Best wheelset under £200 for commuter?

richrich

Hi,

I currently have a Specialized Sirrus Elite Hybrid with an Alex S500 rim on the front, and Mavic A319 on the rear. I have Spec. Armadillo 700x28c tyres. I weigh about 66kg, and do several short trips of 3-4 miles each day such as my commute to work.

My question is - are there any good wheelsets out there which would make a noticeable difference to my bike?
I don't want to go faster - just get there with less effort! I live in a flat area with average road surfaces.

Ideally I wouldn't want to spend over £200 for the set.

cheers

iPete

Honestly; for a 3-4 miles ride, I wouldn't bother but if you must spend the money some 23c tyres and some Planet X Model B wheels would see a slight improvement.
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/WPP ... b-wheelset

I also had Alex S500s on my Allez and noticed a slight difference when I moved to the Model C wheels but I only changed because I knackered them.

richrich

thanks for that suggestion!

I actually originally had 2x Alex S500s, and when the back wheel got changed to a Mavic due to damage it definitely felt heavier.

I'm also conscious of balancing less rolling resistance with getting a comfortable ride. Would 23c be a lot harsher than 28c?

unixnerd

There was a good article on here about tyres last week I think. Basically you're gaining nothing by going from a 25 to a 23 and 25s actually roll better! You'll be a bit less harsh on a 25 too. The big issue is what pressure you run it at. For comfort I'd maybe stick to 90psi, you'll roll better at 110 but road noise is a lot worse.

I run 28s on my tourer. They're fairly heavy even for a 28 but I'm hoping that improves puncture resistance. Comfort on the 28s depends almost entirely on pressure and I don't notice an enormous difference vs smaller tyres.

Those Planet-X model Bs look nice. I bought some Pro-Lite Braccianos for my road bike, 190 from Ribble. Superb wheels, made my road bike a lot faster accelerating and climbing. But I fancy something cheaper for the tourer.

pastey_boy

for the money these are great, tough and reliable with hand built quality plus you have enough left over for a couple of tyres. much easier to service and repair when compared to factory builts, not the lightest but for commuting purposes they are perfect.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Wheels-Shiman ... 4cf3a6d599

phillipjohnson

Mavic Aksiums are good in that price bracket.

walkingbootweather

I had some wheels hand-built by Spa Cycles for about this price. I rang them up with what I thought would be a suitable wheel and they talked me into something else at a similar price, and I have been delighted with their performance. They specialise in building strong touring / commuting wheels rather than lightweight race wheels but are able to base build on a wide range of rims, hubs and spokes depending upon individual requirements. Take a look at http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s180p0 for some examples, but do call and explain your needs.

Personally I favour wider tyres (28+) to give slightly more comfort over a marginal potential difference in speed for commuting.

Good Luck