What wheelset to upgrade from Ultegra?

[raf_gti]

I may have to give in and upgrade my wheelset from Ultegra 6600, still waiting for a darned spoke, 3-4 weeks without a bike for the sake of a replacement spoke is just not on

Soooooooo.

I'm after ideas for a suitable replacement, my criteria are that they must look good, weigh less that Ultegra and roll at least as well and not be ridiculously expensive.

As ever, pics are always appreciated and horror stories welcome

[anonymous-user]

depends what they are for, how heavy you are and how big your wallet is really.

fulcrum 3s or 1s would be high on my list, i love my 7s and they are made by campagnolo. the freewheel is very loud but that justs stops you freewheeling.

if you want something a bit special, have a look here www.wheelsmith.co.uk at the gigantex carbon clinchers on some royce hubs £762 but you wont find anything similar in terms of quality for under £1k yeah they arent the lightest but are you after climbing wheel or something that will hold speed?

have seen a few people getting excited about these planet x 20mm carbon rims too if you want tubs, 250g per rim is light as a very light thing....
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/RIPXC20MM/plan...

[anonymous-user]

Another vote for the fulcrums I have 5's and they are great for what they cost £150.

[okgo]

Those gigantix wheels seem expensive!

I've been close to getting some Chinese carbon wheels off eBay, 50mm are about 350 fully built and delivered.

You can't go wrong with krysiums from what I hear, rs80 are a bargain for the weight really, so check those out.

[The Flying Ox]

Reynolds Solitude. Really quite light and ridiculously strong. Mine are anyway, despite 14.5 stone of skill-less oaf bulldozing through a pothole at 30mph. Double punctured, but the wheels are untouched.


You could also look at American Classics. If their road wheels are anything like their MTB wheels, you'll not go far wrong.

Edited by The Flying Ox on Saturday 30th July 09:02

[anonymous-user]

For light, stiff, strong, fast and relatively cheap, Fulcrums.

Wheelsmith.co.uk could probably do something comparable, if you are prepared to wait.

Carbon clInchers are heavy until you start spending silly money. Am Classics havena rep for being flexy.

Don't bother with anything too deep (heavy) or anything with a carbon brake track (if you are planning to brake in the wet).

[okgo]

50mm clinchers from eBay are still lighter than fulcrum 5/7 and about the sane as 3's.

Fulcrums aren't that light

[itsnotarace]

RS80 or Mavic Kysrium Elite both excellent wheelsets

[andySC]

Mavic Ksyrium SL's? I've had mine for over 2 years. They're as true & smooth as when new. Only thing I've had to do is nip the front cones up from time to time(this takes 10 secs with a special tool & the wheel doesn't even need to come out). I reckon mine have done well over 10k miles & other than a bit of paint coming off the red spoke, they look great. Light too.

[Beardy10]

raf_gti said:

I may have to give in and upgrade my wheelset from Ultegra 6600, still waiting for a darned spoke, 3-4 weeks without a bike for the sake of a replacement spoke is just not on

Soooooooo.

I'm after ideas for a suitable replacement, my criteria are that they must look good, weigh less that Ultegra and roll at least as well and not be ridiculously expensive.

As ever, pics are always appreciated and horror stories welcome

Get yourself some handbuilt wheels....those in the know will appreciate the "look".

I have DA hubs on some DT Swiss RR 1.1 Rim's...any bike shop can change a spoke in minutes. Mine were built by Condor for me who charged £10 to fit a new spoke when one broke. Oh and Dura Ace hubs are sooooo smooth.

[anonymous-user]

fulcrums arent as light as some but my 7s have taken on all the potholes i can find in bristol and a still true almost 12 months since fitting them.

agree the gigantexs from wheelsmith arent cheap, but i will bet that a) the hubs are better than the chinese ebay wheels, they are built using better spokes and are built by a reputable builder of vastly more years experience, you pays your money, you takes your choice.

personally i would go open pro, royce ti hubs, dt spokes and a reputable wheel builder.

problem with mavic and the likes is when a spoke goes, you are unlikely to find a shop that has matching spokes and the replacements form mavic arent cheap.... like £10 each and postage from france...

[Simond S]

american classic aero 420's

simply fantastic, and lots of deals about on them.

[raf_gti]

Thanks for the suggestions guys

Liking the look of the Reynolds, the price and weight is pretty decent.

Fancy the idea of Hope hubs build with A.N.Other rim although I can't find a massive amounf of comments of the hubs.

There appear to be plenty of sub £200 sets and even more £600+ sets but nothing which sits in my budget of £4-500.

I forgot to mention I'm chunkier than I would like, don't race but ride as fast as I can everywhere

[Jimbo.]

Since you're currently experiencing one of the pitfalls of "factory" wheels, might it be wise to opt for an easily repairable set of handbuilts, built *precisely* for what you need: only the pros get that, something the marketing man forgets...

http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/ lists the various prices, although as always its best to ring and discuss.

[raf_gti]

Jimbo. said:

Since you're currently experiencing one of the pitfalls of "factory" wheels, might it be wise to opt for an easily repairable set of handbuilts, built *precisely* for what you need: only the pros get that, something the marketing man forgets...

http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/ lists the various prices, although as always its best to ring and discuss.

Very true.

If I'd had normal spokes on my wheels there would've been no need for this thread in the first place!

There will be an element of vanity I must admit, I'm not overly fond of massive spoke counts on a modern looking road bike.

[anonymous-user]

raf_gti said:

Jimbo. said:

Since you're currently experiencing one of the pitfalls of "factory" wheels, might it be wise to opt for an easily repairable set of handbuilts, built *precisely* for what you need: only the pros get that, something the marketing man forgets...

http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/ lists the various prices, although as always its best to ring and discuss.

Very true.

If I'd had normal spokes on my wheels there would've been no need for this thread in the first place!

There will be an element of vanity I must admit, I'm not overly fond of massive spoke counts on a modern looking road bike.

how about the planet x carbon rims then? twenty or twenty four spokes, should be able to find some suitable hubs from a wheelbuilder....
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/RIPXC20MM/plan...

[Jimbo.]

...or indeed, (many) of the rims offered by the likes of Wheelsmith, Paul Hewitt, Harry Rowland etc, etc: if you want a lightweight, low-spoke-count wheel, tell them and I'm sure they'll devise something.