Recommend me some wheels!

[E38Ross]

Hi chaps, my rear wheel needs replacing in the not too distant future and am looking to replace them with something a bit better, at the moment only running fulcrum racing 7 wheels.

Now, if I got spend £4-500 on some wheels am I going to notice a difference? If it's spending an extra 300 for a pair to get no significant difference in won't bother, otherwise I may use the opportunity to upgrade!

So.... No idea what to look for price range really, but I've heard ones with carbon rims are better for long term wear.... So any suggestions?

Again, preferably ones which I can buy at wiggle!

Thanks

[Jimbo.]

£300 will get you something very nice. £400-500 may get you something nicer, certainly "blingier", if that's a word.

Shimano RS80s or Mavic Kysiriums are the benchmark at these kinda price points (different models of each mean there's not just one price).

--oooooorrrrr---

(starts banging drum)

...for the same money, you can get something bespoke from the likes of Harry Rowland, Wheelsmith etc, etc. They may not look as flashy (no fancy graphics, carbon-titanium-thrusty-bks etc, etc), but they'll be perfect for your requirements (through being bespoke: no compromises here) and best of all, easily repairable. £300 got me some Ultegra 6700/Mavic Open Pro/Sapim Race wheels, brass nipples and rim tape. Not a st part on them

[donfisher]

Jimbo. said:

£300 got me some Ultegra 6700/Mavic Open Pro/Sapim Race wheels, brass nipples and rim tape. Not a st part on them

Whereabouts did you get them from dude?

[Jimbo.]

donfisher said:

Whereabouts did you get them from dude?

Harry Rowland

[anonymous-user]

Hand builts are great value for money but I'd go with the DT Swiss 545 rims not Open pro.

Factory built is a bit of a misnomer given they are actually built by hand in a factory, I don't really get the difference if I'm honest, it's not like they are built by trained monkeys, have a look at Campag Zondas, I love my set!

[bakerstreet]

Jimbo. said:

£300 will get you something very nice. £400-500 may get you something nicer, certainly "blingier", if that's a word.

Shimano RS80s or Mavic Kysiriums are the benchmark at these kinda price points (different models of each mean there's not just one price).

--oooooorrrrr---

(starts banging drum)

...for the same money, you can get something bespoke from the likes of Harry Rowland, Wheelsmith etc, etc. They may not look as flashy (no fancy graphics, carbon-titanium-thrusty-bks etc, etc), but they'll be perfect for your requirements (through being bespoke: no compromises here) and best of all, easily repairable. £300 got me some Ultegra 6700/Mavic Open Pro/Sapim Race wheels, brass nipples and rim tape. Not a st part on them

I have had Shimano RS80 C24s. They are a massive improvement compared to the standard Giant wheels that came with the bike. I bought a complete set from Planet-X. Not the best service IMO. Wiggle sell them as individuals, but they are more expensive as individuals.

You can get Mavic Cosmics for a similar price, but they are slightly heavier, but better looking than RS80-C24s IMO.

[Jimbo.]

pablo said:

Hand builts are great value for money but I'd go with the DT Swiss 545 rims not Open pro.

Factory built is a bit of a misnomer given they are actually built by hand in a factory, I don't really get the difference if I'm honest, it's not like they are built by trained monkeys, have a look at Campag Zondas, I love my set!

Very few factory-supplied (;)) wheels are hand built:

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/the-rob...

Shimano make everything by hand, from R500s up to Dura Ace.

[E38Ross]

bakerstreet said:

Jimbo. said:

£300 will get you something very nice. £400-500 may get you something nicer, certainly "blingier", if that's a word.

Shimano RS80s or Mavic Kysiriums are the benchmark at these kinda price points (different models of each mean there's not just one price).

--oooooorrrrr---

(starts banging drum)

...for the same money, you can get something bespoke from the likes of Harry Rowland, Wheelsmith etc, etc. They may not look as flashy (no fancy graphics, carbon-titanium-thrusty-bks etc, etc), but they'll be perfect for your requirements (through being bespoke: no compromises here) and best of all, easily repairable. £300 got me some Ultegra 6700/Mavic Open Pro/Sapim Race wheels, brass nipples and rim tape. Not a st part on them

I have had Shimano RS80 C24s. They are a massive improvement compared to the standard Giant wheels that came with the bike. I bought a complete set from Planet-X. Not the best service IMO. Wiggle sell them as individuals, but they are more expensive as individuals.

You can get Mavic Cosmics for a similar price, but they are slightly heavier, but better looking than RS80-C24s IMO.

like these?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-rs80-c24-carbonall...

the reason i want to go wiggle is i can get stuff from there at trade price so save a few quid.

[craigthecoupe]

Jimbo. said:

Very few factory-supplied (;)) wheels are hand built:

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/the-rob...

Shimano make everything by hand, from R500s up to Dura Ace.

i do believe there is a skill, and a natural 'feel' for building wheels, but that machine looks pretty impressive, and is obviously set to work to certain tolerances. clearly you get a more bespoke wheel from a wheel builder, but not necessarily better built? we don't drive cars that are hand built these days.

[Jimbo.]

craigthecoupe said:

i do believe there is a skill, and a natural 'feel' for building wheels, but that machine looks pretty impressive, and is obviously set to work to certain tolerances. clearly you get a more bespoke wheel from a wheel builder, but not necessarily better built? we don't drive cars that are hand built these days.

I'm not saying they're "better" with regards to quality: if the best spec'd wheel is knitted together by an idiot, then it's a good as useless. However, if built right, IMO they urinate all over factory wheels purely through being bespoke to you (geddit? Spoke? I'm here all week) and easily repairable. If you want to see the difference, play "hunt the Fulcrum 1 spoke/rim" around about late August. Good luck

[Some Gump]

Are open pros those vastly loud hubs that seem popular? I'm sure they're good, but personally i'd like to ride something quieter

[Jimbo.]

Some Gump said:

Are open pros those vastly loud hubs that seem popular? I'm sure they're good, but personally i'd like to ride something quieter

Open Pros are a rim. You may be thinking of the Hope Pro 2 or Pro 3 hubs which are rather loud, yes.

[Jimbo.]

E38Ross said:

like these?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-rs80-c24-carbonall...

the reason i want to go wiggle is i can get stuff from there at trade price so save a few quid.

Yes, although trade prices distort things somewhat, obviously!

RS80s are available with a deeper section (50mm?) should you be after such things.

[anonymous-user]

Eh?!

Jimbo. said:

Very few factory-supplied (;)) wheels are hand built:

but

Jimbo. said:

Shimano make everything by hand, from R500s up to Dura Ace.

Based on the number of wheel sets Shimano must make per year, the two statements dont really make sense?!

Jimbo. said:

IMO they urinate all over factory wheels purely through being bespoke to you

- I bought some new wheels today
What did you get?
- A set of handbuilts
Why?
- Because I get to choose each component myself
Cool, what did you choose?
- Ultegra hubs, open Pro rims and Sapim cx ray spokes
Isnt that what everyone chooses?
- Umm.....

Seriously, how can the worlds most popular rim be a bespoke option? If we're talking Enve and Chris King I might give you some leeway but Ultegra hubs and Mavic rims being the superior option compared to Ultegra Hubs and Shimano Rims (handbuilt at a Shimano factory remember) ?!??!

Also this "easily repairable" myth needs some honesty applied, google campagnola zonda spoke kit, yes it's a bit pricey for 7 or 8 spokes but they are easily available...

Dont take it personally, its just there is too much snobbery and nonsense surrounding hand built wheels and people think they are something they are not...

Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 16th July 22:17

[E38Ross]

Jimbo. said:

E38Ross said:

like these?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-rs80-c24-carbonall...

the reason i want to go wiggle is i can get stuff from there at trade price so save a few quid.

Yes, although trade prices distort things somewhat, obviously!

RS80s are available with a deeper section (50mm?) should you be after such things.

wiggle only do the deeper section for the front wheel by the looks of it which seems odd. I'm seeing the chap on thursday so will look at getting some prices. The fact that they're already discounted 40% suggests, i suspect, i won't be able to get THAT much more off of the price to be honest. but still, £300 for some decent wheels is pretty good going.

Only got Fulcrum racing 7's on at the moment.....

In reality Jimbo - what can i expect to "feel" different with those RS80's compared to the current fulcrums?

Many thanks chaps.

[bakerstreet]

E38Ross said:

like these?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-rs80-c24-carbonall...

the reason i want to go wiggle is i can get stuff from there at trade price so save a few quid.

To be fair, thats cheaper than I paid. I think I paid about £330 for mine.

[Jimbo.]

Shimano hand build, but t' other manufacturers of "factory" wheels machine build theirs. Even Hope, for all their "nailed together by Northern men in overalls".

re. handbuilts:
Do I want aero? No, so no need for deeper section rims.
Ambrosio or Mavic? Mavic were cheaper.
Hubs? 32h cup 'n' cones, Shimano freehubs. That'll be Shimanos then.
Dura ace too pricey, so Ultegras.
Spokes? No need for aero. Want durability for the cobbles of Belgium/France.
32 of them (no need to take chances with 20, 24, 28 etc, no need for weight of 36).
CX Rays too pricey, so DB Race it was.

Yes, it's a fairly generic built, but then I'm average weight (both rider and bike), looking for reliability and easily sourced, quality and proven parts. Common, fi you will. A bit like me. You're also confusing "bling" with "bespoke". Chappy 1 buys a 16h ENKE/CK wheel (I'm making numbers up now)l and watches it crumble on the pave. Chappy 2 buys yer' regular box section/30+h setup, rattles through without a hitch. Who's the best setup?

Factory-supplied wheels use non-standard parts. There're tales on here of riders losing weeks whilst parts are sourced. And that's here in Blightly. Height of the season in Alpe d' Huez, need a new spoke? It'd break a holiday. It does happen: happened to me when I blew my Fox forks to bits in Morzine. "We don't carry that part here..."

I fully accept that factory wheels are jolly nice: light, high tech, strong, aero etc, etc. Hell, I'd probably have a set of RS80s if my bike was make of a material from this side of the 1800s. But, my bike, my rides and my repairs? I'll play it safe and go for something that doesn't require witchcraft and doesn't encumber me with the needs/requirements of others.

Edited by Jimbo. on Tuesday 16th July 23:01

[Jimbo.]

E38Ross said:

wiggle only do the deeper section for the front wheel by the looks of it which seems odd. I'm seeing the chap on thursday so will look at getting some prices. The fact that they're already discounted 40% suggests, i suspect, i won't be able to get THAT much more off of the price to be honest. but still, £300 for some decent wheels is pretty good going.

Only got Fulcrum racing 7's on at the moment.....

In reality Jimbo - what can i expect to "feel" different with those RS80's compared to the current fulcrums?

Many thanks chaps.

Less flex, spins up easier, maybe different ride (Fulcrums are quite stiff/jarring IIRC: not heard 'owt on the Shimanos), lighter in general etc, etc.

[S6PNJ]

E38Ross said:

wiggle only do the deeper section for the front wheel by the looks of it which seems odd. I'm seeing the chap on thursday so will look at getting some prices. The fact that they're already discounted 40% suggests, i suspect, i won't be able to get THAT much more off of the price to be honest. but still, £300 for some decent wheels is pretty good going.

I bought mine from Merlin Cycles (ordered Sunday evening arrived Tuesday!) but through TopCashBack so got an extra £10 or so knocked off. If you are not registered with TopCashBack (it's free) let me know and I'll send you a referral link - sadly it won't get you anything but it will get me an extra credit. PM me if interested.

[Matt_N]

Bear in the mind the RS80 C24 is not a true carbon fibre wheel, it's an alloy rim with a CF laminate.

Same with the RS80 50mm, which although nice and aero is quite heavy at ~ 1800g without cassette, tubes or tyres.

For £400-500 your options for a LBS handbuilt set of wheels are endless, I'd probably go either:

Stans Alpha 340 on DT 350 with Sapim race spokes

Or

H Plus Son Archetype on DT240 (if they can be squeezed into £500 budget) with Sapim race spokes

Other hub options are Hope, which are nice and can be ordered in a range of colours but they are noisy!

The Stans would build up a bit lighter, with the rim being a traditional profile alloy rim, the H Plus Sons are a deeper section, giving a bit more aero benefit and also look cool!