Are Your "Stiff" Wheels Actually Stiff? *Updated: New Video (No Flex)*
How many times have you heard or read a testimonial where someone said "these wheels are very stiff" without showing how stiff the wheels actually are? It would be an understatement to say a lot, but I'm hoping to change this! 1000 WATTS + FLEXY WHEEL = 850 WATTS The equation above is the reason why I'm writing this post. After reading the " Great Wheel Test - Part 3 - Stiffness " article at RouesArtisanales.com , I learned that during sprints at 1000 watts, you can expect to lose 150 watts on a flexible wheel. So instead of 1000 watts, only 850 watts effectively gets used towards the acceleration. That's a huge loss! Since I don't have the equipment to measure lateral stiffness, I created a video to demonstrate a wheel's lateral stiffness under real conditions. If the wheel isn't stiff, you'll either see the wheel deflect into the brake pads or go out of true... or both! THE E.S.T.S. LATERAL STIFFNESS TEST VIDEO: A FAILIN