Road Bike Wheels

There are a lot of questions to ask when shopping for a new set of road bike wheels. Rim brakes or disc brakes? Tubeless, tubular or clincher? Aero? How aero? What type of rims? Carbon or aluminum?

But before you start going down that road, it’s best to start by thinking about what type of riding you do most. If you live near mountains and love to climb, deep-dish aero rims might not be for you. On the other hand, if you’re looking to squeeze a little more speed out of your road bike and want to hang with the group ride, a deeper dish rim might be just the ticket.

Your current bike will also help narrow down your choices. If you’re riding rim brakes and are happy with that setup, you can rule out disc-brake options. But if you’re building up a new bike and like the idea of powerful, flawless braking (and are interested in “future-proofing” your bike), you owe it to yourself to consider disc-brake road bike wheels. Another new advancement that’s coming on strong is tubeless road wheels. This technology is proven and well-accepted on mountain bikes, and it’s becoming more popular for road riding now with more tire options coming to market. The benefits of tubeless include far fewer punctures and the ability to run lower tire pressures—which adds speed and efficiency while smoothing out the ride quality. The downside is that they are a bit more complicated to set up (sealant is required).

If you’re looking to super-charge your bike and give it a more dynamic feel, carbon rim wheels can give you an instant boost in climbing and accelerating capabilities. Another current trend is a movement toward wider rims. Generally speaking, wider rims offer greater tire volume, which produces a smoother, more comfortable ride quality plus lower rolling resistance. At Jenson USA we carry dozens of road bike wheel options from top brands like ENVE, Shimano, DT Swiss, Mavic, HED, Stan’s NoTubes, Zipp and others. Take a look at our selection and feel free to call one of our Gear Advisors at 888-880-3811if you have any questions.