Bike mods - why not lighter wheels?
 

Was just thinking (rare moment.. :lol: ).. there are all the bike mods that one always reads about on here like end cans, tyres, screens etc etc.. but why are there no suggestions for lighter wheels?

The reason I ask is that as an ex (prof triathlete) I know that THE first mod you do on a a bicycle which gives the most value for money in terms of better performance is changing to a lighter and more rigid wheel set, especially as it is a rotating mass (which translates to more weight than a still mass, in other words 500gm saved off a wheel is much more than 500gm of the frame - don't know how to explain the scientific explanation!)... Is it because aftermarket rims are too expensive? And the gains are not worth the bucks spent? Just a thought...james

It's all about the unsprung mass, you can get quicker turning and better feedback as well as probably lots of other cool stuff.
The problem with putting lighter wheels on is that they're about £1k upwards for a set and the benefit to anybody but the most extreme riders will be minimal.
Basically, nobody that I've heard of has actually taken an SV to the state of modification where there isn't another improvement that could be made for far less money.

Another one could be a lighter rider. :lol:

with wheels it's about centrifugal forces and gyroscopic effects. A weight saving off of a spinning wheel makes more difference that one off of a stationary part.

does anyone actually make lighter wheels that would fit an sv?

I've seen some sets advertised to fit and there are some oversize ones which will fit with spacers.

yes but are they lighter? has the company selling them actually weighed them?

Not sure, but they were made of magnesium, so I'd bloody hope they were lighter.

I know it's a slight deviation, but I fitted some alloy wheels to my Toyota (dealer had a clearout sale of genuine Toyota alloys).

I had the tyres swapped at a local tyre place, and weighed the alloys and the steel wheels without tyres.

Alloys were lighter, right?

Wrong, both identical.

I think it's due to advances in high strength steel used for the std wheels, it's pretty thin section and there's no unecessary metal.

Agreed give up the pies :lol:

I guess you could put lighter wheels on but its probably going to be hideously expensive