Wheel Upgrade Advice

JonLad85

Hi

I've finally cracked to all the shouts that a wheel is the best upgrade you can do to your bike.

I'll admit I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to bike components and what to look for so I'm looking for advice from this forum.

I currently have the following bike

I've just signed up to the Wooler Wheel 160km and Virgin Money Cyclone. I am also doing the Coast to Castle across 3 days...Around 60 miles a day. My training rides range from 40m to 80m.

I'm looking to spend around £400-600 and I am happy to stick with my mavic wheels for training rides but when it comes to the sportive rides I'd like something that is going to give me that extra 1mph average. I'm also open if people want to suggest a wheel that is suitable to keep on the bike for training and sportive rides. I've started looking at the Fulcrum Racing 3 wheel based on the review on this website however I don't fully understand the benefits/drawbacks of the wheel and why they might suit me better.

Thanks in advance.

ugo.santalucia

No wheel will give you 1 mph advantage... Unless your current ones are dreadful, which is a possibility, but bear that in mind.
I don't like Fulcrum wheels... They use a bizarre rear combination of 21 spokes that often leaves you with no other option than ditching everything for the smallest failure or incident. it is frustrating when you spend a lot of money... Bear that in mind too

smidsy

If you are looking to do longer events on back-to-back days then surely reliabilty and fixabilty should be the priorities as opposed to outright speed.

JonLad85

ugo.santalucia wrote:

No wheel will give you 1 mph advantage... Unless your current ones are dreadful, which is a possibility, but bear that in mind.
I don't like Fulcrum wheels... They use a bizarre rear combination of 21 spokes that often leaves you with no other option than ditching everything for the smallest failure or incident. it is frustrating when you spend a lot of money... Bear that in mind too

Thanks for the tips...I would prefer something that will stand the test of time.

smidsy wrote:

If you are looking to do longer events on back-to-back days then surely reliabilty and fixabilty should be the priorities as opposed to outright speed.

A good point...I would like something that is going to withstand a fair amount of use. I suppose I'm after something in the middle of speed/reliability if such a wheelset exists

imposter2.0

The wheels you already have will do the job perfectly well.

smidsy

Perhaps something like these, Ambrosio Excellight rims, 32 DT Competition spokes



maybe on dura ace hubs?

cloggsy

I'm upgrading wheels on my road bike for this season.

I'm veering towards the Mavic Ksyrium Elite S wheelset.

I was looking at the Mavic R-SYS Clincher Road Wheelset; beautiful set of wheels IMHO, but to be honest they're proabaly too 'overkill' for me & I would hate to 'mash' 'em on the commute!

JonLad85

smidsy wrote:

Perhaps something like these, Ambrosio Excellight rims, 32 DT Competition spokes



maybe on dura ace hubs?

I've had a quick search on the above and I'm guessing these rims would involve building the wheel?

I'd prefer a wheelset option to be fair unless there are clear advantages to building the wheel up from scratch.

I haven't thought about hubs..someone at work mentioned DT Swiss 240's but these look to be out of my price range. I've had a search for dura ace hubs there and I'm liking the reviews they get so something for me to consider!

JonLad85

cloggsy wrote:

I'm upgrading wheels on my road bike for this season.

I'm veering towards the Mavic Ksyrium Elite S wheelset.

I was looking at the Mavic R-SYS Clincher Road Wheelset; beautiful set of wheels IMHO, but to be honest they're proabaly too 'overkill' for me & I would hate to 'mash' 'em on the commute!

Can you go into a bit more detail why you are veering towards the Mavic Ksyrium Elite S wheelset?

cloggsy

JonLad85 wrote:

cloggsy wrote:

I'm upgrading wheels on my road bike for this season.

I'm veering towards the Mavic Ksyrium Elite S wheelset.

I was looking at the Mavic R-SYS Clincher Road Wheelset; beautiful set of wheels IMHO, but to be honest they're proabaly too 'overkill' for me & I would hate to 'mash' 'em on the commute!

Can you go into a bit more detail why you are veering towards the Mavic Ksyrium Elite S wheelset?

In what way Jon?

I like the look of these wheels; they are also lighter than the stock wheels on my bike presently (Ritchie Pro's), they get great reviews and they are within my price bracket

I've also looked at Hope Hoops Pro3 RS-Mono road wheelset but they've stopped making them (unfortunately)

JonLad85

cloggsy wrote:

JonLad85 wrote:

cloggsy wrote:

I'm upgrading wheels on my road bike for this season.

I'm veering towards the Mavic Ksyrium Elite S wheelset.

I was looking at the Mavic R-SYS Clincher Road Wheelset; beautiful set of wheels IMHO, but to be honest they're proabaly too 'overkill' for me & I would hate to 'mash' 'em on the commute!

Can you go into a bit more detail why you are veering towards the Mavic Ksyrium Elite S wheelset?

In what way Jon?

I like the look of these wheels; they are also lighter than the stock wheels on my bike presently (Ritchie Pro's), they get great reviews and they are within my price bracket

I've also looked at Hope Hoops Pro3 RS-Mono road wheelset but they've stopped making them (unfortunately)

In terms of the type of riding you'll be doing, flat/lots of climbing/distance...I like the sound of the review mentioning you get a certain degree of stiffness in them when you want to apply a lot of power. Which matches the reliability and speed I was after. I must admit I never considered the look but I think these would go pretty well with the colour scheme of my bike 8)

cloggsy

JonLad85 wrote:

I must admit I never considered the look but I think these would go pretty well with the colour scheme of my bike 8)

Sold!

They fit in nicely with my scheme too

I do all sorts of riding; from commuting to 60, 80, 100km+ rides. I'm also toying with joining a road riding club to improve my riding and fitness...

ugo.santalucia

JonLad85 wrote:

I must admit I never considered the look but I think these would go pretty well with the colour scheme of my bike 8)

Ah, it was the coliur then...

JonLad85

ugo.santalucia wrote:

JonLad85 wrote:

I must admit I never considered the look but I think these would go pretty well with the colour scheme of my bike 8)

Ah, it was the coliur then...

Slightly distracted there

Back to reasoning...I think I now fancy either Mavic Ksyrium Elite S wheelset or still the Fulcrum 3's (Slightly put off now from a previous comment that failure of any part of the wheel would mean I'd have to replace the entire wheel)

ugo.santalucia

JonLad85 wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

JonLad85 wrote:

I must admit I never considered the look but I think these would go pretty well with the colour scheme of my bike 8)

Ah, it was the coliur then...

Slightly distracted there

Back to reasoning...I think I now fancy either Mavic Ksyrium Elite S wheelset or still the Fulcrum 3's (Slightly put off now from a previous comment that failure of any part of the wheel would mean I'd have to replace the entire wheel)

Well, Mavic is not great on spares either... a spare rim will set you off 150 pounds, give or take and when they change rims, they don't typically stock older models and newer might not fit. I haven't seen the latest Elites, not sure you could use another cheaper rim instead... probably not without replacing the spokes too... definitively not in the case of Fulcrum, due to the stupid drilling...

Otherwise there in nothing wrong with the Elite... they are fairly durable and can tolerate abuse better than others. I find them a bit expensive, for what they are... good hubs, decent rims... nearly 500 pounds... not cheap!

smidsy

And also quite a harsh ride, not exactly ideal for back-to-back long days in the saddle.

ugo.santalucia

smidsy wrote:

And also quite a harsh ride, not exactly ideal for back-to-back long days in the saddle.

Well... someone here would argue that 60 miles is hardly a long day on the saddle... with the Elites it's probably 3 hours...

cloggsy

JonLad85 wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

JonLad85 wrote:

I must admit I never considered the look but I think these would go pretty well with the colour scheme of my bike 8)

Ah, it was the coliur then...

Slightly distracted there

You can't forget The Rules!

JonLad85 wrote:

Back to reasoning...I think I now fancy either Mavic Ksyrium Elite S wheelset or still the Fulcrum 3's (Slightly put off now from a previous comment that failure of any part of the wheel would mean I'd have to replace the entire wheel)

The Elite's are pretty bomb-proof from what I've heard/read - They're the wheels for me I think...

smidsy

ugo.santalucia wrote:

smidsy wrote:

And also quite a harsh ride, not exactly ideal for back-to-back long days in the saddle.

Well... someone here would argue that 60 miles is hardly a long day on the saddle... with the Elites it's probably 3 hours...

That long blimey...if only they had Zipp 303's.

I purposely refrained from mentioning mileage, much better to look at time on the bike. I mean some people could take 7 hours. :roll:

JonLad85

If it helps I've set myself a target of under 7 hours for the 104 mile Cyclone I've entered in the hope I hit 6.30!

I've just had the following recommended to me at work...problem is I can't find many reviews on them. There are some on the actual website but I would like some comments that aren't potentially non biased

ugo.santalucia

JonLad85 wrote:

If it helps I've set myself a target of under 7 hours for the 104 mile Cyclone I've entered in the hope I hit 6.30!

I've just had the following recommended to me at work...problem is I can't find many reviews on them. There are some on the actual website but I would like some comments that aren't potentially non biased

Along the same lines and much much cheaper, you can get a set of Planet X AL 30... hubs are of analogous quality, rims are similar and the J spokes means they will be easier to mend for your LBS (or yourself).

These use what seem to be Bitex hubs for straight pull spokes (or something copied), which you can buy on Ebay for 60-70 pounds, to give you an idea of the quality. I was offered some by Bitex at 45 USD per set

cloggsy

JonLad85 wrote:

If it helps I've set myself a target of under 7 hours for the 104 mile Cyclone I've entered in the hope I hit 6.30!

I've just had the following recommended to me at work...problem is I can't find many reviews on them. There are some on the actual website but I would like some comments that aren't potentially non biased

If you can't find many reviews, isn't that telling you something?

Do you fit the criteria?

RIDER WEIGHT & SAFETY NOTICE

- The maximum permitted rider weight for this wheel set is 90kg.
- Tyre pressures of 120psi should not be exceeded.

I know I don't most road tyres are rated to 145psi! :?

mroli

JonLad85 wrote:

I'd prefer a wheelset option to be fair unless there are clear advantages to building the wheel up from scratch.

Why would you prefer a wheelset option?

The advantages to having wheels built for you are similar to having a tailor made suit. You can ask your wheelbuilder a number of questions about what you want in your wheel and a good wheelbuilder should listen to your answers and build you a wheel that is suited to your riding. Wheelset options may be a little bit cheaper, but they are in the "one size fits all" category. Also, having a local wheelbuilder means if you snap a spoke, or damage a rim not only can you get them repaired, but this will happen cheaper and generally quicker than shop bought wheels. For £4-500 you can get a really nice set of wheels built for you. They will also be individual and you can make them unique to you (if that matters to you!)

I have shop built wheels and I have handbuilt wheels and now I have a good local wheelbuilder, I'd get him to build all my wheels for me (and I hope his head isn't swelling!)

JonLad85

mroli wrote:

JonLad85 wrote:

I'd prefer a wheelset option to be fair unless there are clear advantages to building the wheel up from scratch.

Why would you prefer a wheelset option?

The advantages to having wheels built for you are similar to having a tailor made suit. You can ask your wheelbuilder a number of questions about what you want in your wheel and a good wheelbuilder should listen to your answers and build you a wheel that is suited to your riding. Wheelset options may be a little bit cheaper, but they are in the "one size fits all" category. Also, having a local wheelbuilder means if you snap a spoke, or damage a rim not only can you get them repaired, but this will happen cheaper and generally quicker than shop bought wheels. For £4-500 you can get a really nice set of wheels built for you. They will also be individual and you can make them unique to you (if that matters to you!)

I have shop built wheels and I have handbuilt wheels and now I have a good local wheelbuilder, I'd get him to build all my wheels for me (and I hope his head isn't swelling!)

I was just going for ease of purchase to be honest.

I'm visiting my LBS this weekend but the problem is there more of a MTB specialist than Road so I'm not sure if they'd be able to offer me what I'm looking for. Would mean I'd have to find another local shop that's trusted in the area.

I can see your point about getting a set built though. Tailor made to the results I'm trying to achieve sounds like a really good option.

ugo.santalucia

JonLad85 wrote:

mroli wrote:

JonLad85 wrote:

I'd prefer a wheelset option to be fair unless there are clear advantages to building the wheel up from scratch.

Why would you prefer a wheelset option?

The advantages to having wheels built for you are similar to having a tailor made suit. You can ask your wheelbuilder a number of questions about what you want in your wheel and a good wheelbuilder should listen to your answers and build you a wheel that is suited to your riding. Wheelset options may be a little bit cheaper, but they are in the "one size fits all" category. Also, having a local wheelbuilder means if you snap a spoke, or damage a rim not only can you get them repaired, but this will happen cheaper and generally quicker than shop bought wheels. For £4-500 you can get a really nice set of wheels built for you. They will also be individual and you can make them unique to you (if that matters to you!)

I have shop built wheels and I have handbuilt wheels and now I have a good local wheelbuilder, I'd get him to build all my wheels for me (and I hope his head isn't swelling!)

I was just going for ease of purchase to be honest.

I'm visiting my LBS this weekend but the problem is there more of a MTB specialist than Road so I'm not sure if they'd be able to offer me what I'm looking for. Would mean I'd have to find another local shop that's trusted in the area.

I can see your point about getting a set built though. Tailor made to the results I'm trying to achieve sounds like a really good option.

If you point out the area you live, maybe we can point you towards someone local to have a chat with as an alternative to the Mavic

JonLad85

ugo.santalucia wrote:

JonLad85 wrote:

mroli wrote:

JonLad85 wrote:

I'd prefer a wheelset option to be fair unless there are clear advantages to building the wheel up from scratch.

Why would you prefer a wheelset option?

The advantages to having wheels built for you are similar to having a tailor made suit. You can ask your wheelbuilder a number of questions about what you want in your wheel and a good wheelbuilder should listen to your answers and build you a wheel that is suited to your riding. Wheelset options may be a little bit cheaper, but they are in the "one size fits all" category. Also, having a local wheelbuilder means if you snap a spoke, or damage a rim not only can you get them repaired, but this will happen cheaper and generally quicker than shop bought wheels. For £4-500 you can get a really nice set of wheels built for you. They will also be individual and you can make them unique to you (if that matters to you!)

I have shop built wheels and I have handbuilt wheels and now I have a good local wheelbuilder, I'd get him to build all my wheels for me (and I hope his head isn't swelling!)

I was just going for ease of purchase to be honest.

I'm visiting my LBS this weekend but the problem is there more of a MTB specialist than Road so I'm not sure if they'd be able to offer me what I'm looking for. Would mean I'd have to find another local shop that's trusted in the area.

I can see your point about getting a set built though. Tailor made to the results I'm trying to achieve sounds like a really good option.

If you point out the area you live, maybe we can point you towards someone local to have a chat with as an alternative to the Mavic

The North East of England...preferably around the Newcastle area

ugo.santalucia

JonLad85 wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

JonLad85 wrote:

mroli wrote:

JonLad85 wrote:

I'd prefer a wheelset option to be fair unless there are clear advantages to building the wheel up from scratch.

Why would you prefer a wheelset option?

The advantages to having wheels built for you are similar to having a tailor made suit. You can ask your wheelbuilder a number of questions about what you want in your wheel and a good wheelbuilder should listen to your answers and build you a wheel that is suited to your riding. Wheelset options may be a little bit cheaper, but they are in the "one size fits all" category. Also, having a local wheelbuilder means if you snap a spoke, or damage a rim not only can you get them repaired, but this will happen cheaper and generally quicker than shop bought wheels. For £4-500 you can get a really nice set of wheels built for you. They will also be individual and you can make them unique to you (if that matters to you!)

I have shop built wheels and I have handbuilt wheels and now I have a good local wheelbuilder, I'd get him to build all my wheels for me (and I hope his head isn't swelling!)

I was just going for ease of purchase to be honest.

I'm visiting my LBS this weekend but the problem is there more of a MTB specialist than Road so I'm not sure if they'd be able to offer me what I'm looking for. Would mean I'd have to find another local shop that's trusted in the area.

I can see your point about getting a set built though. Tailor made to the results I'm trying to achieve sounds like a really good option.

If you point out the area you live, maybe we can point you towards someone local to have a chat with as an alternative to the Mavic

The North East of England...preferably around the Newcastle area

Try ask if they still build wheels

http://www.bikerepairman.co.uk

cloggsy

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Try ask if they still build wheels

http://www.bikerepairman.co.uk

If you do speak to 'em, I'd be interested to see what options they give you!

JonLad85

cloggsy wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Try ask if they still build wheels

http://www.bikerepairman.co.uk

If you do speak to 'em, I'd be interested to see what options they give you!

I'm hoping to get time to call in tomorrow...hopefully I wont leave the shop with a set of wheels as I'm sure that would end in divorce before I get sign off :roll:

cloggsy

JonLad85 wrote:

I'm hoping to get time to call in tomorrow...hopefully I wont leave the shop with a site of wheels as I'm sure that would end in divorce before I get sign off :roll:

Just say it's your belated Valentine's gift (to yourself)

cycleclinic

You can find flaws, big ones in all factory wheels. It is pretty easy to build a set that is lighter, just as stiff and possibly cheaper than a factory wheelset in the £400-£600. There is nothing wrong with a 32 spoke build. They can also be light. I have done a set this week that weight in at 1550g (well 28F/32R). I personally would get wheels from a good local builder that use convential spokes and can be repaired if needed. A good set of hanbuilt wheels should last a very long time as they can be rebuilt and the rims replaced whenever needed. A bit like Triggers broom.