover this "alpha critical" parameter?

So which carbon wheels do you recommend for the regular amateur who just wants to buy one set of wheels

Only here to learn a bit as I never buy wheels, I build my own! Yes I get triggered when people say they doing a bike build as I'm like you didn't build the wheels too

My prefer tubular as good as daily use

your casual mention about carbon spoke failure resulting in a crash is concerning; why would anyone go carbon spoke?

@hambini hi can you help me I would like to buy a set of carbon wheels I will like your help and advice for a disc wheel which make or model should I go for?

As an early career engineer viewer, great video. I loved that you considered airfoil shapes and separation as well as friction losses in the hubs, failure cases, and everything else.

Any opinion on HED wheels?

So based on your video, it's a good choice to go with 25c tire with 50*27mm wheel which has an internal width 17mm?

Are ceramic bearings going to be a better option? Im new ro cycling and have some money to spend on aome wheels. Been looking around and found some nice carbon wheels with dt180 hubs.

As im planning on cycling all year round, ill keep the original alloy wheels for the really harsh weather but will unsure if dt180 is a bit much for someone new to cycling

I love my 13mm deep box rims😂😂

Do you have any opinion regarding the HUNT 44 UD CARBON SPOKE DISC WHEELSET or Fast Forward RYOT44? I have Hunt aloy rims and and interested in upgrading to a slightly deeper carbon set. Thanks in advance.

One of the most clear and easy speaking video about this topic. a big thanks!

Love it! On a side note, my wife is now studying hairdressing!

When are we going to see gravel wheel rims with an outer width if 40mm?

Hunt are the worst bang per buck wheels.

I’m curious why loose ball generally has more drag? I always thought it would have less because it doesn’t have the seal cartridge bearings have

Hi there watching this video I realized that just made a mistake buying my wheels, I bought a pair of elitewheels 50mm deep 15.6 internal width and 25mm external... I usually ride 28mm tyres on my older alloy rims, so using 28mm on this ones will kill any aero gains from the wheel right? Even 25mm will fall short? Or 25mm front and 28mm on the back is a good combination? I really didn't want to go to the 23mm has it is an outdated width and uncomfortable... Did I made a mistake buying this sized wheels on 2023 when there are far way wider rims internally on the market? Thanks. Gustavo

Hambini totally rocks!

No nipple jokes? The pen is not working anymore... Hambini Aged 7

Finally a real non payed video with the information I needed.

I was loosing hope on reviews already, tha internet is full of payed reviews

Please tell me in the comment reply what do you think of the reserve 52/63

Who cares about expensive aero wheels? At 120 kg reliability is important. Rear dished wheels are inherently week due to difference in spoke tensions, drive side to non drive side, the low tension non drive side fail. Asymmetric rims help, 2:1 spoke lacing is better, zero dish is best, either off-set chain stays or 160 mm wide rear hubs. Hambini should be able to explain why. Low cost reasonable hubs with quality bearings, butted spokes and wide internal width Al rims like DT R500 and you have a light robust free rolling low cost wheel.

thnks for explanations!

"a small amount of nipple is showing...but its not a crazy amount showing...so the loss is minimized" These are ALWAYS my EXACT sentiments! Why thank you Hambini!

Thanks for your knowledge.

Thoughts on importance of rear wheel depth? 50/65 useful or better to just stick with 50/50 since the air is very turbulent in the rear anyway?

Wow, Hambini did not swear on that one:). Thanks for the guide, really enjoyed. Just splashed out on the new Look 795 Blade Rs with cheap Chinese XLC 50mm wheels. Let’s see how they go.

Hello! What do you recommend under 1500 euros with the max 45 mm profile?
Thanks

Really enjoyed the video, thanks. Did you ever test these Laminar wheels or have any experience with them?

Sorry Hambini, rim brakes suck.

thanks a lot for the perfect reviews. can you tell please if its ok to use carbon wheels with rim-breaks or alloy is more safe for amateur cyclists?

Thanks Hambini. What 50mm carbon wheel(s) do you recommend at the mid range price point?

Where can I apply for my PHD in Aero Bike Wheels, I feel like I learned enough to teach others !!

Engineer NOT an audio specialist

You make some interesting points. However my experiences contradict some of what you say.
I was apprehensive about moving to tubeless tires because I had heard the same arguments you made here. I have found such arguments to be without much merit.
You warn about tubeless tire flats in the field, and that they usually require a compressor to seat once you remove the tires from the rim. Truth is it’s unlikely you ever will have to. I have over 12,000 miles on tubeless tires and never had to remove one in the field. The only time I have had to remove my tires from the rim was to replace them after they had worn out, and I was able to seat and inflate with a standard floor pump too.
If you do get a flat on the road with tubeless tires you add some sealant and air , possibly a plug (I never used one) and be on your way. Worse case scenario you put in a tube, but installing one would not be and any different than installing a tube on a standard tire setup. To each their own here I suppose.
I could tell you don’t like disc brakes because you had your hands all over them. lol! I was told that is a big no!
It may be what the industry is pushing, but I think the majority of riders who made the switch have no interest in going back. I think they work better. That may be my bias, but they are far superior in the rain and allow for wider rims and tires. As for wheel weights in principle you may be correct, but it’s marginally better. The rims on disc brake wheels can be lighter as they do not have a break system applying pressure to them. Don’t mean to dwell on the negatives. Interesting information here to ponder thanks for sharing it.

What do you have to say about Scope wheels? 1244g for a set of 60mm, are they death traps?! 😬😬

Good to see Hunt still churning out their shit! 😑

Wish I saw when I bought my set !

Any opinion on the current trispoke offerings from Princeton, Aerocoach, Vision, etc? How they would compare in real world to more traditional deep rim wheels?

thank you! Finally a great examination of the physics behind bike equipment choices without pulsing heavy rock (not that I mind the music but not with smart commentary)

Thank you for the informative and thorough video.

Can you recommend a cheaper (sub £800) carbon gravel wheel for a heavy, powerful rider? I'm 203cm, 101kg and have a habit of snapping spokes. I'll be racing more next year, so need to maximise the marginal gains, but need to maintain durability. I am quite impressed with the 9velo wheels, but with the spoke count and type and some reported issues with the hubs concern me. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

What is the minimum speed for any aero products to make a performance gain?

the bladed spokes, cx rays are heavier but have smaller frontal area.. incase you were wondering

Any feedback on this type of video is gratefully received!