How much to spend on wheels compared to bike?

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  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    ugo.santalucia wrote:

    He then also said in response to mine
    Given the price point and use I have described, I find this quite frankly shocking. You have to wonder why anyone would buy factory wheels at all. But being a wheel builder you're bound to say that

    It's just as well I'm going the hand built route . Just waiting for that bonus payout!
    Did he? Can't see it ... perhaps it was in another thread? Anyway - £1k is a huge amount (as far as I'm concerned) to pay for wheels ... and I'd want to get something pretty darned impressive and long lasting for that ... unless I was racing - then I'd want them to have a little electric motor hidden in the hubs so I could keep up with the bunch! ;)

    I'll stick with the £160 factory wheels for the moment ... ;)
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,273
    Slowbike wrote:
    Did he? Can't see it ... perhaps it was in another thread? Anyway - £1k is a huge amount (as far as I'm concerned) to pay for wheels ... and I'd want to get something pretty darned impressive and long lasting for that ... unless I was racing - then I'd want them to have a little electric motor hidden in the hubs so I could keep up with the bunch! ;)

    I'll stick with the £160 factory wheels for the moment ... ;)

    No, this topic, last post of the first page... :wink:
    left the forum March 2023
  • pipipi
    pipipi Posts: 332
    From horse's mouth.." recommend something like 105 on Open pro 36h or 36 rear 32 front"

    I will try and find this page again when they arrive and I have been out for a spin!
    Giant TCR2 and lovin it!
    http://www.trainerroad.com/career/pipipi
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,273
    pipipi wrote:
    From horse's mouth.." recommend something like 105 on Open pro 36h or 36 rear 32 front"

    I will try and find this page again when they arrive and I have been out for a spin!

    I am sure they will change your perspective of riding equipment... give you a reality check about how much un-necessary hype there is over what is in effect junk

    An Audi quattro was one thing... a Fulcrum quattro is a completely different thing
    left the forum March 2023
  • dwanes
    dwanes Posts: 954
    I wouldn't see a problem putting a nice set of £1000 carbon tub wheels on a £500 aluminium frame.
    Putting them on a £3000 carbon frame wouldn't really make you any quicker providing geometry was the same.

    Would anyone disagree?
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    pipipi wrote:
    From horse's mouth.." recommend something like 105 on Open pro 36h or 36 rear 32 front"

    I will try and find this page again when they arrive and I have been out for a spin!

    That's exactly what Harry built for me - 105 Hubs on Open Pro rims 36 H front and rear - I am pretty much delighted with them in terms of build quality and ride after 1500 all weather miles on hard hard roads. BUT - FWIW - I wouldn't get Open Pros again as there is no wear indicator on them. Its a case of measuring the thickness of the rim with a micrometer (or such) and replacing once they are 0.9mm thick. That's ok but I would much prefer a rim with a clear indicator I could just have a quick glance at every now and again rather than strip it down and measure.
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    dwanes wrote:
    I wouldn't see a problem putting a nice set of £1000 carbon tub wheels on a £500 aluminium frame.
    Putting them on a £3000 carbon frame wouldn't really make you any quicker providing geometry was the same.

    Would anyone disagree?

    Why would you put the expensive wheels on the cheap(er) frame?
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,273
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    pipipi wrote:
    From horse's mouth.." recommend something like 105 on Open pro 36h or 36 rear 32 front"

    I will try and find this page again when they arrive and I have been out for a spin!

    That's exactly what Harry built for me - 105 Hubs on Open Pro rims 36 H front and rear - I am pretty much delighted with them in terms of build quality and ride after 1500 all weather miles on hard hard roads. BUT - FWIW - I wouldn't get Open Pros again as there is no wear indicator on them. Its a case of measuring the thickness of the rim with a micrometer (or such) and replacing once they are 0.9mm thick. That's ok but I would much prefer a rim with a clear indicator I could just have a quick glance at every now and again rather than strip it down and measure.

    Thnat's why at the time I offered you Ambrosio Excursion... :wink:
    left the forum March 2023
  • Camcycle1974
    Camcycle1974 Posts: 1,356
    Some builders seem to be infatuated with Open Pros. I was talking to my local builder the other day and he was commenting on them building the best wheel. I would suspect its because he has built more of them than anything else over the years. My wheels now need replacing as some kind soul vandalised my bike and dented the rims. Good excuse to pull the trigger on an Archetype build.
  • dwanes
    dwanes Posts: 954
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    dwanes wrote:
    I wouldn't see a problem putting a nice set of £1000 carbon tub wheels on a £500 aluminium frame.
    Putting them on a £3000 carbon frame wouldn't really make you any quicker providing geometry was the same.

    Would anyone disagree?

    Why would you put the expensive wheels on the cheap(er) frame?

    That's my point, why wouldn't you?

    A frame is a frame. I would say wheels make the biggest difference to the ride and performance.

    A £500 aluminium frame can be plenty stiff enough to provide excellent performance, anyone who things otherwise is being a bit snobbery.
  • jane90
    jane90 Posts: 149
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Jane, I was answering the post above mine, you probably missed it, which clearly mentioned buying wheels as a long term investment...
    You are of course right about how one can spend his money and I normally try to give advice where advice is asked for
    Hi Ugo, sorry if I wasn't clear, I wasn't commenting on your specific reply but observing the fact that you'd touched on the basic reason why so many threads on here go something like this:

    OP: I want a bling set of wheels for a budget of £2k

    Forum: You don't need bling wheels and you don't need to spend so much for perfectly good wheels that do the job.

    OP: I know that, but I still want a bling set of wheels and I have £2k in my budget.

    Forum: *heaps abuse on OP*

    Forum: *gives sensible advice on handbuilt alternatives.*

    OP: *buys a bling set of wheels for £2k.*
  • neilrobins
    neilrobins Posts: 102
    Cost of wheels = cost of frame... simples
    Alu frames can be had for 200 half decent wheels set about that
    400 will get a "known" carbon frame and a very decent set of factory wheels
    If you spend 1000+ on frame then it deserves exotic wheels, it's not rocket science!
    Dolan Mythos and Her dirty sister
    http://imageshack.us/a/img689/926/photojun07195556.jpg
  • drlodge
    drlodge Posts: 4,826
    Me: over £2k on a custom built frame and £500 max on the wheels. Cost of the wheels depends on what you want the wheels for. If I was racing or doing TTs seriously I'd be investing in a set of carbon deep rim tubulars. But I want an everyday set of wheels suited for long distances on Surrey roads.
    WyndyMilla Massive Attack | Rourke 953 | Condor Italia 531 Pro | Boardman CX Pro | DT Swiss RR440 Tubeless Wheels
    Find me on Strava
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    dwanes wrote:
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    dwanes wrote:
    I wouldn't see a problem putting a nice set of £1000 carbon tub wheels on a £500 aluminium frame.
    Putting them on a £3000 carbon frame wouldn't really make you any quicker providing geometry was the same.

    Would anyone disagree?

    Why would you put the expensive wheels on the cheap(er) frame?

    That's my point, why wouldn't you?

    A frame is a frame. I would say wheels make the biggest difference to the ride and performance.

    A £500 aluminium frame can be plenty stiff enough to provide excellent performance, anyone who things otherwise is being a bit snobbery.

    The frame is the most important part of the bike as there is nothing you can do after the fact to change stiffness (headtube and bottom bracket being the most important) and compliancy will always default to the frame.

    In regards to price of wheels, spend what you want. 1k wheels on a £500 frame may look silly, but if it makes you happy then do it.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    pipipi wrote:
    From horse's mouth.." recommend something like 105 on Open pro 36h or 36 rear 32 front"

    That's exactly what Harry built for me - 105 Hubs on Open Pro rims 36 H front and rear - I am pretty much delighted with them in terms of build quality and ride after 1500 all weather miles on hard hard roads. BUT - FWIW - I wouldn't get Open Pros again as there is no wear indicator on them. Its a case of measuring the thickness of the rim with a micrometer (or such) and replacing once they are 0.9mm thick. That's ok but I would much prefer a rim with a clear indicator I could just have a quick glance at every now and again rather than strip it down and measure.

    Thnat's why at the time I offered you Ambrosio Excursion... :wink:

    I was swayed by Harry's rep and longevity but with hindsight I should have taken you up on the offer as I am now a bit watchful of the rims (I think I am too paranoid for a rim with no wear indicator - I am sure they are safe if you check regularily but as I say not for me) :!:

    Grill wrote:
    dwanes wrote:
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    dwanes wrote:
    I wouldn't see a problem putting a nice set of £1000 carbon tub wheels on a £500 aluminium frame.
    Putting them on a £3000 carbon frame wouldn't really make you any quicker providing geometry was the same.

    Would anyone disagree?

    Why would you put the expensive wheels on the cheap(er) frame?

    That's my point, why wouldn't you?

    A frame is a frame. I would say wheels make the biggest difference to the ride and performance.

    A £500 aluminium frame can be plenty stiff enough to provide excellent performance, anyone who things otherwise is being a bit snobbery.

    The frame is the most important part of the bike as there is nothing you can do after the fact to change stiffness (headtube and bottom bracket being the most important) and compliancy will always default to the frame.

    In regards to price of wheels, spend what you want. 1k wheels on a £500 frame may look silly, but if it makes you happy then do it.

    I've no problem at all with anyone spending whatever amount they want on whatever they want - just for me personally I would need to be considerablyricher than even VTech to put £1k wheels on a £500 frame as I would have to already own the £4-5k road bike frame with the £2k wheels and the £3k MTB and pay of my mortgage etc etc before that would make any sense to me :)
  • TheSmithers
    TheSmithers Posts: 291
    Slowbike wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:

    Jane, I was answering the post above mine, you probably missed it, which clearly mentioned buying wheels as a long term investment...
    You are of course right about how one can spend his money and I normally try to give advice where advice is asked for
    Not quite - he said the wheels should stay pristine for years - not that they're a long term investment - you might see it as the same thing, but it's not quite.

    I've bought a set of factory wheels for my wifes bike - they look very nice and ride very well ... I don't expect to replace them for a good few years, but they're not an "investment" as they're not worth anything other than to us - they're as common as muck and relatively inexpensive. If/when she gets a new road bike I'll probably transfer the wheels over (assuming she hasn't knackered them in the meantime!).

    I'm confused here...

    Ugo, you referred to SlowBike as Jane. SlowBike then says they've bought a set of wheels for their wife's bike. One or two inappropriate nouns spring to mind? :lol:

    Jokes aside, to some £1k is a ludicrous amount to spend on wheels, as you've kind of said SlowBike. Indeed, part of me agrees, but I'm an impulsive individual and always have been. I spent £30k on two seasons of grass roots motorsport for crying out loud! Whatever wheels I get will certainly not give me £1k's worth of performance increase, nor probably £1k's worth of longevity it seems. However, they will look the dogs and make me very happy riding my bike, and if they last me 5 years or more given the use I described in my original post, I'll be happy.

    I've finally settled on a pair of Gigantex 50mm carbon wheels from Wheelsmith. Clincher or tubular I'm as yet undecided, but I am leaning toward the latter. I was going to have them built on Chris King hubs, which is what hiked the price up to the £1k mark, but I haven't made my mind up on that yet. I could end up spending "only" £500-£600, which going back to the subject of the thread, is within the generally agreed % to bike cost threshold. :D
    http://app.strava.com/athletes/2086404
  • TheSmithers
    TheSmithers Posts: 291
    Oh, and FYI, I never actually used the word "investment". My words were "long term upgrade". :)
    http://app.strava.com/athletes/2086404
  • drlodge
    drlodge Posts: 4,826
    TheSmithers wrote:
    I've finally settled on a pair of Gigantex 50mm carbon wheels from Wheelsmith. Clincher or tubular I'm as yet undecided, but I am leaning toward the latter. I was going to have them built on Chris King hubs, which is what hiked the price up to the £1k mark, but I haven't made my mind up on that yet. I could end up spending "only" £500-£600, which going back to the subject of the thread, is within the generally agreed % to bike cost threshold. :D

    Good choice...I saw Harry Rowlands 50mm Gigantex wheels at his house, CX-Ray spokes and Novatec hubs I think which keeps the price down to the £600 mark. Wouldn't mind a pair of those myself for TT and the odd fast ride. Personally I would go for the tubular option, as deep rim carbon clinchers are neither fish nor foul.
    WyndyMilla Massive Attack | Rourke 953 | Condor Italia 531 Pro | Boardman CX Pro | DT Swiss RR440 Tubeless Wheels
    Find me on Strava
  • pipipi
    pipipi Posts: 332
    Just to thank 'The Persuaders'.

    I went with Harry's suggestion, in silver. Went for a ride on Sunday and they flew. I appreciate that I don't have much to compare them to, apart from the stock wheels that were wearing out, but these feel really nice. I can't go into specifics on how fast they spin etc, but it was a bit like a shoe shop when you find a pair of shoes that are instantly comfortable. These wheels just feel right.

    Now I feel like I should get some new tyres but that's another thread entirely!

    Thanks again.
    Giant TCR2 and lovin it!
    http://www.trainerroad.com/career/pipipi
  • blackhands
    blackhands Posts: 950
    pipipi wrote:
    Just to thank 'The Persuaders'.

    I went with Harry's suggestion, in silver. Went for a ride on Sunday and they flew. I appreciate that I don't have much to compare them to, apart from the stock wheels that were wearing out, but these feel really nice. I can't go into specifics on how fast they spin etc, but it was a bit like a shoe shop when you find a pair of shoes that are instantly comfortable. These wheels just feel right.

    Now I feel like I should get some new tyres but that's another thread entirely!

    Thanks again.

    Vittoria Pave - no need for a new thread!

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