The types of Road Bike Wheelsets

The types of Road Bike Wheelsets

The wheelsets of road bikes are mainly divided into three categories: road bikes, time trial/triathlon bikes, and all-terrain road bikes/CX road bikes. Let's talk about the difference between the three types of wheelsets.

Aside from the shape and structure of the wheelset, the width of the rim is also different, due to the different widths of the tires used in the three models.

Today's road bikes generally use 25-28c tires, so the general wheelset manufacturers will optimize the wheelset for these two specifications of tires. Due to the weight control, the aluminum alloy wheelset is not too wide. Nowadays, the mainstream inner width is 17mm and the outer width is about 22mm. Since there is no brake edge, the disc brake aluminum alloy rim will be slightly wider by about 2mm.

Because carbon fiber wheelsets are lighter, manufacturers can use some aggressive designs, such as widening the rims to improve stability in crosswinds. Manufacturers have begun to widen their rims. For example, the 20.7mm inner width and 29.4mm outer width of the CL/CLX50 directly achieve the upper limit of the rim brake.

In recent years, carbon fiber wheelsets have become very popular, and carbon fiber technology has developed rapidly. The technology undergoes an update every few years. The frame and wheelset are like this. The strength, rigidity, and weight are improved in each process update. For example, our Superteam Road Bike Wheelset has received good feedback from our customers.

Since the disc brake rims do not have the limitation of the brake edge, manufacturers let themselves go again. For example,  Some front wheels directly achieve an outer width of 35mm, but the inner width is still maintained at 21mm, which is basically the upper limit of road rims.

Since All Roads Bike will be fitted with wider tires or gears, they will use wider rims. The 700c size will generally use 28-42c tires; if you need to use mountain tires, you will use the 650B size wheelset. The inner width of the rim is typically about 25mm, and the outer width is about 30mm. All-terrain road wheelsets are basically vacuum specs.

Compared with all-terrain road bikes that tend to be fun, the CX has the characteristics of short-distance competition, so the CX wheelset attaches great importance to performance. The rim will be narrower than the all-terrain road wheelset, and a tubular tire version will be launched to pursue lightweight. Advantage.

The biggest difference from the road wheelset is that in order to reduce the wind resistance of the time trial car, the rear wheel basically uses a full carbon closed wheel. The front wheel also has a special three-blade or four-blade knife for drivers to choose from (of course, there are also drivers who prefer to use traditional front wheels. spoked wheels).

Time trial/triathlon bikes pursue speed and aerodynamic efficiency, and they basically don’t use wide tires. 25c will reach the top. It is said that many professional riders are still using 23c tires. So the wheelset of the time trial is basically not too wide.



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