Non/Own Brand Wheels v Branded wheels

Kaisr Sose

I am looking to upgrade my wheels from OEM Fulcrum 6.5 to something better.

Budget €300-400

How do the likes of the starcomponents, swissside (alu) Wheelsmiths or Hunt (alu) etc compare to wheels like Campagnolo Zonda*, Fulcrum Quatro, Mavic Krysium etc bought ex Germany

Also, what about tubeless over tyre/tube? Hunt rave about it but I have no experience of tubeless

* I believe this is the official Boards wheel :-)

Borderfox

Had a set of zondas but cracked the rear wheel around Blessington, replaced them with Superstar components pave 28 and they haven't missed a beat. Really like them

Daroxtar

Superstar Arc31 and the Hunt Race Season Aero Wide both use the Kinlin XR31T rim but with different hubs. It seems to be a very good rim going by reviews. Prices are around your budget and you get the bonuses of easily repairable and serviceable wheels made by humans.
I'm considering going down that route myself.

route66

When I upgraded the wheels on the Felt Z6, I wanted something that was both lighter than the stock wheels and very reliable.

I did some research and came up with these: Shimano Ultegra 6800. They weigh 1,640g, and since I put them on 2 years ago, I haven't touched them; they are still as solid and as true as the day they left the factory. You can use them as tubeless, although I don't.

Review here: link

Available for about €300 from most big internet stores, e.g. ribble

Oh, and they look OK too:

harringtonp

Racing on

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/clearance-icon-ultra-11speed-wheelsets-2024.htm

this year and have no major complaints. Light and sturdy, hit a few potholes for test purposes :cool:

Only minor complaint I have (for the price) is the hubs. They need a bit of tuning (with allen keys) to keep them running smooth and free, too tight and they spin down quickly.

Eponymous

On the same topic, I'm running a nine speed cassette on Maddux rims which came as standard. If I were to change the wheelset, what, if anything do I need to look at in terms of the hub?

topcat77

I've also got Shimano Ultegra 6800 but i run them with Schwalbe Pro One Evolution Tubeless Folding Tires. I find the tires better than Conti GP4000s, i've been using them for the last month and still bring a spare tube, leavers and air out with me as a precaution.

Bomb prof combination. I believe the Shimano Ultegra 6800 are the wheel of choice for the tour of Flanders spotive

Kaisr Sose

Wheels built by humans sound good to me! I am trying to get a set under 1500gm if possible. I am 67kg, so a heavy duty 'cobble bashing' type wheel is not required.

gaffmaster

Thread semi-hijack!

Are these best used as Cyclocross Wheels... or are they just as good on the road? They have pretty wide rims. And (back on topic) come in under 1500g excluding QRs.

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/arc-cx-ray-probuild-volta-11speed-clearance-dealx.htm

Use code GETEXTRA20 for an extra 20% off...

EDIT: Even better... use MADMAY25FB for 25% off...

harringtonp

Kaisr Sose wrote: »

Wheels built by humans sound good to me! I am trying to get a set under 1500gm if possible. I am 67kg, so a heavy duty 'cobble bashing' type wheel is not required.

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/clearance-alexrims-r380-wheelset.htm

G1032

harringtonp wrote: »

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/clearance-alexrims-r380-wheelset.htm

I bought these R380's at Easter time just gone to replace my Zondas which have caused me nothing but trouble.
Only a little over 1000km up on the R380's but so far so good. Very happy with them.

billyhead

Folks. I am also in the market for new wheels as the stock ones I have on my trek Madone have lasted me through 2 winters and are are not running true. I am undecided between the Shimano Ultegra wheel and the Alexrims. Anyone else have feedback on which is best

Kaisr Sose

harringtonp wrote: »

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/clearance-alexrims-r380-wheelset.htm

Thanks for the link but I don't get any availability on those wheels in shimano or campag. I am running campag and lots of superstarcomponents wheels show no campag in stock :-(

harringtonp

G1032 wrote: »

I bought these R380's at Easter time just gone to replace my Zondas which have caused me nothing but trouble.
Only a little over 1000km up on the R380's but so far so good. Very happy with them.

I bought them too at easter availing of the extra 20 pc. Haven't used them yet, keeping them as spare because when if you to get a decent wheel in a hurry in can be costly. And as long as you keep cycling you can be sure you'll have wheel problems. Currently using the slightly cheaper superstar elites.

Question, how do you find them getting up to speed? And happy with how they spin?

G1032

harringtonp wrote: »

I bought them too at easter availing of the extra 20 pc. Haven't used them yet, keeping them as spare because when if you to get a decent wheel in a hurry in can be costly. And as long as you keep cycling you can be sure you'll have wheel problems. Currently using the slightly cheaper superstar elites.

Question, how do you find them getting up to speed? And happy with how they spin?

Funny you ask that! I thought I was imagining it and maybe I am but I think my rear Zonda spun just a smidge more freely.

harringtonp

G1032 wrote: »

Funny you ask that! I thought I was imagining it and maybe I am but I think my rear Zonda spun just a smidge more freely.

I have a front zonda which also spins more freely and a front planet X 60mm which goes on forever by comparison.

That's the only question mark for me about those hubs and I do wonder are superstar selling them cheap because they want to move on to something different for future builds. Having said that the price is still great and I was aware of this when buying a second set.

You need to play around with the bolt tightness to get them running as smooth as possible