SCR wheel upgrade

doktorsteve

Sorry to bring the wheel thing up yet again...

One thing that is consistent in Cycling+ is the advice that wheels make a big difference.

I have a Giant SCR LTD with the original Alex DA22 wheels. These come in at just over 2000g the pair. So far they have stayed true and don't give any brake rub when I am pushing it, but they look pretty bland. I use the bike for general fitness and a cross country commute.

I would like to make a moderately priced upgrade, say £100-£150. Wheels that come to mind are
Shimano RS20
Mavic Aksium
Fulcrum R7
Fulcrum R5

One thing that is not consistent in Cycling+ is the rating of sub £150 wheels so I really do not know which of the above to choose.

Yesterday I looked at some RS10s, R7s, R5s and Aksiums. I cannot say that I got too excited about any of them, though I was really impressed by smoothness of the bearings in the Aksiums. They all seemed much the same weight as my existing wheels.

I have already changed the tyres to Vitttoria Rubino Pros which did give a more supple and grippier ride (maybe faster too?)

Has anyone put new wheels on an SCR and found some kind of improvement that justified the expense? What sort of change did it make?

philak

I have the SCR Ltd and i changed the wheels to Aksiums. As you say, they are not much lighter,if any , than the Alex rims and i did have to adjust the brake gaps slightly to allow for some sideways movement under standing load . They have been pretty bulletproof though and have taken some quite big pothole hits.

Having said that they look 10 times better than the Alex rims, especially with Pro Race 2 tyres in blue . Just don't go expecting any vast improvement in your speed with them or, i suspect, any of the wheels you mention.(well maybe the R5s)

deal

i have r5's on my scr and they are a decent upgrade, bike seems to accelerate easier etc and is a bit lighter on the hill.

Just be aware the freehub is very loud and can be a pain in the ass on fast decents, i keep having to check over my shoulder since all i can hear is the wheel, i read about this before i got them but didnt realise just how loud they were, i wouldnt have bought them if i had heard them first.

doktorsteve

Hi Philak. Great photo!
I looked at your posts.
Seems like you had the same sort of philosophical questions as me.
Why is the chain rattling on the small sprockets?
Why is there so much noise when the chain is up on the big chainring?
Why is my max heart rate on my Aldi HR monitor 185? (I'm 51)
Why has my resting heart rate fallen to 50?
And more to the point:
Did I already make the biggest improvement by changing the tyres?
Am I just intent on buying new wheels to make the bike look good? And is that not a good enough reason anyway? :?

XTCRider

Shimano 105 on mine with red white and black decals to match bike colours

doktorsteve

Hi XTCRider,
which Shimano 105s are they? I had also thought about R561s.
Sure looks good when everything matched. Don't think that I will be able to find blue wheels somehow!

XTCRider

Mine are WH-R550 , I got them last year or the year before not sure now

Campy King

Get the Fulcrum R5 out of the choices you have given.

Keanocp

Just to confuse you even more. I can recommend the Shimano RS20s, really pleased with mine and they're basically the new improved version on the 105/550/560/561 and got a really good review in CPlus.

I'd also considered the Fulcrum 5s but tyre fitting issues and the loud freewheel put me off.

Saved approx. £50 and got the RS20s here http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Shimano-WH-RS20-R ... 286.c0.m14

great service as well

Campy King

Loud Frehub = Quality Wheelset

passout

RS20s I'd say.

deal

Campy King wrote:

Loud Frehub = Quality Wheelset

in that case give me a shit wheelset

George Murdoch

I changed to silver aksiums on my SCR3. New wheels more responsive, especially when going up-hill, also the bike looks much better.

doktorsteve

Thanks everone for your contributions.

Seems like everyone likes their own wheels!

Maybe all the wheels are similar SO I cannot make a bad choice AND I should not expect too much either.

I am just concerned that I may be becoming a cycling fashion victim (Aldi clothing excepted). I might take the labels off my DA22s and see if they ride better!

Personally I like the idea of the RS20's - 2 cross on both sides on the rear and bearings I can clean and adjust. I guess the spokes are about as difficult to obtain for any of the wheels but at least I have a local Shimano dealer. Its about a 1 hr drive to the Shimano/Mavic/Fulcrum dealer.

I am surprised no-one has suggested OP's on 105 hubs!

XTCRider

I could be tempted by the rodis in

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12576373

doktorsteve

A touch ostentatious I think! I might look a bit of a p***k creeping up hills at 10mph. I already get enough laughs when people see my Rido saddle.

Van_Heerden

I ride an SCR with the standard Alex wheels and i agree they are nothing special but seem to do ok. I will probably move up to something a good bit better, but not until the Alex one are dead! I don't have a lot of spare cash and if i wait until the Alex one are dead, I can save more cash for the better set. Seems a bit daft to me to get rid of wheels that are serviceable.

But then i guess i'm more about function than bling and subscribe to the "it isn't the bike, but the person on it that makes the real difference" school of thought. Certainly glad to see Giant making it on to the forums more with good reviews!

doktorsteve

Common sense says I should do the same. I guess I'm in no hurry.

CanterburyTailwind

I got aksiums for my scr2; I seemed to be breaking spokes on a weekly basis with the Alexes. Had them about 4 mths, and they've been fine. To be honest, didn't notice alot of difference performance-wise, but it's nice not to have to be replacing spokes the whole time!

doktorsteve

Thanks Canterbury Tailwind. That's what I thought I would hear - not much difference in the ride. I tried to imagine how the ride could be improved, but my wheels seem to be true, pretty well tensioned and there is no brake rub when I'm climbing.
I suspect people change their tyres when they upgrade their wheels and that could make a big difference too.

What I really need is more sunny days to ride on!!

CanterburyTailwind

No worries! I didn't replace the tyres (the bike was still pretty new, and I'm a skinflint), but I guess that might make a difference to the rolling resistance and speed. Once the punctures become too regular I'll change them over and my ride will be transformed...!