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I've got myself a new road bike. It came with a Mavic Aksium wheelset, which is fine but a bit below the rest of the spec on the bike. So what wheels for Sunday best? And how much would I need to pay to get a noticeable advantage?
This is purely for aesthetics/posing as I have no pretense to being a proper racer these days 😀
Budget? What sort of riding? Climbing steep stuff or going fast on the flat a priority? A fancy label important to your posing?
Budget - well that what I'm asking really, how much do I need to spend to make a difference
Riding - everything from short blasts (min 1.5hrs / 30 miles) to 100+ miles. South coast based so only Isle of Wight / South Downs hills.
I like going up hills.
Labels not so important.
Some ideas and thoughts here
[url= http://dcrwheels.co.uk/custom-wheelsets/wheelset-suggestions/ ]http://dcrwheels.co.uk/custom-wheelsets/wheelset-suggestions/
[/url]
Dave did me some Tune / Pacenti wheels for my main road bike and they've been lovely (I already have Easton, Xentis and Corima CF wheels for the max bling/TT efforts).
Have a look at Wheelsmith and see if any of his carbon wheelsets take your fancy. I quite like the look of the dimpled ones.
Otherwise, budget permitting, some Zipp 303 or 404.
Good quality tyres. don't underestimate how much difference something like a Vittoria Open Corsa, or similar like make to ride quality compared to standard rubber
What Chef said, and latex tubes too if using clinchers.
Erm... if he's in the South Downs lanes like me latex tubes is a crazy idea. Normal tubes and a puncture repair kit with lots of patches sonny Jim.
Get some Clement Strada LGG 25's (tan walled for sure) Open Clinchers and some MavM40C's or if budgets a bit tight the Wheelsmith options are really good or some cheapy Chinese rims and novatech's (take the stickers off)
Don't need climbing wheels for the Sth Downs. 😉
I've had no issues at all (with the p word) since changing to latex tubes. Actually think they are somehow more compliant and hence less likely to you know what.
PUNCTURES!!!
There I said it for you 😆
Arrggghhhh!!!!
Get some cheap chinese carbon 38mm clinchers,([url= http://www.light-bicycle.com/ ]light bicycle for example[/url]) latex tubes (unless you descend big mountains) and decent tyres. I usually use vittoria open corsa cx on my 'best' bike but have recently switced to Schalbe One for a change - they're very good.
It's OK, he said it, it'll be him that incurs the wrath of the pointy thing fairy not you.
I have bought a couple of wheel sets recently and have given them a good test.
Firstly on a medium budget are the Swiss-side Hadron 625s. These are about £800 for the pair. They are fast, no doubt about it. I use GP4000s with latex tubes. They are very very good in the wind too. They are loud, like proper mental loud. I love this, but some hate it. They have stayed true and I am really happy with them. They look a bit cheap though, but it is no bid deal to me. Metal braking surface is good for when it gets a bit wet.
Then I bought a pair of Knight composites 95mm wheels. They are bloody lovely, and appear bomb proof and have DT240 hubs which I like. They are also backed up with a 5 year warranty. I rode the front (with a disc) in pretty windy conditions and they were awesome- I did a huge PB too 🙂 My Zipp 808 is on the 'second' bike now.
These are not cheap, but neither are they anywhere near as much as ENVE which I think you could compare them to.
I imagine the slightly shallower Knights would be better for general riding I think they are about £1600. 73degreesbicycles in Bath has a demo set if you live close by?
What bike did you buy?
Superstar carbon clinchers and a pair of Veloflex Masters in 25mm will do a right job, they'll look good and be a good bit lighter too. Should come in under £500.
This is what I would buy if I was allowed
Dura Ace 9000 Hubs on Pacenti SL23 rims. Handbuilt and Tubeless. £603
[url= http://thecycleclinic.co.uk/collections/road-rim-brake-wheelsets/products/pacenti-sl23-build-with-white-industries-t11-hubs ]Have a look here.[/url]
I've got some h-plus son hard grey archetypes on Royce Venus ti hubs that I could be persuaded to sell.
Sub 85kg rider limit.
PPPppppppp,,,
Unctures!!!!
😆
Sorry for the slight hijack
My friend is selling his px carbon wheels. Less than 200 dry miles. I sold an exact same pair last month for £250.
Similar to these. http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/WPPX52CCL/planet-x-52mm-carbon-clincher-wheelset
Get in touch if you are interested.
Cheers
Hmm you can now get Cosmic Carbone 40c (the M40's to which bikebouy refers) for just over a grand from the Germans. That would be quite a tempting offer if I were after such a wheelset. I'd probably still save a few more pennies and get the Zipps though.
If you like Mavic I've got some Ksyrium SLR Exalith's here I'm selling, very good nick.
E-mail in profile if you're interested.
Clincher this, latex that. Ppffft.
What you need is a set of these bad boys - £6.99 from the BP garage when you but a tank of fuel. Awesome.
[img] https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSyvftC_jwm9L2RbYFgr25UVp8gh3v0pVKqpeFUpvgeP3LJEkrY [/img]
On a serious note and without wanting to hijack the thread, I have a £1k road bike (Cannondale Synapse Disk 105) so it wont have great spec wheels / tyres.
I cant see me wanting to spend £500+ on a new wheelset, as nice an idea as it sounds. But if i was to go out and replace the tyres with say the Vittoria Open Corsa (as mentioned above) would i notice a difference? Lots of rolling hills around here (Lancashire).
The best carbon road wheels around at the moment are Bontrager and Reynolds I reckon. We get a lot of Mavic and Zipp come through the shop and I haven't been particularly impressed with either (Mavic: heavy; old fashioned V aero rim profile; aluminium core to the carbon rims; narrow), (Zipp: flexy; overpriced; inconsistent finish; stickers go green in the sun).
Vittoria are not the quickest IMO, but with latex tubes they are some of the nicest feeling tyres you can ride which counts for a lot. Veloflex masters are even nicer, but a bit fragile. I am not sensitive to these sort of things but it felt like someone had coated my wheels in treacle when I put winter tyres/tubes on (pro 4 endurance )
A very boring recommendation for tyres is conti 4000s. They are fast and they are puncture proof. They just do not feel as nice.
The best carbon road wheels around at the moment are Bontrager and Reynolds I reckon
I know some pretty savvy testers that rate the Reynolds Aero clinchers right up there. Pretty fast apparently.
Roval ones seem quite well regarded too.
FWIW if they were to be my day to day wheels and I wasn't looking for guaranteed top notch aero performance, I'd probably go for those Wheelsmith ones on DT240 hubs. Mostly because I know how to service the hubs myself and spares are easy to get. And spare spokes and nipples are easily available too and anyone can rebuild them (including me!) Quite a lot of cash though given the lack of fancy logos.
Though you did say pimp and Sunday best so maybe the above doesn't apply 🙂
What feels good to ride - good tyres, esp tubs and tubeless. Light rims.
What's fast - aero.
Plenty of other shit around to buy which looks cool, rolls well, "is fast, no doubt about it" (Jesus wept) etc, see above.
What's fast - aero.
Plenty of other shit around to buy which looks cool, rolls well, "is fast, no doubt about it" (Jesus wept) etc, see above.
This is why when it's a proper race wheel I'll spend the cash and get something that's had a lot of credible testing done on it. Not just something that someone reckons looks a bit like a 404 etc so is probably quick. And certainly not on the recommendation of someone on a forum who claims it must be quick because they've been getting loads of Strava KOMs on them!
TBH I'm not entirely sure what the OP is after. He wants "an advantage" but doesn't expand on that. Then says it's purely for aesthetics/pimp. In which case just get something you like the look of that suits your bike 🙂
I love my Dura ace 9000 hubs and Mavic CXP33 rims. There are plenty of other rims available, but these hubs are so nice. Carbon rims can be nice, but if you swap wheels, do you want to swap brake blocks?
Do you want stupid light (tubulars), light (carbon rims) or quality but not so light? If you don't want/need aero, there are some great wheel builds at the £5-600 mark and about 1600 g. I would definitely go for handbuilt rather than factory wheels, because you will eventually want to replace a spoke or a rim.
Ha so cynic-al 🙂 Funnily enough there is quite a bit of data on these wheels. At least two german mags have taken them to the tunnel. In one case testing in loads of different bikes.Plenty of other shit around to buy which looks cool, rolls well, "is fast, no doubt about it" (Jesus wept) etc, see above.
Most wheels of this depth are quick tbh. However most old style are not a lot of fun in the wind.
What MrBlobby said, if you just say something is fast or nice, it is a meaningless opinion.
If you have sources, show them.
I think we've gone off on a bling tangent here. Aksium's are pretty cheap and cheerful in the scheme of things so £500ish wheels will be a noticeable step up.
Which brings me back to getting some nice handbuilt jobs.
Campagnolo Zonda wheels are a good upgrade over standard issues ones and can be had on offer at sensible prices if you don't fancy going the hand built route.
However I'd say you need to decide what you want to improve and go speak to a good builder like Strada, as they'll be able to help you out.
So summary. Aksium, cheap, heavy (>1800g) and not aero.
You could get a better feel from them by just sticking a decent pair of supple tyres and maybe some latex tubes on there (probably best take bikebouy's advice as he's from your neck of the woods.) So under 100 quid for tyres and tubes.
You could get some better all rounder style wheels, you're probably looking at around the 600 quid mark, that'd drop a fair bit of weight (at least sub 1500g) and would feel a lot more sprightly (you would notice quite difference.) Example being that Panceti build mentioned above. Or you could go higher end Ksyrium for example if after a factory build. You could go cheaper but if looking for a significant improvement I'd be looking at this sort of budget.
Then around the 1000 quid point you start getting into the lower end of the aero wheelsets, but also some nice all rounder factory wheelsets like the Ksyrium SLR. You could get some very nice handbuilts for this budget too (see Strada or JRA.)
At around 1500 quid and upwards you start getting into the real performance carbon aero wheelsets, Zipp, Reynolds, Bonty, etc. Or the seriously light climbing wheels.
So need to decide what your performance priorities are and how much you want to spend. Also what you're going to use them for (all day, every day, would need to consider maintenance.) And if pimp/aesthetics are important, then what looks right on your bike. So, OP, what's it to be? 🙂
I have an extreme fondness for Campag, but from what you describe Boras running tubless fits the bill. They look great, they perform well, and they are extremely puncture resistant.
Bora's are stunning wheels, but very expensive. I'd really a like a new pair of the clincher version just released, but I can't justify the cost.
Note that the new 2016 wheels are wider so there are some bargains to be had on the older tub version.
Just riding along's on wheels. The lifes are pacenti sl23 and £380 and c1400g. Don't know how good the hubs are though
I've been having the wheel dilemma for some time. I have chosen to (I've almost almost made my mind up...)
Buy some duraace c24's for hilly / alp type rides - alloy, light and not silly money.
Save up a buy some zipp 404's for blasting about home, flat sportives and the like
Keep my rs21s for winter and horrible weather duties
Save up and buy an 808 and disk for TT
Thats my disposable income sorted for the next decade.
Not sure I'd bother with the C24. Unless you need an extra wheelset or really want alloy. They don't seem especially light. I'd probably put the cash towards getting a lighter pair of aero wheels, though the 404 are pretty good as it is.
The Roval CLX would tempt me as they seem light and aero, sub 1400g for the 40mm and sub 1500g for the 60mm. I'd have a dig into the aero claims and see how they compare. DT Swiss internals on the hubs is good too. And the price isn't silly either (fairly similar to Zipp.)
I'm not sure when I'd use a stupidly light set of climbing wheels, other than maybe a proper hill climb event, but then if I did much of that I'd probably get some silly light carbon tubs. Spend far more time on rolling terrain than on long properly steep climbs. Maybe if I had an Alps holiday booked but there's fat chance of that at the moment.
Oh and DT78, loving my new 808 🙂 Though do give it a thorough check if you get one, a club mate had to send a couple back due to QC issues. Not sure what's going on at Zipp but I've heard a few grumbles along those lines.
I do love a good "what road wheel" thread 🙂
So, my dream sets:
A set of Shamal Utras for training and crits (got)
A set of Bora Ultras for longer races (need)
a set of vintage Boras for the Raleigh (want)
If I ever get a TT bike, this will significantly expand.
Don't confuse me more! C24s were for hilly rides like the dragon. I hope to get to the Alpsnext year too. Heard scary things about carbon rims and alp descents.
Shiny bikes have decent prices on zips at the.moment.
Really, forget the baloney about aero; they may look bling but it doesn't make a difference until you are going racingy fast and it's a ball-ache when you ride past a gate and the wind hits them.
I've had over five years of use out of my Ksyrium SLs, they are a superb stiff strong wheel and still running as true as the day I got them. On them I've got Veloflex Open Corsas (very similar to Vittorias) with latex inners. Punctures are no more frequent than with butyl tubes, but they ride superbly and grip like hell and the bike feels incredibly "planted" on the road. Good enough for me.
Veloflex Corsas are £52 a pair from Ribble.
Baloney about aero? Really? You don't need to be going that fast to get the benefit. If your rides average out around 20mph you'll definitely get a lot of benefit.
C24. I'd gather the pennies from down the back of the sofa and get the Mavic R-Sys SLR instead. Only a grand at probikekit 🙂
USE carbons half price at Rutland Cycling at the mo (so, still 650 quid).
Toying with a set of aero 4.5s to complement my 1300g LBs...
The USE ones seem to review and test quite well too, certainly for 650 quid.
"cheap" Mavics
People seem to be saying a lot of different things so I'll give you my personal experience seeing as I have tried a few different wheels in the last year. I was in your position looking for a decent wheel upgrade and this is what I have learned.
Bottom line: spend a bit and get something aero and reputable, but certainly don't buy at full retail price - look for good condition second hand or maybe heavily reduced new if you cba with buying second hand. Use latex tubes and a good quality tyre (I'm very much enjoying my 25mm Schwalbe Ones at the moment). Look for something with a wide rim as this will give a good ride (e.g. 23mm and above)
I currently own 3 wheelsets: Reynolds Strike SGLs (62mm full carbon clincher), Fuclrum Racing Zeros (lightweight factory built clincher) and some H plus son Archetypes on Powertap/Aviee (handbuilt wheels from Strada for general riding).
The Reynolds are absolutely lovely to ride, I would pick them every single time over the Racing Zeros or the handbuilts (except if its wet, then I would use the handbuilts, or if I was going to Wales, then I might pick the Zeros). They hold speed beautifully and despite the fact that they are not light (probably about 1800g for the set - about 300g more than the Racing Zeros) they are a joy to use (I live in North Bucks by the way, not anywhere super hilly, I'm regularly in the Chilterns though, so not super flat either). It takes noticeably less effort to maintain a given speed and sprinting or going anywhere quick is just fantastic. Even riding slowly is a pleasure in fact. I take my Strikes out on 14mph recovery rides just because I enjoy riding them so much!
They are also very comfortable. The Reynolds are kept on a Specialized Tarmac SL3 S Works - not a bike that you would usually describe as forgiving and yet they managed to achieve a level of ride comfort that is only just below my steel Genesis Equilibrium 853. I have no problem riding the S Works all day, or several days in a row, and I think a good part of that is down to wheels. (plus latex tubes and good tyres obviously)
I picked up the Strikes on eBay for 700 quid, new and unused. I think they usually retail at about 1100. If you're not quite ready to spend that much yet, get some handbuilts. I'd go for something like a Pancetti SL23 on a good quality hub but dont spend more that 350/400 because otherwise you may as well save a bit more and get something really good. If and when I upgrade it will be a pair of Reynolds Aero 58/72s (Reynolds premium carbon clincher, but nearly twice the price).
The disadvantage of the Strikes is they are sphincter clenching-ly bad in the wet but apart from that I have no problems. Some might say the weight is a disadvantage, and it might be if I lived in the Peaks, but I think its minor and not something I really notice at all. I'm 66kg and enjoy riding up hills too - there's a certain satisfaction to be found in powering your 62mm wheels uphill past the rest of the club 😀 You wouldn't want them as your only wheelset tho, you need something cheap and aluminium to fall back on when the weather turns.
The Racing Zeros are not really worth owning for me to be honest, I should sell them, but I will use them in a few hill climbs at the end of the season. They are lovely and stiff though, great for sprinting up climbs or just for making the Equilibrium into a bit more of a lively ride for summer.
Rambled on a wee bit there but I hope some of that is useful for you and others...
OK as we seem to be stuck in bling mode, I'll bite.
All my CF wheels are tubs so only come out for TT's (rare these days) or extra special high days and holidays (brake blocks swapped out).
Easton Aero90 TT's - 46mm rims and the front catches the wind very easily. - Freaked my boss out when he rode them t'other week.
Xentis 4 spokes - don't catch the wind and not much difference in weight. Look unusual but fairly comfy. The hubs are fab and roll forever.
Corima Aeros - not ridden for a few years now but the low spoke count equals a lot of flexing
Corima disk, it's a disk so enough said
Tune / Pacenti handbuilts. Probably the nicest conventional wheels I've ever owned. Noisy freehub
DA 7850 C24 - nice and light but pretty flexy, especially the front.
2004 Zondas have been bomb proof but now tired.
Numerous other Shimano, Mavic and Hope concoctions. - Bog standard road wheels in various iterations.
[url= http://www.elevensprocket.com/shop/4584367584/eleven-sprocket-esp38c/8060091 ]eleven sprocket[/url]
Ceramic Bearings, decal colour choice.
I got a pair of Carbonal 38mm carbon rims on Novatec Hubs with X-ray spokes for £550 from Spokeman Wheels. 1420g. I run them tubeless with stans tape & sealent.
I've been riding Zipp 303s, Enve 65 Classics, cheap Fulcrum racing 7s and Shimano r500 and Hplusson mated to powertap as above.
Best hubs are the DT Swiss 240, the Zipp 188 hub had too much lateral play so you have to run the rear brake really wide. Better on the new hubs I believe. Both are carbon rims (Enve and Zipp) so wet braking not so good. The Zipps were awesome all round, but the Enves fly at 45kmh+ and the rear wheel is super stiff so good race wheel.
Hplusson good comfortable rims, would consider a custom build with them again but not super light.
Personally if you don't want tubs you're not racing and can only afford one set of wheels I'd get C24 or Zeros. Pretty light, clincher and alloy so good in wet too.
Yes think the new Zipps come with much improved hubs and they've beefed up the bearing size.
Got some archetype on ulterga hubs that I need to get built up for this winter.
Really don't know what I'd go for if I was to be buying new fast wheels. If I really had to choose now it'd probably be 404 clinchers just because I could race and fair weather train on them. Extra weight over tubs not really a concern and I think the extra cost is offset by the fact that they'd get ridden a lot more. Also some really nice open clinchers out there now.
The JRA Jawbone Lite Wheel set looks ridiculously good value at £380.
Pancenti SL23 Rims (2015 version), Bitex Hubs, 1342g.
Could be the wheels for me.
Maybe it's just my wheel but my Hplusson rim doesn't have a hole in it so the box section fills up with water.... 5 minutes with a drill needed I think.
40mph, do you have an email address I can ping some pictures to?
I have a set of these that I'm about to sell.....
listed here with REALLY bad photo - http://www.freeborn.co.uk/reynolds-thirty-two?gclid=Cj0KEQjwl6GuBRD8x4G646HX7ZYBEiQADGnzupQwEGYK3mnPHY5NT9UwoL2XGeaA2PbVlV3vz8XmHqgaAtid8P8HAQ
at £1779 in clincher choice.
I am selling mine at £800. Which, whilst I appreciate is not cheap, they're cheap for what they are. I have done twelve miles on them.
I'm a 90kg rider, so I've basically decided that my 2005 Zipp 404 Clydesdales (extra spokes for heavier riders) are the best set for my riding, despite them being 10years old.
The Reynolds are 1400g.
If anyone is interested in them, please drop me an email (email is in my profile) and i'll pick it up almost instantly.
burnsybhoy - Member
The JRA Jawbone Lite Wheel set looks ridiculously good value at £380.Pancenti SL23 Rims (2015 version), Bitex Hubs, 1342g.
Could be the wheels for me.
I'd be paying £249.99 and getting the same rims on Icon Ultra hubs with cartridge bearings and the same weight!
http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/pacenti-sl23-icon-ultra-11speed-wheelset.htm
Or get an extra 15% off at Superstar with this months code FBWHEELAUG and pay £212 🙂