Cheap light road wheels

[jamiebae]

Before anyone starts, I know you can have two of cheap, light or strong....!

I weigh a fraction over 60kg and ride only on beautifully surfaced pot-hole free roads, with plenty of hills so am wondering how light I can go for £200 or so. Does anyone do a 1500g wheel set at that kind of price point?

[TwistingMyMelon]

I like my fulcrum racing 5s, they are about 1600g ish, have lasted without issue

There seems to be a bit of flex in the back, but they climb really well and I really like them for "put on and forget"

Should be under £200

Otherwise there aren't too many options, that are light, as at the price point , unless you go second hand which is a bit of a minefield unless you know the seller

[okgo]

Fulcrum 5's will be fine.

I would imagine my fulcrum 7 training wheels are less than 15 seconds slower up a 1.5 mile hill of medium gradient than my Zipp 303 Firecrest tubs.

Edited by okgo on Tuesday 24th February 17:34

[Some Gump]

Personally, I;d go for the Racing 4.5's on ebay at the moment. They're either racing 3 rims with 5 hubs, or 5 rims with 3 hubs. Either way, they'll be better than racing 5's, but less popular because of the stigma associated with OEM spec wheels =)

[Banana Boy]

I've just ordered the current Fulcrum Racing 5's (CX with sealed bearings as I commute daily etc) as they seemed to tick all three boxes: good value, light and strong?...

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fulcrum/racing...

Cheapest in the UK I believe?

Or if you're hitting the Euro thing at the mo maybe? (not sure on shipping etc):

http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/fulcrum-racing-...

[gazza285]

Banana Boy said:

I've just ordered the current Fulcrum Racing 5's (CX with sealed bearings as I commute daily etc) as they seemed to tick all three boxes: good value, light and strong?...

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fulcrum/racing...

Cheapest in the UK I believe?

Or if you're hitting the Euro thing at the mo maybe? (not sure on shipping etc):

http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/fulcrum-racing-...

I wouldn't worry too much about the CX version, I have the standard 5s on my cyclocross bike and I wear through the rims before the bearings are shot, the road versions are more than adequately sealed.

[okgo]

I bought my 7's from that German shop in euros. Came 4 days later. Well
Impressed

[littleandy0410]

These got a great write up on road.cc:

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/pave-28-ultr...

http://road.cc/content/review/140076-superstar-com...

[yellowjack]

I've been looking for some lightweight wheels myself just this morning, to 'upgrade' a stock Bontrager Race wheelset of 1720 grams.

Spotted these...

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/elite-24-ult...

24mm deep Elite rims, Icon 11 speed hubs, choice of matched hub/rim colours (Red, Black, or Silver), and £185 for a 1492 gram wheelset. Quick release skewers NOT supplied.

jamiebae said:

...how light can I go for £200 or so..?

...does anyone do a 1500g wheel set at that kind of price point?

£15 cheaper and 8 grams lighter than what you asked for

Superstar Components said:

Built in the UK with Sapim Laser spokes and alloy nipples, these wheels are light, stiff and backed up by our comprehensive support package, including:

2 year warranty
Crash replacement discount scheme
Lifetime free truing service

I've done the maths, and without including any skewers, it'd be saving me only 228 grams. Knock another 47 grams off that saving... http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/pair-of-supe... ...and add the £27 for the skewers, and I'd save 181 grams for £212, or approx. £1.17 per gram saved.

It's a more cost efficient saving than the:
£3.00 per gram - Shimano Ultegra WH6800 (1640g @ £240.05, saving 80 grams)
£2.41 per gram - Bontrager Race X-Lite (1440g @ £674.98, saving 280 grams)
£1.74 per gram - Shimano RS81 C24 Carbon Clincher (1502g @ £379, saving 218 grams)

I've come to the conclusion that I should probably leave the stock wheels on for now. The bike's a relatively lightweight 7.74kg out of the box anyway, which is quite light enough when compared to my previous bike to not need to worry about cutting any weight from it immediately.

[anonymous-user]

To be honest, since the dawn of the web, CRC< Wiggle etc, the whole "strong, light, cheap" argument is irrelevant. Fulcrum R5s can be had from bike discount for £155 and are quoted as 1645g, ideal.