How to choose your road bike wheels?

Playing an important role in the performance of your road bike, wheels must be chosen with the greatest care. Note that to make a bike more dynamic, you need to reduce weight on rotating components — what is more bulky and constantly rotating than a pair of wheels? Here is some help to guide your choice.

Standards

• The size of road wheels, for an adult bike: 650 or 700
• Rim profiles and materials
• Spoke types
• Hub types
• Brake type: rim or disc

Wheel types

The rim, hub and spokes are the three elements that determine the specifications of a pair of wheels.

Rim height

The principle of a rim is fairly simple: the higher it is a, the heavier, stiffer and more aerodynamic it is; the lower it is b, the lighter, more manoeuvrable and more comfortable it is. However, lightness is not necessarily ideal on all courses — the inertia generated by the weight of the rim can prove useful on flat terrain where average speed is high, for example. Depending on the discipline, the "perfect" rim is therefore the right balance between height and weight.

Rim width

A wider rim allows the fitting of wider tyres, offering better rolling resistance, greater stability, better grip and additional comfort. The current generation offers rim widths from 17 to 21 mm (internal width between the hooks c) for fitting tyres from 25 mm.

A narrower tyre fitted on a slimmer rim is no longer up to current standards but allows compatibility with a wider variety of bike frames and brake callipers. The choice of a front tyre is dictated by the fork, while that for the rear wheel is dictated by the frame. This information is provided by the manufacturers of these components. Make sure to check it in advance.

The internationally standardised ETRTO measurement is the most reliable way to choose a tyre. You will also need to take rim width into account. Here is a table showing the compatibility of the most common widths.

Rim material

Wheels are most commonly made of aluminium, to improve the strength-to-weight ratio and of course to keep costs under control. However, more and more carbon models are appearing on high-profile rims to save weight overall and to offer superior stiffness, but at a higher price.

Some manufacturers offer a hybrid between a carbon rim and an aluminium braking track to limit the risks of overheating and to provide greater safety.

Rim brakes or disc brakes?

Disc brakes offer several advantages: better braking power in all weather conditions, no wear on the rim braking surface, and an end to problems with cables oxidising or seizing. They provide greater braking safety.

Conversely, disc brakes are heavier than rim brakes and add extra weight to your bike. Also, this type of brake requires more rigorous maintenance and more specific adjustments, which can make bike servicing more difficult.

Tubetype, Tubeless or Tubeless Ready?

Coming directly from the MTB world, Tubeless or Tubeless Ready wheels allow you to ride at lower pressures to increase grip and comfort, reduce the risk of punctures from penetration with the addition of sealant, offer significant weight savings in the case of a Tubeless Ready setup, and allow for lower rolling resistance. This technology requires compatible wheels (UST for Mavic, 2-Way Fit for Campagnolo…) or wheels that allow for the fitting of a specific rim tape. In all cases, these wheels remain compatible with standard tyres with inner tubes.

Tubeless Ready requires the addition of sealant fluid, whereas Tubeless can be fitted without fluid. Today, the Tubeless Ready tyre is the most common as it offers the right compromise between airtightness and weight. This tubeless setup is one of the best upgrades you can make to a bike, as it significantly changes its behaviour.

Spokes

The spokes certainly play the most important role in a wheel. They ensure a perfect connection between the hub and the rim to transmit power, braking forces and changes of direction, but they also tolerate a certain amount of flex to provide comfort and robustness. The spoke pattern is defined by the number of spokes on a wheel and the type of crossing (lacing). The most classic and still the most reliable today consists of 32 spokes crossed by 3 (one spoke always crosses 3 others), but to lighten the wheels the number of spokes can be reduced as well as the type of lacing.

The hub

The hub contains the bearing system. It can be either: "cup and cone" type a, requiring more regular maintenance but generally reliable over time; or "sealed bearing" type b, maintenance-free (simply replace the bearing when it fails).

The choice of a cassette is determined by the freehub body of the wheel, so it is necessary to choose the right one to fit your sprockets — we invite you to consult the guide How to choose your road bike cassette.

Which wheels for my riding style?

For climbers who like to accelerate out of corners, lightweight low-profile wheels for maximum dynamism are perfect for climbing mountain passes.

If you are looking for a versatile pair of wheels, we recommend opting for a low profile or up to 35 mm depending on whether you are looking for dynamic wheels or wheels with a slight inertia effect for flat sections.

If flat terrain and average speed are what define your rides, a high-profile rim of around 50 mm — and therefore slightly heavier-than-average wheels — will help you maintain the most consistent pace possible without penalising you if you attempt a breakaway.

From 80 mm of profile height, these are fairly exclusive wheels, generally optimised for triathlon or time trial events.