Wheels.....please help

BALSA

Hi everyone,
So 2011 is right around the corner and i wanna kick it off with a new set of wheels but i dont know where to start looking, what to look for, all i know is i want something very light and looks nice, price bracket about 800??

paddymacsporran

sonic c-max get good reviews if you like a more traditional looking wheel

http://road.cc/content/review/19442-sonic-c-max-wheelset

I'm can't decide between these for next year -

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/WPMACOCASL/mavic-cosmic-carbone-sl-wheels
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=26445

High Nellie

What do you want the wheels for:
Racing (which Cat?)
Racing and TTs?
Sportives?
Touring?
Going to shops?

DirkVoodoo

Even more basic than that, what type of bike are we talking about? Then we can start talking what you want to use them for.

What is your current setup?

BALSA

Right now i'm on a felt z6, im lookin for wheels for racing, shimano 105groupset

paddymacsporran

I knew that.

Lumen

800 is a funny budget for wheels

jdt101

+1 cosmic carbone sl

http://www.jedi-sports.de/product_info.php/info/p2429_Mavic-Cosmic-Carbone-SL-white-2010.html

TheDocMan

Dura Ace 7850 carbon laminates. Light clincher that`s got general purpose ability.

kerryscoob

TheDocMan wrote: »

Dura Ace 7850 carbon laminates. Light clincher that`s got general purpose ability.

Clincher or you could go Clincher & Tubeless , light weight, good reviews and for the money looks great value.

I'm half tempted, thoughts anyone!!

niceonetom

Clinchers or tubs? That's fundamental.

I agree with Lumen on €800 being an awkward price-point for wheels - it's not enough to go for carbon and too much to spend on alu.

I'd either up the budget to around the €1000 mark and look at carbon clinchers (reynolds or soul appeal to me) or save your money and get something like the Shimano RS80s - they're the same rim and spokes as the dura-ace 7850 CL but with ultegra hubs. You won't notice the weight difference but you'll save a couple of hundred quid. Even cheaper are the Pro-Lite Bracciano which are a hell of a wheel for the money. Then start saving for something aero.

If you really want to spend money on alu clinchers these are very popular. Carbonnes are heavy and noisy and fill up with water.

paddymacsporran

I don't see the sense in buying them now personally, I'll be waiting until spring.

I have a pair of entry level eastons I like, so probably go for a better pair of them for the good bike

DirkVoodoo

I agree, save up and buy a nice set of tubs and wait until the spring, no point blowing money now on wheels you can't really (or shouldn't) use in this weather.

jimm

niceonetom wrote: »

or save your money and get something like the Shimano RS80s - they're the same rim and spokes as the dura-ace 7850 CL but with ultegra hubs.

They are €399 + €28 shipping.

€401.61 from CRC with free postage http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=38244

DirkVoodoo

jimm wrote: »

They are €399 + €28 shipping.

€401.61 from CRC with free postage http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=38244

380 From Merlin, Merlin wins!

BALSA

Thanks for all the advice everyone, i think i'm gonna save up for some nice carbon clinchers (any suggestions?), and generally speaking are there good deals to get in january with january sales or is it more or less the same?

Prezatch

What do people think of Fulcrum 3's? I was thinking of upgrading my wheels in the new year from the aksium's I got with my bike (Focus Cayo - ultegra groupset). I mainly just use the bike to get around dublin, the odd race or long ride here and there. I weigh around 65kg and my budget would be more like 500 euro

Junior

I've seen Zipp 404s going for that sort of money, but you've got to be sharp.

Lumen

BALSA wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice everyone, i think i'm gonna save up for some nice carbon clinchers (any suggestions?), and generally speaking are there good deals to get in january with january sales or is it more or less the same?

Reynolds Assault look good
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=40319

I have Soul C5.0 carbon clinchers and am very happy with them. They're lighter and deeper than the Reynolds. Bought them last summer.

Carbon clincher technology is coming along quite fast, so worth a good Google since you're in no great rush.

Vaaltron

Mavic Ksyrium Elites, 1550 grammes campagnolo ,1565 shimano are the best all around wheel, including value for money on the Market. Don't buy into this marketing hype about 1300 gram wheelsets. Waste of money. A 100 grams here and there will not make any difference especially on Irish roads.

TheDocMan

There`s plenty of marketing out there alright BUT for what it`s worth i`ve ridden Mavic elite`s, premium SL`s, Shimano ultegra SL, Dura ace 7850 tubless and carbon CL`S and there`s no doubt there`s a noticable difference on the road especially accelerating on climbs. The Dura ace CL`s are winners hands down. They`re also the lightest of the pack. Not aware of any general major reliability issues and those hubs are silky smooth.

Raam

JoeyD wrote: »

What do people think of Fulcrum 3's? I was thinking of upgrading my wheels in the new year from the aksium's I got with my bike (Focus Cayo - ultegra groupset). I mainly just use the bike to get around dublin, the odd race or long ride here and there. I weigh around 65kg and my budget would be more like 500 euro

I've ridden a set of these a few times. Quite a nice wheel. I can't really tell you much about the finer details of them, but my bro rode a set over the Tour of Flanders and he liked them.

If you aren't doing a whole lot of cycling, then I think it's overkill and I don't see the point in changing from Aksiums. Unless they are causing problems or you really just feel like spending some cash.

Raam

Lumen wrote: »

Reynolds Assault look good
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=40319

I've got a set of the Assaults. Sexy looking wheel, if you ask me. 46mm ain't terribly deep but I felt it a fair bit in crosswinds when I first got them. It doesn't take long to get used to it though. I love em.

Vaaltron

TheDocMan wrote: »

The Dura ace CL`s are winners hands down. They`re also the lightest of the pack. .

I own a set of Shimano Dura Ace CL-24 Clinchers Also. I have weighed them Myself on a rather expensive but very accurate digital scale.

Without quick release skewers but including Shimano 18mm high pressure rim tape ( approximate weight 14 grams per tape ) the weights are as follows:

Rear Wheel - 811 Grams / 1.787 Ibs

Front Wheel - 617 Grams / 1.360 Ibs



Combined Wheelset weight 1428 Grams / 3.147 Ibs.


I purchased these at A Sale price from CRC for 500 Euro's. Last Year.

Great Wheel. Very smooth. Responsive.

Although not quite as handy to service as Mavic Hubs.

Now I ride hard On climbs on both Dura-Ace And Elites. Sprinting out of the saddle Ect. And to be absolutely honest there is no noticeable difference whatsoever between them. The Power Is in Your legs, combined with Your Heart and Lung Capacity.

BALSA

Hey i have a quick question, i currently have the 105 groupset, and im thinking of buying the shimano dura ace carbon laminate clinchers in the new year, do i need to buy a dura ace cassette aswell or will my 105 cassette be compatable??

paddymacsporran

105 will work, as long as the cassette/shifters are the same number of gears - 9 speed, 10 speed.

All shimano groupsets work with each other as long as you do that - Sram works perfectly well mixed with Shimano too.

Don't believe the Shim-sham hype....

BALSA

paddymacsporran wrote: »

105 will work, as long as the cassette/shifters are the same number of gears - 9 speed, 10 speed.

All shimano groupsets work with each other as long as you do that - Sram works perfectly well mixed with Shimano too.

Don't believe the Shim-sham hype....

What would you recommend as an alternative??? i'm still shopping around, not planning on buying anything until the new year

Lemag

paddymacsporran wrote: »

105 will work, as long as the cassette/shifters are the same number of gears - 9 speed, 10 speed.

All shimano groupsets work with each other as long as you do that - Sram works perfectly well mixed with Shimano too.

Don't believe the Shim-sham hype....

I think that he was asking if the hub fitted to the Dura Ace clinchers would be able to accommodate his 105 cassette. AFAIK, it should be fine.

paddymacsporran

Will be fine.

I was merely trying to cover all bases....

Prezatch

Clearance sale on some carbon wheelsets here - http://planet-x-bikes.co.uk/news/planet-x-news/q/date/2010/12/20/clearance-sale

fat bloke

First post (yay). I'm in a similar position to the OP, but I've a bit more leeway in the wallet department. Been researching sort of 1200 ish euro carbon options for the last month and am no closer to a decision:rolleyes:. I love the look of the mavic carbone's but this aero-sheath business with the spokes just going straight through to the rim, I dunno, I'm not convinced by it. Those dura-ace 7850 C50's look lovely. And I like the look of the sram s60's too, but I liked the 2009 white and red graphics better than this year's plainer black and white. They seem to be a bit on the lardy side though...

I wonder if Zipp have any plans to release another "budget" friendly special edition 404's? I could live without the dimples if I could find a place that had them in stock.