expensive wheels ?

stronginthesun

my bike already has decent wheels ( bontrager race lite ) . is it really worth spanking £ 800 plus on some bling carbon jobbies ? what differance would they make to me and my performance ? or is it the emperors new clothes ?

Anonymous

stronginthesun wrote:

my bike already has decent wheels ( bontrager race lite ) . is it really worth spanking £ 800 plus on some bling carbon jobbies ?

Depends on what you are using them for and how much spare cash you have.

stronginthesun wrote:

what differance would they make to me and my performance ?

Dunno because I know nothing about you and your performance

stronginthesun wrote:

or is it the emperors new clothes ?

Don't know what wheels have to do with parading around naked.

sparkins1972

I get what you mean about Emperor's New clothes - from experience of playing numerous sports before getting the cycling bug, nearly all sportsmen are as susceptible to marketing and the need for shiny things as their wives or girlfriends are for shoes and handbags. Being men we won't admit that much of it is vanity and that occasional retail therapy helps to cheer you up.

I think the question about the wheels specifically depends on what your goals are - are you intending to race, ride for fitness, lose weight from your bike etc - only you can decide if the investment of £800 on wheels is worth it. Personally I had to convince myself for months to shell out £900 on a second hand Madone 5.2 recently, as I have a 2 year old who takes up most of the budget I used to spend on my hobbies. Eventually after much scrimping and saving I managed to get the bike I wanted. Has it made me a significantly better rider? Not yet, but it is more comfortable and I admit to getting a buzz from the looks I get from others as I ride past. In time I might become a better cyclist, I might not, has it cheered me up? Massively

I am sure others will see it differently, but they probably have different expectations from their riding.

good luck!

neeb

If the wheels are for all-round riding you'd be better off spending the £800 (or a bit less) on a really good set of low/medium profile alloy wheels, like Fulcrum zeros/ones, Campagnolo Shamals or Dura Ace 7850 C24s. The bontragers are OK but you would notice a big difference with any of these high end wheels. Deep profile carbon wheels are really only for racing / time trialing where you are doing 25mph+ on flattish terrain, in other situations they won't feel as responsive as a good set of alloy wheels, braking will be less reliable, and you will have trouble with crosswinds...

andyrr

Recon it would make a difference that you'd notice but not massive.
Carbon rimmed wheels are most often for tubular tyres and going to them is another change to consider.

racingcondor

Fulcrum 3's are as good as you'll ever need but don't let that stop you if you have £1k burning a hole in your wallet...

Do they make a difference, sure but only if you're losing races by 10cm . Do light, stiff £1k wheels feel awsome to ride on compared to £150 commuter wheels, oh hell yes!

sub55

quite difficult to comment as it all depends on what sort of riding you do.
but personally i would`nt spend £800 on a pair of wheels.
primerily , the wheels you have , are they fair quality and if you are really looking at top end wheels, you `d be looking to spend double that.
at £800 , their neither one thing or the other.
my general advice for this sort of question , is buy what you want , irrespective of the price. if you cant afford it , save up for longer or dont buy.
because if one of your considerations is £ ,you`ll always think what if, i should have , if only.