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WHEELS ARE THE FIRST THING YOU’LL WANT TO UPGRADE from wisepowder's blog

WHEELS ARE THE FIRST THING YOU’LL WANT TO UPGRADE

Why do cycling enthusiasts make a road bike wheel upgrade one of their first purchases after buying a new bike? Is there a real benefit in your riding performance and enjoyment or is it just one of those bike industry marketing mantras to get you to buy more of what they’re selling?To get more news about mtb bike Wheels, you can visit zpebicycle.com official website.

Endurance or sportive bikes that enthusiasts prefer for long, comfortable rides usually come equipped with wheels that aren’t as forgiving or compliant as the frame. Wider tubed or tubeless tires inflated to lower pressures than you’d normally use with narrower tires can dampen the road imperfections but won’t make the wheels themselves any more forgiving. Wider tires on stock or traditional width wheels can also reduce the wheelset’s responsiveness and won’t do anything to improve the precision of your handling.

It’s kind of like putting lipstick on a pig. Prettier, but still a pig.

Composite bikes made to be ridden and raced aggressively in the enthusiast price range often come with wheels that also aren’t laterally stiff enough to take advantage of the frame’s stiffness and actually dampen the responsiveness the bike is capable of when you want to accelerate, go aggressively into a turn, climb out of the saddle or sprint for the line.

The wheels that come with your bike, commonly known as “stock wheels”, also tend to be heavy by modern-day standards. They usually weigh at least 200-300 grams more than a good road bike wheel upgrade, an amount most enthusiasts will notice when you want to accelerate from a stop or increase your speed during a ride or if you do any long, steep climbing in the mountains.

Stock wheels also typically have hubs that are durable but don’t roll as smoothly as those that help you maintain your speed with less effort. The rims are shallow and boxy and provide no aerodynamic benefit that deeper ones with rounder noses and sides do, and have a pretty basic look to them.

There are probably a half-dozen reasons that might explain why bike companies put these underperforming stock wheels on otherwise high-performing bikes.

The most compelling reason comes down to price and profit. Putting better wheels on a new bike drives up its price and depresses sales. And since most bike companies don’t make their own wheels in the first place, there’s very little profit gained by selling a bike with better and higher-priced wheels.

It’s better for them to sell a less expensive bike where they make essentially the same amount of profit per bike as a higher-priced one. They’ll sell more bikes and earn a greater total profit on the higher volume of sales.

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