hustler

iTrader: (6)

Only Shimano on my Cannondales, lol. Santa Cruz has SRAM. Quark needs reasonable pricing.

Mazdaspeeder

So I found a few decent wheelsets in my budget of 300-500 for the pair. They all have great reviews. What would you go with? Will be using a 25c tire.

As a point of reference, I'll be removing these: http://www.ovalconcepts.com/road/wheels/327-wheels

Fulcrum Racing 3 Road Wheelset 2016 | Chain Reaction Cycles (never heard of these but great specs and reviews)

Shimano Ultegra 6800 Road Wheelset | Chain Reaction Cycles (everyone says these are rock solid but not the lightest)

DT Swiss R23 Spline Road Wheelset | Chain Reaction Cycles (not many reviews on these but reputable brand and a bit wider which is what I want)

Shimano RS81 C24 Carbon Road Wheelset | Chain Reaction Cycles (top of my budget)

Shimano RS81 C35 Carbon Road Wheelset | Chain Reaction Cycles (bit over budget but deeper)


My LBS also has a set of Bontrager RXL wheels that fall within my budget, but I hear mixed things about Bontrager wheels

hustler

iTrader: (6)

I would do the DT due to width and spoke-count and width; 18mm inside width or nothing. Bontrager wheels are fine. I ride a 24/28 lacing and weigh 178lb with an R-460 DT rim.

Mazdaspeeder

I'll see what the RXLs come down to. I think they are a similar width, maybe .5mm narrower, but also 150g lighter. I do trust the DT Swiss name, just wonder if that wheelset is new, or why nobody has bought and/or reviewed it yet. Also, will those fit a 10 speed cassette? It says 11 speed freehub

hustler

iTrader: (6)

Buy the wheel with the 18mm width, 24/28 lacing, then go for lightness. I'm over 10k miles on my training wheels, they've seen it all, many pinch flats, ran over something so gnarly once it seized both front bearings, yet I've never pad to put them on the true-ing stand.

Mazdaspeeder

24/28 you mean spoke count? Cause most I see are 20/24 including my current wheels. I weigh 170lbs suited up

Mazdaspeeder

Complete Build Kits

Anything in there worth considering?

hustler

iTrader: (6)

For those prices you can get a set of November-built wheels with the same hub and equal quality rims.

hustler

iTrader: (6)

Yes, spoke count. My race wheels are 20/24, no way I'd train/live on anything less than 24/28 and I think my R460/T-11 trainers are 1650g. I like the higher spoke count because when I travel for work I take one set of wheels and can't go home to get spares nor to get things fixed. BTW, I'm entertaining the idea of selling my 34mm carbon race wheels agin, if anyone is interested.

http://imgur.com/a/OmGkR

3rdCarMX5

iTrader: (1)

I have my own version of what's best, so it may not be everyone's cup of tea. I like stuff that works and isn't too expensive, because everything breaks- especially when you crash. I would note that warranties on wheels are important and grey market uk isn't usually covered.

Fulcrum - these are campy's mass market wheel. Like campy they are built to last but replacement parts are necessary and can be expensive.
6800 - these are a little disappointing to me but a decent deal. I have these for my wife and don't really like them, less Shimano di2 and more Shimano 6700. Heavy, need frequent adjustment, have poor water intrusion protection, and aren't wide enough. These are things I want in all weather training wheels.
DT Swiss - expensive for what you get but the rims are very stout. The hubs need maintenance like anything else, don't let the ratchet pockets get gummy or you are looking at replacement star ratchets. Of your options, my choice.
Shimano Carbon - light but strong, not particularly aero or wide, I wouldn't buy but would recommend if you want carbon wheels but don't care that these wheels aren't "cool".

The bad reputation of bontrager is from the old days when they were a paired spoke design licensed from Rolf, they did crack but they always replaced them without question... I like bontragers. I ride some race lites, but only because they came on my bikes. The warranty is one of the best, they are pretty stout (I have destroyed one in a nasty crack in the road though), they are light, easy to service, and just work for cheap. I have heard the rxl wheels can be a little flexy but very comfortable.

Mazdaspeeder

Their $625 special is recommended for a 160lb max rider, and I'm 170. Also spoke counts on them are lower. The Selects and Select + are both over my budget. Yes, I know it's not a lot more, but I started with a budget of 500, bumped to 600, if I keep bumping I'll be at 1000 in no time and just not willing to spend a grand on wheels so 600 will be my absolute cap. What do you weigh? Because majority of wheels I see are 20/24 spoked, or less.

hustler

iTrader: (6)

176lb. Just ask him to increase spoke count if you want more reliability, but I respect staying in budget. However, I'll take the wheel-set with flashy hubs, more strength, panache.

Savington

iTrader: (31)

What is the point of spending $600 on mediocrity when $700 gets you exactly what you want? I respect the idea of budgetary constraints, but sometimes sticking to a strict budget will cause you to waste a bunch of money on something that is less than what you really want/need. Have you ever regretted reaching a little past your budget and buying exactly what you wanted?

hustler

iTrader: (6)

Or buy my Rails for $800, then I must never buy anything again, save for the house.

Mazdaspeeder

I understand what you're saying and agree to a point. After doing some more research last night, I figured out that my factory wheels while being a bit heavy at nearly 2000g are 27mm deep (close to the 30mm I wanted), and 24mm wide (close to the 25mm I wanted) with an internal width of 17mm (again, close to the 18mm I was aiming for). For the time being, I think I will leave the wheels on there until I can afford to get a proper set. What I may do however is buy an inexpensive 105 or Ultegra Cassette 10 speed to replace my Tiagra 10 speed and that could save me 100g or so for around $40 from chainreaction for the Ultegra cassette.

I did however come to realize that my tires leave a lot to be desired. They are Vittoria Zaffiro Pro Slicks 700x25c 60TPI, a decent training tire, but a really bargain bin one. I am looking to replace them with a pair of better 25c tires and found some that might meet my needs. The Vittoria Rubino Pro comes in a few varieties, and then there are also the very popular Conti 4000S2 3 ply 330tpi, and the Conti Gatorskins 3 ply 180tpi but with apparently more flat protection. Who runs what here? I'm not so concerned with wear since I don't ride a huge tone of miles, and would rather have better preforming rubbers considering the lower cost of bike tires overall. I can get a pair of the 4000S2 for around $80 shipped, even if I go through a set a year I don't consider that enough of a deterrent.

Also a guy on the road bike forum PMed me, guy is a lawyer so he has to be honest (I've been emailing with him a bit now). He has a set of used Boyd Altamont 622x24, internal width 19mm, 30mm deep, 24/28 laced, set weighs in under 1600g. The front has 2500mi on it, the rear was recently replaced after a crash.He's including a set of Conti GP4000 S2 with 500 miles on them, and a Shimano 105 11-28 Cassette, replacing my Tiagra 12-30 Cassette. $475 shipped for the combo sounds REALLY enticing, considering they seem to be good wheels. Any experience with this brand or this wheel?

Front: http://www.boydcycling.com/2016-alta...r-front-wheel/
Rear: http://www.boydcycling.com/2016-alta...er-rear-wheel/

Mazdaspeeder

dubya

iTrader: (1)

Seems like a pretty good deal for everything. Boyd wheels are great value, IMO. I'm local to the company/owner, and he has a great reputation in this area for customer service and quality of products. I think most of his components are made in China (like most), but he spec's his own designs and assembles them stateside. You should be able to get plenty of miles out of them.

afm

iTrader: (3)

Yup. Get some real man Shimano brakes.

Mazdaspeeder

Thanks for the feedback! It definitely seems like a great deal for everything so naturally I get worried. Also the cassette on there is actually a SRAM 11-28. Nice part of getting an all inclusive deal like this is I'd have 2 full sets of wheels I could swap between quickly and easily.

Guy just sent me some photos and the tires are either a 23c or a 28c, so I'm seeing if he will keep the tires and go any lower on the wheelset. I really want to stick with 25

Mazdaspeeder

So I called Boyd and asked about their older Altamonts. He said they are 24mm outer, 18.3mm inner, 30mm deep. Is this a good pairing for a 25c to get it to sit wider than my current 24mm outer, 17mm inner?