Cycling Wheels Buyers Guide

Okay guys, you’re looking for a new set of cycling wheels and need a little advice on what to look for in a new set of cycling wheels; well we have put a few words together on what to look for when you are searching for a new set. We hope this guide is useful to everyone from experienced riders to those who are looking to upgrade their wheels for the very first time. Hopefully by breaking this guide down into a few key sections you will find it more useful.

So why might one want to change their bike wheels? Well the most obvious answer is weight; if you are looking to shed a huge amount of weight on your bike then a new set of wheels is the most obvious solution. If you are looking to go faster then you would be suprised by how much quicker you can go with a lighter set of wheels.

Wheels For Road wheels, triathlon and time trials
When you are looking to shave fractions off your time then you will be looking for a lightweight wheel that is stiff, responsive and aerodynamic. By reducing the drag on the road, you expend less energy which is why disc wheels are important (see our guide on ‘why buy a disc wheel‘).

It is because of the advantage that deep sectioned carbon wheels provide that Zipp wheels and lightweight wheels have suddenly become so popular in both the pro peloton and your local club 10.

However I wouldn’t advise using deep section wheels for long road races as they can be uncomfortable due to the stiffness of the wheel.

Mountain Bike Wheels
With road wheels your wheels don’t need to withstand more than a few potholes as most road surfaces that you will be riding on will be pretty smooth, however as soon as you jump on a mountain bike then the game changes and you need something that is man enough for the job and as a normal mountain bike ride can cover multiple types of terrain then the job of picking the right mountain bike wheel is even tougher.

Unless you are planning on doing some racing, a lightweight set of mountain bike wheels is a waste of cash and you would be better to buy a stiff, robust and versatile brand such as DT Swiss wheels which will cope with everything that you throw at them on the tough parts and still run smooth on the ride to work the next day.

Wheels for commuting (hybrid wheels)
If you are riding to work every day then you don’t need to worry about weight or strength. What you need to look at buying are wheels that aren’t going to damage when mounting curbs and wheels that run smoothly with good hubs making that ride to work a little bit smoother.