Racing 5s vs Planet X Model B vs ????

gandhi
gandhi Posts: 187
edited April 2008 in Workshop
I'm looking for some new wheels. I'd like to be able to race on them, but my budget is pretty tight. What would you recommended around the £150 per pair mark?

Thanks.

Comments

  • sps137
    sps137 Posts: 247
    I've got a pair of the model c's (the more toury wheel) and have been really impressed. I bought a pair of the Xero XR1's as lots of people rated them as being exceptionally light for the money (£200). In actual fact the planet x's weren't much heavier and rode nicer (subjective i know) so I'd definitely go for the X's.
  • blorg
    blorg Posts: 1,169
    I've had good experiences with Bontrager Selects; they have been extremely reliable for me and have never needed truing, even after a crash that wrote off the frame+fork. Moved to another bike and they have been rolling along fine for several thousand km since.

    My new bike came with Aksiums which look good so far and get good reviews for the price but I don't have the mileage yet to judge.

    The Planet-X Model Bs look very appealing from the weight point of view; they are far lighter than anything else at that price. All the Fulcrum range look great, aesthetically. Don't have experience with either but would be considering getting Planet-X Cs for another bike.

    Conceivably the type of cycling you are doing might influence your decision- e.g. are you doing a lot of climbing or is it mostly on the flat.
  • blorg
    blorg Posts: 1,169
    Sorry to derail the thread somewhat, but sps137- would you consider the model Cs up to light touring? I have the Bontrager Selects on a Van Nicholas Amazon frame at the moment and they are going great but not sure I'd risk going away on a tour with them; they have been rock solid thus far but if a spoke did fail far away from home I imagine it would be difficult to fix due to the high-tension paired spoke design. Was considering the Model C or Open Pros on Ultegra.
  • robbie the roadie
    robbie the roadie Posts: 423
    As a fulcrum 5's owner I can testify, as can many other fulcrum owners, that there a right b*tch to get tyres on and off. Although this doesn't affect the performance which I've found to be great it might become an issue when trying to remove a tyre on a rainy february morning.
    Cycling - The pastime of spending large sums of money you don't really have on something you don't really need.
  • sps137
    sps137 Posts: 247
    blorg, at a guess -yes. I haven't used them for touring but i have done quite a bit of off road on them, including some very flinty and rutted downhills that they have survived fine. they actually look/feel very similar to open pro's although without the eyelets on the nipples. Weight wise they are a touch lighter than open pro's on 105 (if that's important to you). The only downside I can see is that i think the spokes are steel as opposed to s/s.
  • JesseD
    JesseD Posts: 1,961
    Model C's for me, I am a heavy bloke and have abused these wheels quite a bit and they are still true (tempting fate), they are fairly light and pretty responsive TBH and climb well (well better than I can).

    Only gripe is that the seal on the freehub is carp, mine seazed so I took it to my LBS and it was full of carp and grit, they cleaned it and re greased it and it's as right as rain again now, they even showed me how to do it myself so next time no trip to the LBS.
    Obsessed is a word used by the lazy to describe the dedicated!
  • jpembroke
    jpembroke Posts: 2,569
    Do you think the model Cs would be up to the rigours of Cyclocross?
    I'm only concerned with looking concerned
  • doyler78
    doyler78 Posts: 1,951
    If you do decide on the Model B's be prepared to wait a few weeks. As of last Thursday I was told that there was a 4 week wait so now 3 I guess. That is unless your using them with compag in which case they are in stock now.
  • sps137
    sps137 Posts: 247
    Do you think the model Cs would be up to the rigours of Cyclocross?

    I would think so, i've given them more abuse in the last few weeks than anything i've seen on a cyclocross track and they are still perfectly true. Having said that, I think that most modern box section rims with 32 + spokes would stand up to cyclocross without any problems.
  • magliaceleste
    magliaceleste Posts: 748
    I have Racing 5's on the Winter bike. Great wheels, stayed true so far, roll well, look good, weight good etc. However I agree with Robbie the roadie that getting tyres on/off can be hard work. (To be fair though I've not found a road wheel that is really easy)
  • scak456
    scak456 Posts: 55
    I've got some model cs.

    They are nice and light is the main advantage.

    A spoke broke on them whilst out with the wheel automatically buckling. I've never had this before with a wheel.

    They are now repaired, true and running nicely again but I would hesitate buying them again (they came with the pro carbon 999 deal).

    Cheers
    SK

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