How Much Faster Are Aero Wheels?

Cycling Weekly head to Herne Hill Velodrome with Dr Hutch, to find out just how much faster are Aero Wheels?

[Mububban]

THANKYOU for doing tests at low wattage for us casual cyclists who can’t hold 45kph 🙂
Please incorporate more lower wattage test data in future testing. We low powered cyclists want this info too.

[brettcameron]

Good to see a comparison at the everyman speeds most of us ride at.

[slamtheman]

I think this is legit. Did a few similar 1 hour tests on my climbing wheels and deep section. Difference was 1.5 to 2kph difference with 250 watts avg

[christose]

2 and a half thousand pounds! how do you even manage to get that thing to turn!?

[jeremys]

I think the biggest difference is looking at your bike with cheap shallow stock wheels and looking at your bike with deep sections (alloy or carbon) and the mental aspect of "im riding wheels that cost more than the bike itself" is a big difference

[natehanying]

as I spent most of my time wheelsucking in a group ride I think i am going to stick to my cheap climbing wheels

[drwproductions]

This is one of my favorite videos, the legendary ending “I, d kill for 2 kph”

[dongkwanhan]

I love tests like this. Sceintific enough to rely on for most practical purposes.

[boristadijanovic]

I always love to see these real life tests. Much better then to see a bunch of wind tunnel data. Great work guys. :)

[onilovni]

This is a very big difference! I did upgrade my wheels for 50 mm Easton wheels on my road bike, can't say for sure that I saw a difference as I couldn't compared to my old times with the non aero setup, but I find it very satisfying when I overtake other riders at 50 km/h on a flat section.
But still, when it comes to upgrading your aerodynamics, you should make sure the cheap parts are already focused on aero before spending much$$$$ for aero wheels (helmet, shoes, clothes, body hair, gear cables, baggies, rear spoiler...)

[JakeRidesBikez]

5:45 best part of the video "I've killed for 2 kilometers per hour" lmao

[RenoSpeedSkater]

lol At 57 years old I need to buy my speed to stay as fast as last year. wheels are next!

[vongdong]

My bike came with 28mm wheels, picked up a lightly used set of carbon 55mm wheels and what a world of difference. Easily the best bang for buck upgrade.

[svenamundsen]

This is the kind of test that should be done...that wind tunnel stuff leaves out the component of external conditions.

[MosherMike]

A more persuasive argument for aero wheels than "an 80 seconds saving over 40km (24 miles)!".

[chadwells]

If you’re doing time trial events on aero bars, the difference will be even more stark. Aero benefit increase geometrically with speed.

[naikshibabrat]

That ending was so slick just like the Enve wheels

[raymondmenz]

This is twice the amount that manufacturers like Marvic claim - which would be twice the amount of what really happens.
Try doing this on an indoor track with top track cyclists. Dual world track champion Shaun Eaddie says a disc wheel is worth 1/10th sec in a 200m sprint.
I raced in the early 70's and our times at club races using the same track were just as fast as today's. I still use steel and light weight aluminium rims, bladed spokes, cup and cone hubs.
Im reminded of one of Chris Hoy's training bikes. He added 4 x 10kgm weights and used it to ride up hills. This is how you punch out 2, 100 watts.

Ask yourself how many races have you lost by less than a second? Considering high performance tyres are just as good as carbon wheels and cost less than $200.

[AB-qmwq]

Please make the same test in a bunch ride setup. Are aero wheels faster in a group sportive i want to know. I think no difference as long as i hug rear wheels infront of me combined with uphill advantages. Take it to the test!!!

[meibing]

Matches my own results exactly! But matters most in head wind.