[CFBlue]

I have a Trek 100% carbon – 100% Dura-Ace which I truly love. This bike never ceases to amaze me with its responsiveness, reliability, and performance. I have another bike, aluminum frame, 105/Ultegra which is basically my “bad weather” ride.

There is ONE area of comparison between these two bikes which has me a little puzzled. The weather bike has Shimano R550 wheels with a set of Continental Attack / Force tires, whereas the Trek has Bontrager Race X Lite wheels and Continental GP4000’s.

It could just be my imagination, but I would swear the Shimano/AF’s roll better, in free wheel, than the Bontrager/4000’s. Not sure (if true) whether it’s the wheels or the tires.

I have read some outstanding reviews on the new breed of Shimano wheels – and these are bottom of the line. Anyone had any experience with the 7800’s?

One point which has been suggested to me is that the 4.5 pounds of extra weight on the Shimanos may make it “seem” that the roll is better. Thoughts?

 

[Vinokourov]

Rolling resistance...

Well, shimano makes excellent hubs and freehubs that have very low rolling resistance. Same thing for campy. Rolling resistance of the hubs do make a slight noticable difference like when you are coasting down a hill with your buddy. In your case, the r550 has smoother hubs than the bontragers. But this is small when compared to...

... rolling resistance of tires. I believe that the attack force has lower rolling resistance than the gp4000 and hence they will roll faster. Combine this with a smooth hub, the r550/AF combo is surely gonna feel faster than your other set of wheels even tho they are heavier. Weight means nothing in the rolling ability of a wheel.