Which £500 ish wheels for the Lakes?
I need a new set of wheels for my good bike and am considering the DT Swiss 1450's, Dura Ace 7850 CL's and Fulcrum Zeros [at a good price]. I live in the Lakes so do a lot of climbing and riding on crap roads, plus I'm 85kg. If they can look good on my white R3 that would be a bonus! Has anyone got experiences good or bad with these wheels or other recommendations? I've seen the positive reviews for the Dura Ace but not heard anything as definite about the other two.
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The DA's get such good reviews, they'd be my choice!0
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Rich K47 wrote:I need a new set of wheels for my good bike and am considering the DT Swiss 1450's, Dura Ace 7850 CL's and Fulcrum Zeros [at a good price]. I live in the Lakes so do a lot of climbing and riding on crap roads, plus I'm 85kg. If they can look good on my white R3 that would be a bonus! Has anyone got experiences good or bad with these wheels or other recommendations? I've seen the positive reviews for the Dura Ace but not heard anything as definite about the other two.
Call Paul Hewitt. For £500 you'll get a great pair of handbuilt wheels tailored to your weight and riding style.0 -
1450s are a lovely ride but not renowned for reliability amongst heavier riders. I love Racing Zeroes but the colour options are not great and they typically come in 50g over the quoted weight.
The DA carbon/alloy would be my choice if you're planning on sticking with SRAM or Shimano groups. They seem to come in close to quoted weight and the thinner spokes are likely to be a little more comfortable if that's a consideration...0 -
i love my campag Eurus at that price - very very stiff and light too
in the lakes though, I'd probably go for Campag Neutron Ultra.0 -
I looked at the 1450's and the mon chasseral 1450, but in the end went to Paul Hewitt and got some mavic open pro rims (double eyelet - they're lighter than the double eyelet DT 1.1 rims, but stronger than the single eyelet as found on the 1450 mc's), DT 240 hubs (so same as the 1450's), and a mix of spokes - 28 revolution front and 32 rear, offside revolution, drive side heavier gauge comp with brass nips. Came in at around 440 for the wheels and skewers.
This is my first set of "hand built" wheels, and really I think they're the absolute dogs. Light and strong, but more importantly they're really really comfy - its like riding my mtb with suspension, but at the same time there's no brake rub whatsoever when out the saddle on the steepest climbs. The only downsides are that they take time to turn up - I was told 7-10 days, and it was nearer three weeks, so if you want them in a hurry, go buy off the shelf. The other thing is that they have a very different look to low bladed-spoke count, deep rimmed wheels; which may or may not be your thing.
My take is that the aero properties of the low spoke, deep rims dont really come into play until you're going around 30mph, which I dont see very often. What I did used to see is discomfort at 70 miles on a sportive with another 50 to go... So it depends on your priorities I guess.
That all said, I dont think you can really go wrong at this price - whatever you get from campag, mavic or hewitt for £500 is going to be good.
Jon0 -
well ive had my fair share of wheels so am good to comment. are you not interested in tubular wheels at all? cos this is where you could get a really low weight fast wheelset and they are really not as much hassle as you may think. definatley not something to be afraid of. ive had hanbuilts (still do) open pros on record hubs and yes they are great wheels but not that light. and they dont have that wow they look great if thats what your after. but it is nce that when you need a new rim spoke etc its pretty easy to sort out. i also in fairness if i had a shimano equiped bike would probably go for one of there wheelsets as they do look great and ive only ever heard good things about them.
tikkahi my name is adam... and i have a problem with posting on cycling forums.0 -
Thanks for the helpful replies everyone. Has anyone got any experience of the Fulcrum Zeros before I discount them?0
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Fulcrum Zeros are great racing wheels - stiff and bombproof, but perhaps not the ideal choice for riding around the Lakes where the heavy roads and broken/uneven surfaces can make stiff wheels skittish. I'd look at a shallow rim wheel , so either a pair of Hewitts or the aforementioned Neutron Ultras would be a great choice. Whilst the DTs would be the 'bike tarts' choice, I'd only look at the heavier double-eyeltted rims because of their reliability problems.Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0
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one of the biggest reasons to use tubs is that you can run them softer and the ride will/is much nicer over rougher roads. but tbh if your not racing who cares about speed? just get some 25c tyres on your wheels. btw what do you have noW?
tikkahi my name is adam... and i have a problem with posting on cycling forums.0 -
I was riding xero wheels which were rubbish, I broke two different sorts.... one split on Honister during this years Fred Whitton which was really 'frustrating'! Since then I've been on Askiums as a bomb proof wheel to get me by and they'll stay on my winter bike. I recently bought a Cervelo R3 which came with some Zipp 404's that I've sold for obvious reasons. While I'm not racing I have a few things next year which I'd like to do as fast as possible so I want a good set that are quick and strong.0
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If you ride in the Lakes forget fancy wheels and get something reliable i.e. handbuilts. If they are good enough for pro's to train on, then they should be good enough for everyone else. Oh and stick some 25mm tyres on.
As for riding tubs WTF? Yeah really sensible advice.0 -
I have Campag Neutrons (not ultra which have the carbon hubs) which I think are worth a look although not quite as expensive as your budget. So far very robust and good for climbing. Hard to beat decent hand-builts for everyday use though, and still just as light.
I think the chap I saw who had a double tub puncture on the Southern Sportive this year might have agreed with eh. None of the other people or the support guys had spares.
For slight added comfort you could try latex inners if you can be bothered to keep blowing them up with maybe a super supple tyre like the Veloflex Pave - also v. light.I\'m sure I had one of those here somewhere0 -
I'm not keen for tubs at all! Campag Neutrons do look pretty good.... under budget is a good thing and I'll look into the possibilities of hand built as well.0
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Rich K47 wrote:I'm not keen for tubs at all! Campag Neutrons do look pretty good.... under budget is a good thing and I'll look into the possibilities of hand built as well.
Rich. I use Campag Neutrons and have got on very well with them. The only disadvantage being that like all Campag and Fulcrum wheels they can be tricky to get tyres on and off.
I had a pair of hand builts from Paul Hewitt with Open Pro rims and Campag hubs prior to that, and the Neutrons do climb better. I've had them 2 years now with no problems. If you want to have a look at them email me,either via the forum or via my e mail address, and you could pop round, (I'm Simon's mate who helped you sell the Zipps). I reckon the Neutron Ultras will be even better!
Having said all that, I'm tempted to get Paul Hewitt to build me some lighter hand builts when the Neutrons wear out. When I went to the Pyrenees, I was aware that a damaged wheel might be difficult to repair if anything happened.0 -
whats wrong with tubs? if you carry a can of pitsop and a spare tub 99 times out of a 100 you will be fine ali (the guy on the southern sportive) was very unlucky and tbh ive had mates who have shredded a clincher and had to call for a taxi the same as when a rear mechs expolded or a spoke has pinged and the wheels unrideable. anyway if your not inot riding tubs thats fine but it was just an idea and i have lots of mates who do ride tubs and change em quicker than a cllincher.
but if thats not your cup of tea neutrons seem a good choice and gunna get a pair of ultras myself soon to replace my open pro record hubs set which ill use solely for belgian trips
tikkahi my name is adam... and i have a problem with posting on cycling forums.0 -
I wouldnt worry about longevity of factory wheels, my fulcrum 3's have been absolutely bombproof after 2.5 years and about 10k miles, I'm over 100kgs and not particularly gentle with them.
The only broken spoke I've ever had is with a set of handbuilt open pro / campag chorus wheels.
But I'm sure there are other opinions...0 -
I've always advocated building you own, however Parkers are selling
2008 Campag 'Shamal Ultras' in Titanium for £579.00 (25% off), an absolute
steal.
Go on treat yourself, details from
http://www.parker-international.co.uk
'The Porn Birds'0