When selecting your next Yoeleo Canada wheelset, a good first filter criteria is rim depth, also called rim profile. In fact, many depths are available for you to choose from and selection goes far beyond aesthetics. Full carbon weave wheel manufacturing has permitted Yoeleo to offer a great range of rim depths and the use of disc brake applications in road cycling has even more diversified the offering as we no longer have to worry about heat generated by the braking surface. That being said, deeper rim profiles definitely look great on a modern aero bicycle and will allow everyone to see that cool Yoeleo logo ;)
First, let's start with the "go-to" wheelset for almost all applications = 50mm rim profile. This rim depth is a great starting point as it is very versatile and allows performance across all parcours without greatly compromising any other aspect of performance. But if we know that this is the fastest wheel in 80% of situations, why offer other profiles?
The answer lies in the fact that our customers are interested in customizing a wheelset that will perform best for them in a specific race situation that suits their strengths. For example, our athletes on Yoeleo Test Team pb 4MIND UCI Continental Team can easily explain that a race of over 6 hours can be won and lost in a period of 5 minutes and they want the best wheelset for that 5min period when the race is "lit up". Is that critical race period flat, windy, in a straight line or uphill?
A BALANCING ACT:
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF FOR YOUR FIRST OR Nth WHEELSET
What is the profile of your standard parcours? What is the most important point in that parcours? If a steep hill section will be the race winning move, consider lower profile rims that lower weight.
Do you have many sharp steep hills in your riding area that have sections above 7%? If not, consider the time savings that aerodynamics can have on the totality of the course.
What is your riding style? If you are someone who is very punchy, a light wheelset will be advantageous for you.
What is your rider weight? The heavier you are, the more you should be looking to a deep profile for stiffness.
What width of tire are you intending to use? A wider tire will increase stability in cross winds as the road surface contact patch is augmented, also why would you match a wide heavy tire with a superlight wheelset.
Road or mixed surface riding? Many off-road specialists like a rim with a profile for it's ability to better ride ruts.
Advantages of a low rim profile
-better acceleration
-lower total wheel weight
-better crosswind stability
Advantages of a high rim profile
-increased stiffness of the wheelset
-faster in almost all situations above 40kmh
-ability to ride ruts
Aerodynamic data and how we stack up
Hambini testing:
To conclude, always consider the wheelset choice in conjunction with the rest of your bike. If the rest of your bike is focused on aerodynamics, why put a climbing wheelset on it? If your weapon of choice is a light climbing machine, why put a 80mm profile wheelset on there? Pro riders think of their machines as just that a complete set of components that work holistically to optimize performance in a certain context of racing! All the science aside, we also think aero wheel look cool :)
Clément Maertens
Yoeleo Test Team p/b 4MIND Rider
Urvillers, France
https://www.strava.com/athletes/3313099
https://www.instagram.com/clement_mrtns/
