What Wheels When? Choosing The Best Wheelset For The Bowral Classic

They are one of the most critical aspects of cycling – replacing or upgrading the wheels on your bike can make an astonishing difference to the performance, ride, handling and overall enjoyment of cycling.

Whether you’re on a bunch ride with mates or preparing your bike for the Bowral Classic, wheel choice is one of the greatest variables of the sport.

While the standard of stock or factory wheelsets is steadily improving, they’ll never match the variety, quality or performance of a specific, hand-assembled, aftermarket wheelset.

A popular option is to purchase a second wheelset – those stock wheels being kept for commuting, training or wet-weather days while the higher quality hoops are reserved for race day, special events or trips away.

Which brings us to the million dollar question … what wheels when? To get the lowdown on this difficult question we spoke with Richard Riechelt from Irwin Cycling Oceania. Richard is a keen cyclist, a staunch second-year supporter of the Bowral Classic, and the Australian distributor for hand-built Irwin wheels.

The Perfect Upgrade?

We started by asking Richard the big question … with all manner of wheels available to the consumer – seemingly endless options with more added weekly – how does a rider decide upon their first major wheel upgrade?

“Wheel profile preference is a very individual choice,” Richard replied.

“You will see riders in the Grand Tours all using different configurations depending on their personal preference, their characteristics and cycling strengths and weaknesses.”

“Our view is that a wheel in the 35mm-40mm range such as the Irwin ICW-38 is a great all-round choice. It climbs well, rolls well  and is very comfortable. They also happen to look fantastic in the stealth decal no matter your bike brand or colour. However, many folks go for the ICW-58. The 58mm wall profile gives a bit better aero and stiffness which is a characteristic if higher profile carbon wheels.”

Business At The Front, Party At The Back

Richard went on to say that basically, the less spoke length, the stiffer the wheel.

“This is not to say 38’s aren’t stiff because they are for sure,” he added.

“The 58’s add that real character and all the feedback we get is how solid they feel and well balanced they are. Personally, I find a great compromise if the 38 front and the 58 rear. This gives great aero and stiffness on the rear and lovely handling on the front. We call this the ‘Mullet combo’ – business at the front and party at the back.”

How About Crosswinds?

It’s widely known that the deeper the wheel, the more difficult and potentially dangerous it can be in cross winds. That said, in his completely neutral review for Bicycling Australia, Michael Hanslip said the earlier model Irwin 38mm wheels were virtually immune to cross winds. We asked Richard how this is so.

“Michael wrote very favourably about the IC-38’s – they were a great wheel, but they have been superseded by the ICW-38’s which actually has even better performance in the crosswinds. The U-shaped profile of the deal so much better with crosswinds than the traditional V-shaped rims due to their improved aerodynamic characteristics.”

Richard said the profile shape assists riders who may be less experienced or slightly nervous about riding crosswinds.

“It gives them greater confidence,” he said. “It’s also a reason that many customers go for the higher profile U-shaped ICW-58’s because of less susceptibility to crosswinds as well.”

Narrowing Down The Endless Options

With so many wheel manufacturers out there, and new ones popping up almost weekly, we asked Richard what enthusiasts might specifically look out for when deciding ‘which wheel’?

“When folks are looking to buy wheels they should look at the build quality, the warranty, the features and of course the need to consider their budget,” he said.

“That’s why we know Irwin’s are a great choice. We have ceramic impregnated braking surface which your reviewer says was the best carbon wheel braking performance he had experienced at the time of his review. We also have ceramic bearings in our hubs. This gives greater longevity and great rolling performance to our wheels.”

“We only use Sapim CX Ray spokes as they are fantastic quality and consistent in their performance, both through the extensive build process, but importantly out on the road. Importantly, our wheels come with 2 full sets of brake pads, (8 pads in total), rim tapes, skewers and a double wheel bag to top it all off. It’s a very complete package in terms of features, quality and accessories to keep customers happy for a very long time.”
No Gimmicks Required

Richard said Irwin Cycling Oceania resisted the temptation of investing in gimmicky advertising.

“You only need to look at the results and feedback of our customers and Irwin athletes to know you are buying real quality,” he said. “The UCI approval is further evidence, Irwin stands by its quality of components and build.”

With the company of catchphrase being ‘experience real innovation’, Irwin have been making wheels for over 20 years and in 2014 decided to design and sell their own branded wheel.

“Like any normal cycling nerd, I’m intensely interested in the equipment and what makes some brands better than others,” he said. “I want to know I am riding on something fantastic. I sat down with the engineers, designers, builders and owners and was blown away.”

“I’d used all the big brands on the road and the track over many decades, but when the team took me through the finer points of why those chose some design characteristics and building process I was blown away. The way they use certain carbon layups in some areas and then why they change it in others, they resins they use, how they test the wheels, the fact they build and press the wheel and then rebuild the wheel to make it perfect, was so above anything I had read about or seen before. It was super impressive.”

Combining Speed With Safety

Richard said one of the key attributes of the product was the attention to detail and attention to speed and safety.

“Also, they were so humble. Its lovely when you meet folks that are clearly some of the most impressive at their job in the world and they are so humble,” he said.

“In the industry they keep a relatively low profile, but everyone who is anyone in global cycling equipment design and manufacture know the folks from Irwin HQ.

“They balance weight and performance, with safety. There is no way they will ever compromise safety. Irwin could always make a lighter wheel or have less spokes etc., but we find the balance between speed and safety is one you have to stay true to, as the consequences can be dire. That’s why they are so talented and produce such a clever wheel with features and value well in excess of their price-point.”

Finally, we asked Richard why buyers should choose Irwin wheels over the thousands of options out there.

“Folks considering Irwin wheels will be very happy with their purchase,” he said proudly.

“We think of everything to make sure the feel great, look great and most importantly perform brilliantly – for a long time. You get a top level wheel for a very reasonable price. Most of all though, all of our customers and athletes tell my how much they like them. They really love the solid feel and the balance. Pair our wide rims with a good quality 25C tyre and you will have comfort, handing and speed which is a great outcome.”

Irwin wheels can be purchased directly from the company website – take a look at their wide range of options, including the ever-popular ICW-38 and  ICW-58, at https://www.irwincyclingoceania.com.au/buy-irwin-online/model-number/