same old boring "what wheels?" question :)

stratcat

Hi,
I've decided to upgrade a bit on my bike for the summer.
Ive got one of these trek 1.7
I've ridden it for a couple of years and love it, I can't afford a better bike at the moment so I reckon new wheels will give it a new lease of life.

Now, I know nothing about wheels, so...... some advice needed. I read that the ssr wheels on it are pretty heavy (although they do look good). Ive already had a spoke go on the back, replaced and trued by my LBS.
I fancy something light, I do TT's on it, I am doing the Fred Whitton in May and living in Cumbria tend to get up a few hills from time to time
Any advice?
Price wise, I don't know how much I would need to spend for it to be an upgrade - I don't mind spending, within reason - but I don't see any point spending £1000 for wheels on a £900 bike

Thanks for reading and thanks in anticipation of your knowledgeable responses.

ADIHEAD

Prolite Brachiano's for £190 on Ribble - I've got a pair and love em. Also Shimano Ultegra 6700's are fantastic - £250 Merlin, RS80's are the carbon rimmed versions for £350 Merlin. If you want to spend a bit more then Mavic Ksyrium Elites are great also - £390 Merlin.

Depends how much you want to spend?

galatzo

Reckon these would look great

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12754917

MaxwellBygraves

Some Fulcrums would be my bet - Racing 3? Paired with Continental GP4000s. Reckon that would give it the new lease of life your looking for.

wildmoustache

On a budget and SRAM/ Shimano i would go for Racing 5s or the ultegras mentioned above.

with more to play with then the RS80s are nice or Racing 3s if you can find a big discount.

Still more and the Dura Ace or Fulcrum Zeros (if you can find a big discount).

giant_man

Not bad wheel test in the latest C+ - March issue

wildmoustache

eastons are also pretty good, though it seems a few more problems than shimano/campagnolo/fulcrum/ mavic.

IMO shimano and campagnolo make the best factory hoops ... mavic hubs are a bit crappy in comparison though they're hoops are solid and get the job done.

danowat

I like Eastons, they look good, aren't too pricey, strong and light too, plus they are hand built.

giant_man

The Easton EA50s came in at 6/10, with the Mavic Ksyrium Equipes at 8/10 and Fulcrum Racing 3s at 9/10. Editors choice were the Campagnolo Neutron Ultras.

danowat

It always pays to take reviews with a pinch of salt, how many miles did they run them on to do the review?

giant_man

Yes I know and I do agree, they 'test' them for 'roundness' and 'trueness' and perform 'lamppost sprints' for acceleration over 15mph, see into that what you will but I can't see hundreds of miles being performed on all these wheels over all types of terrain somehow.

C+ aren't that thorough, unfortunately.

Extralight

+1 for the ProLite Braccianos. Very light - fantatsic for the money.

Bozman

Just spend what you can afford but don't go mad and always leave enough for a good set of tyres. Sooner or later you'll upgrade your frame and you will already have a good set of wheels to go with it.
Mavic ksyrium elites, Shimano RS80s or some of the new Fulcrum 3s would be a good upgrade but remember to save your old wheels incase you sell the bike or use them through winter to save your new wheels.

wombler

OK - to throw a spanner in the works, I asked a similar question on my club's forum a while back. The feedback I got was rather than upgrading my wheels, which would have limited value on the bike I was riding (which is similar-ish level to yours), the money might be better used either saving towards a new better bike or spending on a training holiday (e.g. Majorca).

wildmoustache

wombler wrote:

OK - to throw a spanner in the works, I asked a similar question on my club's forum a while back. The feedback I got was rather than upgrading my wheels, which would have limited value on the bike I was riding (which is similar-ish level to yours), the money might be better used either saving towards a new better bike or spending on a training holiday (e.g. Majorca).

that training camp answer is the usual stuff.

but a training camp, useful as it might be, and a pair of wheels serve different purposes, and for that matter require a different level of commitment, one financial and a few clicks of the mouse, the other a week's holiday.

stratcat

Thanks for all the replies.
Lots of good suggestions. The new bike idea is OK, but is a much bigger expenditure The training camp is a no go in reality.

I like the look of the new DA C24 cl's but are a bit more than I thought about spending - isn't that always the way?!