2011 Bicycling 75 - Reynolds Cycling

s
i
/
1
-.:
Cutting edge: The
supertight
yet
ultrastiff Reynolds
RZR uses Kevlar
fibers to achieve a
stout ride.
.
MARCH
2011
Bicycling 75
AST FALL FOUR MEMBERS OF
the BICYCLING test crew gathered seven wheelsets
that we had been riding on and off and subjected them
to a systematic test on a course that included climbs,
flats, fast descents and gusting winds. All wheels
tested were equipped with identical Continental tires
(either tubular or clincher, depending on the wheel).
Testers ranged in size from a 5-foot-2, 112-pound
woman to a 6-foot-3, l60-pound man. In evaluating and contemplating these seven wheelsets from
different categories and price points, testers came
to a happy conclusion: No matter what your style or
budget, there is a set of high-performace wheels for
you. While carbon wheels still represent a significant
performance advantage, we also discovered some aluminum wheels that easily hold their own.
Wheels tested ranged from the rarified, windcheating Reynolds RZR to the affordable American
Classic Victory, an all-rounder targeted at cyclists
looking to upgrade from stock wheels without skipping a car payment. Other wheels tested ran the
gamut between carbon wonder rollers and aluminum
performers. Wheels were qualitatively evaluated in
six categories: stiffness, acceleration, cornering, braking, climbing and style.
Over the course of the road test we reaffirmed
a long-held tenet of cycling tech: Even if you can't
put a number on it, something about a tubular tire
gives you the confidence to push a little harder into
a high-speed turn or eke a little more speed out of
your machine on a white-knuckle descent. Empirical
testing may reveal that there is little, if any, quantitative difference between the performance of similar
tubular and clincher tires, but anyone in tune with his
or her bike will still feel the difference. We did, and
it certainly influenced our evaluation of the wheels
in this test. Thankfully, we also didn't suffer any illtimed flats during our testing.
Two of our favorites were the ultralight Enve Composites 1.25 and the deep-profile Easton EC90 Aero,
both tubular rims. The traditional look of the Enve
AMERICAN
CLASSIC VICTORY
MAVIC
KSYRIUM
PRICE FOR SET
$470
$650
$1,800
*
1,648
1,550
1,335
Aluminum clincher
Aluminum clincher
Carbon tubular
Stiff wheels with a
comfortable ride.
Not the Lightest,
but good for new
racers or ambitious
century riders.
Stiff enough to
improve your sprint,
yet tight enough not
to hold you back on
climbs. AU-around
racing wheel.
mavic.com
eastonbelLsports.com
MAKE AND MODEL
WEIGHT
[GRAMS)
COMMENTS
1.25 (formerly known as Edge, the logo shown on our
test wheels) hoops won over some testers, who noted
that the 2010 wheels could benefit from stiffening.
Incidentally, Enve has addressed this concern in its
2011 model at only a modest weight penalty. The
Continued on p. 78
76 Bicycling
MARCH 20"
--
EASTON
ELITE
EC90AERO
*Manufacturers
claimed weight
~
I
Which
Wheels?
{With so many options, which to choose? }
SUPERLIGHTWHEELS
These weigh about 1,000 grams. Switching to wheeLs this
Light is immediately noticeabLe: You'LLfeeL as if your bike
has been turbocharged.
However, your bike may aLso be-
come Less stabLe, and if your ride is already on the twitchy
side, these may not be the right choice for you. In order to
achieve their gravity-defying weight, these hoops push the
Limits of materiaLs and design, sometimes sacrificing durability and aLways costing a premium. The absolute lightest
wheels wiLLrequire you to gLueon tubutartires.
EXAMPLES
FROMTHISTEST Enve 1.25, Reynolds RZR
Clockwise from top Left:
Zipp 404 clinchers,
American CLassic
Victory, Mavic Ksyrium
__
Elite, Bontrager
,"""
~
::!~I111.....
1 ,-,
AeoLus 9.0.
AERODYNAMIC WHEELS
Aero wheeLs have rims at Least 55mm deep. These are considered the fastest overall option for most riders, as their
advantageous
aerodynamics
on flats compensate
for the
small weight penalty. Deeper rim profiles aLso often Leadto
a stiffer overall platform that bigger riders wiLLappreciate.
Some deep wheels are susceptibLe to getting bLownaround
by crosswinds,
a probLem that especially affects smaller
riders. EXAMPLESFROMTHIS TEST Bontrager AeoLus 9.0,
Easton EC90Aero, Zipp 404
BOMBPROOF WHEELS [NOT TESTED)
If you're Looking for sturdy and reLiable, have a skilled
mechanic buiLd you a set of 36-spoke wheels with boxsection aluminum rims and robust hubs. They'LLbe heavy,
with the aerodynamics
for thousands
of an 18-wheeLer, but they will Last
of miles and can be repaired anywhere.
EXAMPLEMavic Open Pro rims laced to Dura-Ace hubs
ALL-AROUND
WHEELS
These don't have deep profiles,
materials with indecipherable
ENVE{EDGEI
COMPOSITES1.25
BONTRAGER
AEOLUSg.O
$2,400
$2,600
$2,700
1,845
998
Carbon tubular
REYNOLDS
Carbon clincher
RZR
ZIPP404
- --
1,557
$4.950
---900
Carbon clincher
Carbon tubuLar
Classic styLe meets
cutting-edge tech.
Racing wheeLs for
those who want to
climb like rockets.
Perfect for
triathLetes or crit
riders looking for
an aerodynamic
advantage. Without
a tubuLar hassLe.
A stiff. fast, aero
whee! for any
appLication. Wide
rims require brake
adjuslment when
changing wheels.
IncredibLy stiff
and light with
performance for
any situation. but If
you have to ask how
much it costs ...
envecomposites.com
bontrager.com
zipp.com
reynolds
composites.com
Lightweight climbers,
pects: respectable
they don't boast new
acronyms, and they're not
but they're pretty close in aU as-
weight in a stiff package and civilized
manners to get you through crosswinds. A set of high-end
aLL-arounders
will hot-rod your bike and are equally at
home racing or for day-in~day-out riding. EXAMPLEFROM
THISTEST Mavic Ksyrium Elite
THE FIRST UPGRADE
Some wheeLs start to look a Lotalike: aluminum rims, shaLlow depth, clincher tires, steel spokes. These have the
same characteristics
as aLL-around wheels, though they
are a little heavier and lack refinement.
Train on these
and, when you can afford it, race on a lighter set. EXAMPLE
FROMTHISTESTAmerican CLassicVictorY-Matt Phillips
MARCH 2011
Bicycling 77
WHEEL
REVIEWS
Continued from p. 76
climbed well, making them strong candidates for daily riding.
low profile helped the Enve 1.25s track confidently in crosswinds.
The clincher Bontrager Aeolus 9.0 is a solid choice for any
triathlete, but the set did not receive high marks from our test riders. Spokes are fixed to a shallow rim, to which a carbon fairing is
bonded, achieving a deep (90mm) profile. These wheels, more than
The EC90 Aeros were also competent in crosswinds and felt rigid
and snappy under qUick accelerations. It was hard for any wheels to
match the Enve 1.25 hoops, the lightest of the bunch, on climbstheir low, 998-gram weight was apparent on even small upslopes.
The Reynolds RZR, which holds the distinction of being the
most expensive wheelset in this test, received high praise. The
wheelset features carbon spokes woven with Kevlar fibers. A torque
flange on the rear hub allows spokes to attach to three points on the
hub, instead of the traditional two, helping to make
these the stiffest-feeling wheels we tested. High-tech
wizardry also leads to a few drawbacks: The rigidity
likely helped the wheels accelerate quickly and comer
confidently, but our rides outside of this test led us to
note that these race wheels may not be the best choice
in our test. These were very stable wheels, which stuck so firmly to
their trajectory in corners that changing lines-to avoid a pothole or
CLINCHERS
Arim hook
holds the
inflated tire
in place.
I
TUBULARS
A tube is sewn
into the tire,
which is
glued onto
the rim.
TREAD f------,
~
INNER TUBE
~
~
for all-day rides. (However, even if unyeilding, the
RZR may not prove too harsh for heavier riders, and
there is no rider weight limit.)
Reynolds says the spoke pattern and rim shape
work to reduce drag, especially in crosswinds. Although
we did not take any wheels in this test to a wind tunnel to confirm that claim, we can say the RZRs are easy
to control, even in strong gusts. Reynolds imbued its
cutting-edge wheel with a dose of avant-garde styling
that may not suit every rider's aesthetic. At 900 grams
(a Team version is also available, weighing in at 1,199
grams), this combination of light weight, stiffness
and drool-worthy technology will be more than some
cyclists can resist.
Of the clincher wheels we tested, only the Zipp
404s came close to matching the tubulars in highspeed comers. Handling improved as a result of a
~
(
)
A Tired Debate
{ The skinny on tubulars vs. clinchers}
o
INTANGIBLESASIDE,LABTESTINGSHOWSTHATTHECHARACTERISTICS
of tubular and clincher tires are just about equaL
It's easy for riders to get sucked into the "tubulars
ride better"
vortex. After aU, tubulars are the choice of the pros and are steeped in
legend and winner's jerseys. But a true apples-to-apples
comparison is elusive: Unfair
conclusions may be drawn by matching midrange clinchers stuffed with cheap butyl tubes
THEMAVIC KSYRIUM ELITE
EMERGED FROM THIS TEST AS
THE DO-IT-ALL CATEGORY
CHAMPION. IT DELWERS
ENOUGHOFANEDGETOLET
YOUR LEGS DO THE TALKING.
against supple, high-end tubulars that feel more comfortable and responsive.
Compare a tubular tire and a similar-quality clincher set up with a latex tube and you'U
find they weigh about the same, and they yield similar ride characteristics and performance.
While there's no difference in relative puncture resistance,
anecdotal evidence sug-
gests that tubuLars resist pinch flats better than clinchers. PrevaiLing wisdom also favors
tubulars for their run-flat characteristics,
because they are Less Likelyto come off the rim.
Of course, tubuLar wheels are lighter than clinchers-often
by a Lot.But while lighter
wheels may make a bike feel more responsive, they might not actually be much faster.
~
I
any other in our test, acted like spinnakers in a stiff crosswind, pulling even our largest test rider off his line during heavy gusts. Plus,
the stiff wheelset weighed in at 1,845 grams, making it the heaviest
Just ask Cerve[o race engineer Damon Rinard, who researches
fatter rim profile at the bead seat (16.25mm, instead
of the industry standards for road wheels, 13 and
ISmm), says Zipp, which allows a wider profile for
the tire and less sidewall flex. But that same girth
every potential advantage
for his team. His take? '"Heavier wheels aren't the big performance
disadvantage
most
riders think they are. I've done the math, and although rotational inertia is real, it's tiny:'
So, professional
riders may choose tubulars for their perceived safety, not just for
the weight advantage. It's easy for pros to choose tubulars when a support vehicle with
necessitates a brake adjustment any time you switch
preglued spares follows them around. The rest of us have to be concerned about walking
to a narrower set of wheels, something to consider
if you like to regularly change wheelsets. Still, this
10 miles home because there wasn't a spare tubu[aramong
latest contender from Zipp is also among the best
performing of the aero wheels in crosswinds, confidently tracking straight under even our smallest test
rider. Despite their 1,SS7-gram weight, these wheels
Stilt unsure? Performance-wise
the whole pack.
it's nearly a wash. If you have to have the light-
est wheels and ride what the pros ride, choose tubulars. But, if you don't have a staff of
professional mechanics to handLe the sticky ritual of tubular installation, clinchers are a
more attractive option: They are generally Less expensive, Changing tires is easy, and car-
,
rying a spare tube and co, isa [at easier than a prepped tire.-M.P.
o
78 Bicycling MARCH 2011
•
.
WHEEL
REVIEWS
Material Witness
{Just how far have carbon clinchers come? }
another rider, or to account for an unexpected change in camber-proved a handfuL And given the wheels' intended use, it was no surprise that they felt sluggish
on long or steep climbs.
Still, even with these drawbacks cyclists who primarily stick to flat terrain will
appreciate the Steve Hed-designed wheelset's ability to get up to speed quickly and
hold speed on flats-a benefit of its deep, aero profile. Riders who feel uncomfortable on a twitchy bike may also appreciate the stabilizing gyroscopic effect our
testers noticed.
The Mavic Ksyrium
champion.
Elite wheelset emerged from this test as the do-it-ail category
While the wheels did not receive top ratings in any Single category, this test
reaffirmed their stiffness, value and durability-an
overall package that has made
them a staple for many cyclists. The latest generation of Ksyrium Elites is similar in
many ways to the pricier Ksyrium SL wheelset. The steel spokes and brass nipples
impose a weight penalty, but the wheels still climbed nearly as well as their carbon
cousins, fared almost as well on descents and in comers, and, thanks to aluminum
brake tracks, performed admirably under hard braking. While a wheel this common in
the peloton won't earn many longing gazes during the local Saturday-morning throwdovvn,it delivers enough of an edge to let your legs do the talking.
In the replacement-wheel category, the American Classic Victory wheels (1,648
grams) surprised many of our testers. While they were noticeably rough around
the edges-accelerating
and climbing more sluggishly than the other wheels in
this test-their
performance was more than we expected from this price point,
making them a good choice for anyone looking to upgrade from stock wheels or
pick up an inexpensive second set to use for training.
e
CARBON WHEELS OR ALUMINUM?
THE
answer is mostly a matter of basic economics-if
you're looking to spend Less
than $1,000, your money goes further
with aLuminum. But if you can afford the premium price,
carbon wheels offer significant performance
advantag-
es. When buying carbon clinchers, riders can still chose
between aLuminum or carbon brake tracks.
Early aLuminum brake tracks performed better than
carbon, providing a smooth feeLwith better heat dissipation and consistency, especially in wet conditions. But the
braking performance
of carbon clinchers has improved
with the latest generations of wheeLs and brake pads. The
feedback you get at the brake Lever isn't as constructive,
but newer carbon wheeLs are aLmost as smooth and consistent as their aLuminum counterparts.
In a few years, disc brakes for road bikes may entireLy
eliminate this issue. Until then, ifyou're looking at clincher wheels from an established,
reputabLe wheelmaker,
don't sweat the brake-track materiaL Either aluminum or
carbon wiU be a fine choice-just
be sure to pair carbon-
compatibLe brake pads with carbon brake tracks. Ifyou're
Lookingat a wheel whose manufacturer
does not mention
steps taken to mitigate heat buildup. we suggest you consider another wheel. Finally, heavier riders who are hard
on their brakes should choose aluminum for its proven
performance and durability.-M,P.
80 Bicycling MARCH2011
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•