Are Expensive Carbon Bike Wheels Actually Worth It?
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00:00 These wheels are £1,050 and these wheels are £3,200.
00:04 That's a whopping difference of £2,150.
00:09 So, we've devised two tests to see if we can find
00:11 a difference between the two different wheel sets,
00:13 which, for that amount of money, you'd hope you could.
00:17 So I've been joined by Stefan today
00:18 and he's gonna be our guinea pig.
00:19 Stefan, what's the first test that we're gonna do?
00:22 - So, first of all, we're gonna be looking at
00:23 the aero performance of these wheels.
00:25 And so, we're gonna be riding around a flat TT lap
00:28 devised by Simon Smythe.
00:30 - What's the second test we're gonna be doing?
00:31 - So, the second test is gonna be a hill climb.
00:33 We're gonna be going up Leaf Hill
00:35 and putting in the effort with the two different wheel sets
00:38 and seeing what the time is at the air top.
00:40 - So, Stefan, what do you think we could expect to see
00:42 from this test?
00:43 - So, the idea here is that we have some things,
00:46 like a TT helmet or a skin suit,
00:48 which the aero performance and the difference between them
00:52 is pretty tiny.
00:53 It's not something that you're going to really notice
00:56 so much on a ride.
00:56 It needs to be verified in really controlled conditions,
00:59 a velodrome or a wind tunnel.
01:01 There are some differences between components,
01:03 such as between a Dutch bike sit-up and bag
01:05 and a drop bar road bike,
01:07 where you're going to see those differences.
01:09 Like, obviously, out on the road,
01:10 you'll feel it instantly.
01:11 You're gonna see that in the timings.
01:12 And so, the question with these wheels is,
01:14 is it going to be like the Dutch bike?
01:16 Is the difference going to be that palpable?
01:18 Or is the difference marginal?
01:19 Are we going to see a significant time gap
01:22 between these two wheels of a similar depth
01:24 but very different price point?
01:26 Absolutely.
01:27 Right then, I think we should get the first set of wheels
01:28 fitted and do the first run.
01:30 (upbeat music)
01:32 In a test like this,
01:40 there are plenty of variables we need to keep a lid on.
01:42 So, we've used the same ties, sealing, cassettes,
01:45 and rotors across both wheel sets.
01:47 There are obviously some variables
01:48 that we can't have any control of,
01:50 those being the wind, the traffic,
01:51 and how Stefan paces his effort.
01:53 So, this is very much a rough-around-the-edges,
01:55 real-world test.
01:56 So, a little more information about those wheels.
01:58 The set that cost 1,050 pounds are the Zipp 303S's,
02:02 and the ones coming at 3,200 pounds are the Zipp 353NSW's.
02:06 The difference in weight is significantly closer
02:08 than that of the price differential,
02:10 with just 236 grams separating the two wheel sets.
02:13 The actual weights with tape coming at 1,308 grams
02:16 for the 353s, and 1,544 grams for the 303S's.
02:21 The rim profiles are incredibly different
02:23 between the two wheel sets.
02:25 Although both are optimized around 28 mil tires,
02:27 the NSW's come with an internal rim width of 25 millimeters
02:31 compared to 23 millimeters on the 303S's.
02:34 These are both on the wide side for road wheels,
02:36 but the NSW's are significantly so.
02:38 Together, with the external rim width of 30 millimeters,
02:41 the tires make a notably smoother and straighter transition
02:44 to the rims of the NSW's.
02:46 This has been proved to be more aero in the wind tunnel.
02:48 That narrower internal width on the 303S's
02:51 gives the tires more of a mushroom profile.
02:54 Another distinctive element of the 353 NSW's
02:56 can be seen along the sides of the rims.
02:58 Small dimples are molded in similar to that of a golf ball,
03:01 which is supposed to aid efficiency.
03:03 The fact that a number of them are partially filled
03:05 by the stick-on logos may mitigate their effectiveness.
03:08 Also, the distinctive undulation of the 353 NSW wheels
03:11 has been done largely to improve the stability
03:14 in crosswinds.
03:15 Okay, so that's the TT done.
03:20 How did they feel?
03:22 - And so, it didn't feel like there's a massive difference
03:25 between the wheels, and so it wasn't like the difference
03:27 between going from a shallow section to a deep section
03:30 kind of thing, but there's still some differences
03:32 in the sensation between them.
03:33 I think that with the 353 NSW's, it was mainly flat,
03:37 but there were some rises, and on those rises,
03:39 it did feel like that little bit more responsive,
03:42 sort of when pressing on the pedals.
03:43 And when it came to ticking along the flat,
03:46 I mean, like, this isn't a double-blind trial,
03:50 and so I knew exactly what wheels I was riding,
03:52 so there is a certain amount of cognitive bias
03:54 coming in there, but they felt nice going along the flat.
03:57 They felt fast, it felt really good, and ticking over,
03:59 and so, yeah, the feeling of the 353 NSW's
04:03 was really quite good, but then,
04:04 the 303's weren't bad at all either.
04:07 - I guess it's that thing of, okay, well,
04:08 do they feel 2,000 pounds better?
04:10 And that's a trickier question to answer.
04:12 So then, in power numbers, were you able to match
04:15 a normalized power?
04:17 - Well, in terms of the normalized power,
04:19 I managed to keep things pretty much perfectly the same
04:21 between the tests, which was quite good.
04:24 But in terms of the times that have turned in,
04:27 there's a bit of a surprise, bit of a turn up
04:29 for the books there, with the 353 NSW's
04:32 coming in slightly slower than the 303 S,
04:35 and I can tell you the reason.
04:37 The traffic between the runs, it was quite different,
04:40 and unfavourably in terms of the 353 NSW's,
04:44 and so I think that's what definitely caused
04:46 the difference there, and meant that they ended up
04:49 turning in a slower time.
04:50 - Okay, so really, we're dealing with fine margins,
04:52 'cause it's not to say that the 303 S's are slow wheels,
04:56 it's just that actually, the difference between them
04:58 wasn't great enough to overcome the variable,
05:01 the uncontrollable variable of traffic.
05:03 - Yeah, exactly, pretty much.
05:05 - Okay, so I think we need to now put them up a hill climb
05:07 and see how they perform there.
05:08 (upbeat music)
05:11 (upbeat music)
05:14 So that's the hill climb done,
05:34 I imagine that probably wasn't too pleasant for you.
05:36 So how did you find them, did you notice a difference
05:38 between the weight, because obviously these are 275 grammes,
05:41 lighter, did you feel that?
05:43 - So, they're both pretty good wheels,
05:45 I mean it's not like the 303 S's were feeling
05:48 particularly heavy, they're still around about that
05:50 1,500 gramme mark, which is a pretty nice weight
05:53 for a wheel set, the 353 NSW's are that,
05:56 a little bit lighter, and yeah, on the steepest gradients,
06:00 you do feel that little bit more responsive,
06:01 like you get that sensation through the pedals
06:03 as you're pressing the cranks.
06:05 - And then, were there any other kind of benefits
06:07 of those wheels that you felt?
06:09 - No, I mean, it wasn't particularly a fast run up the hill,
06:14 the speeds were a little bit low,
06:15 'cause of the gradients, and so,
06:17 I don't think the aerodynamics would have really
06:21 came into it, I didn't have that ticking over sensation
06:23 at all like you do on the flat, and so, yeah,
06:26 really it's mostly the weight differences
06:28 that I hear about making the differences.
06:30 - Okay, so put me out of my misery,
06:32 what was the difference between the two wheel sets
06:34 up the climb?
06:34 - So over about a six and a half minute climb,
06:36 the difference came down to about three to four seconds,
06:39 so really quite close, and that was with the 303S,
06:44 the heavier wheel set, turning in that faster time,
06:47 it was the 353 NSW, which was just a little bit slower.
06:50 - And that is purely down to knowing how to pace the effort
06:53 and knowing where to put the power down, wasn't it?
06:54 So again, actually, really, we've come down
06:56 to fine margins once again, even though there's
06:58 a large difference in weight, which is obviously
07:00 something that would get affected on a climb,
07:02 we've essentially landed in the same space
07:04 where it's, again, very marginal,
07:06 but not a marginal price difference.
07:08 - Yeah, definitely, I mean, when you think
07:09 about the total system weight, so I'm 68 kilos,
07:11 the bike is under 10 kilos, what's 200 grams
07:15 like in that complex, in that whole matrix?
07:17 When it comes to the sensation, you do feel
07:20 the difference of maybe some 200 grams,
07:22 but when it comes to the actual performance,
07:23 the times that you're putting in,
07:25 it is a very, very small difference,
07:27 I mean, it's almost about the same as just taking
07:29 a phone out of your pocket and throwing it to the side,
07:31 and so, yeah, when it's back to back
07:33 and you're testing between the wheels,
07:35 the difference is something that you can feel,
07:37 but in terms of just how much higher
07:39 up the Strava leaderboard you're gonna go,
07:41 it's not so much, is it?
07:43 - Yeah, absolutely.
07:44 Okay, so putting the numbers to one side for a moment,
07:47 'cause it can be very easy to get bogged down
07:48 in power numbers and times, subjectively,
07:51 do these feel 2,000 pounds better?
07:54 - Well, I think that comes down to how much
07:56 2,000 pounds really means to you, I mean,
07:58 this wasn't a blind test at all,
07:59 but I did feel a difference with the lighter wheel set,
08:02 I mean, that 200 grams difference,
08:04 yeah, it's still, it's the kind of difference
08:06 that you do notice, even if it doesn't turn around
08:09 much faster time, and so, I think that, yeah,
08:12 there's kind of two reasons to be going
08:13 for the 353 MSWs, one is you're racing at the very pinnacle,
08:18 and those milliseconds are exactly what counts,
08:20 and you're not gonna sacrifice anything anywhere,
08:23 and second is, if you have that money to spare,
08:26 and you do want that feeling,
08:27 and you think that feeling is worth, yeah,
08:29 2,000 pounds to you, then, yeah, by all means, go ahead.
08:33 For me, personally, I think that when it comes
08:35 to choosing between the wheels,
08:36 I'd go for the 303 Ss.
08:38 The difference isn't so great, and I feel like
08:41 it just makes that bit more monetary sense, doesn't it?
08:43 - It does, indeed.
08:44 So, there we have it, that's our car park test wrapped up,
08:47 and really, these tests were devised
08:49 so that we could really see how they would perform
08:51 in the real world, and I think between these two,
08:53 it's very clear to see that it's very fine margins,
08:56 and when the variables aren't in your favor,
08:58 clearly a wheel set which is a lot more expensive
09:01 may not perform as you might want it to.
09:03 So, let us know your thoughts down in the comments.
09:05 Let us know which ones you would go for.
09:07 If you enjoyed the video, drop it a like,
09:09 subscribe to the channel for more content,
09:10 and we will see you again very soon.
09:12 (whooshing)