Paraphrasing something I read a long time ago:
It's important if you're losing major time trials by seconds. Otherwise don't worry about it.
Julian Shapiro
Sag Harbor, NY
>A riding buddy has a modern aluminum road bike. I have five complete
>classic bikes. We are often evenly matched, but we wonder how classic
>components hinder or maybe even help my performance. He has recently
>purchased a new set of Neuvation high tech wheels. Upon weighing his old
>modern wheels and my classic wheels... surprise surprise, mine weigh
>exactly what his weigh when using a baby scale. As has been discussed
>recently, mine weigh what his weigh even though mine have 32 spokes and his
>have 20. The difference, of course, is that his rims are heavier but he
>makes it up with fewer spokes. I wouldn't imagine that all this new
>technology is for naught, so aero rims and less spoke count must count for
>some advantages. However classic light rims make for other advantages. When
>all is said and done, if one wanted nothing more than fast runs in
>competitive group rides, would one be faster with the modern rims that have
>more weight at the circumference or classic rims that have less at the
>outer edges but more wind turbulence at the spokes? My instinct is that all
>this modern technology is faster on some measurable level, but when push
>comes to shove, short of an aero helmet, a skin suit, tri-bars, and disk
>wheels the pay off is tiny for mild aero section wheels, sleek brake
>levers. aero brake levers and blade like seat posts. Also, those clunky
>aero wheels end up looking slower visually.
>
> Garth Libre in Miami Fl.