better wheels

poynedexter
poynedexter Posts: 283
edited February 2012 in Road beginners
hi, i'm awaiting the arrival of a new 2011 caad8 sora, which at 499 is a bargain i hope. i'm hearing a lot about the importance of good wheels. so if i wanted to upgrade wheels inthe future, what sensible options would i have. how much would they cost and would i really notice an improvement, given that i'm reasonably fit (for me) and want to ride sportives this year?

i bought this bike based on it having a decent frame and the allowing me to improve the rest in time.

i know the shimano rs 10's are about £100 but what else is there up to say £300?

Comments

  • jim453
    jim453 Posts: 1,360
    You haven't even taken delivery of the bike yet. If you had £300 extra why didn't you buy an £800 bike in the first place? potentially with better wheels.

    To be honest, you probably wouldn't notice the difference anyway. Ride it like it is for a bit
  • poynedexter
    poynedexter Posts: 283
    i didnt spend the extra because the major difference is the groupset, not the wheels or frame. to get the better wheel set i'd have had to spend near £1000 on a caad10 2011 and it has rs10 wheels at £100.

    this is my question really, when i hear about how important wheels are, will i notice?? @ £499 i still have budget to improve a few things as i feel i need them.
  • petemadoc
    petemadoc Posts: 2,331
    I agree that wheels are more important than the groupset, however I also agree with jim, just ride the bike first.

    Better wheels will make a marginal difference but I'd ride the bike for a while first, you might want a different saddle or stem and you'll definitely need clothes.

    Decent shorts, jerseys, gloves etc are more important than wheels.
  • poynedexter
    poynedexter Posts: 283
    thats the plan. with this bike i can still buy a bike stand and some decent kit. given that my current bike is a 13yr old sunn, it should be a big step forward in itself :)
  • anto164
    anto164 Posts: 3,500
    Don't underestimate the cost of decent clothing. It's easy to spend nearly) the cost of the bike on just one set of winter clothing. (£150 for some nice shoes and covers, £100 for some good biblongs, £100 for an OK jacket, £40 for a long sleeve merino baselayer etc... it all adds up!)

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