Wheel upgrades - what did you do?

robstevens

Hi all,

Pretty new to cycling and have a 2010 GT GTR Carbon Sport fitted with CXP22's and Shimano 105's.

My question is, have you upgraded your wheelset? If so, what did you upgrade from and to and why?

Thanks in advance!

Rob

tim_wand

Type of riding you do. Weight, Budget would help?

To get better general performance than you current hoops you d need to spend about £300 my personal choice at that level would be Hope hoops RS monos , but I m a big unit.

If that's your budget than Handbuilt using 105 hubs (even cheaper using your existing hubs/ but better to keep the old wheels as a winter set.) and open pros make a good wheelset.

The general big step up grade on wheelsets seems to be Mavic Ksyrium Elites at anything from £400 - £500.

Theres also some interesting wheelsets on the Superstar Components website at the £350 mark.

housemunkey

He asked if you have upgraded your wheels, what to and why.......not give him random options.

Anyway, I had some cheap lightweight wheels built by superstar and they were a nightmare. Without being too much of a troll I think you get what you pay for and their prices are looowwwww.

I changed to a heavier set of wheels, Hope Hoops on Stans Alpha 400 rims. Added 200-300 grams but the hubs are proven excellence, lightweight rims so going up the hills seems no harder and 32 spokes is always a nice insurance and keeps it stiff but comfy. I wanted something of a reasonable weight, high quality (also read reliable or 'bombproof') and a price that wouldn't leave me reeling and these filled the hole nicely.

macroadie

robstevens wrote:

Hi all,

Pretty new to cycling and have a 2010 GT GTR Carbon Sport fitted with CXP22's and Shimano 105's.

My question is, have you upgraded your wheelset? If so, what did you upgrade from and to and why?

Thanks in advance!

Rob

My felt F5 has some heavy MAVIC CXP-22 rims that weigh like a dead cow.
My Cannondale supersix has mavic kserium elite that are superlight.

I really wanted 38mm carbon clinchers but the cost was above $1000. Dint' want tabulars due to the pain of replacing tubes.

Just bought Boyd Vitesse 28mm, weight 1470g ($650 total). These are going to the Cannondale and the Mavic go to Felt F5

Why? Well the felt carbon frame weighs around 900g so those heavy wheels don't do it justice.

pgrhodes

Hi,

I had the exact same wheels on my Felt F75...CXP22's. After a series of punctures with the very poor tyres it also came with as standard, I started to research this too.

I had a limited budget and in the end I opted for Mavic Aksiums with Mavic's own tyres as a package. They were very reasonable in regards cost (certainly <£200...cant remember exactly) but they have performed perfectly since. I noticed an improvment straight away. I am sure, as you move further up the range, the improvements will continue, but the costs escalate too. For what I needed, these were just perfect.

I have kept the CXP's and fitted a turbo trainer tyre for use on the trainer in the winter!

arlowood

Have done 2 upgrades over the past 3-4 years.

First was from the stock CXP22's on my Spesh Secteur Elite to some Shimano RS80's at around the £300 mark. These were an instant improvement and initially I was really impressed with them. However as my cycling technique developed I started to do a lot more climbing out of the saddle and that was where the shortcomings of the RS80's became apparent. Not being the lightest of riders at that time (~90kg) I started to notice a lot of flex in the front wheel. Eventually sold the Spesh with the RS80's and bought a Trek Madone 5.9.

Again the fitted Bontrager wheels were OK but were also prone to some flexing that I didn't like. Opted to upgrade these eventually to some handbuilts - Mavic Open Pro rims, Novatec 141/482 hubs, DT spokes with a 28/32 front/rear spoke count at a final cost of around £270. Not the lightest combination but these have been great wheels - stiff and free rolling. They were built by our resident wheel guru (Ugo Santalucia).

My vote would be to go down the handbuilt route. Don't be too fixated on specifying lightweight components - there is always a trade off between lightweight components and durability.

displacedaussie

Started with ALX 330 wheels which came with my Allez. They were ok - but a bit heavy and eventually the rim wore out and they didn't brake very well.

Bought some Shimano RS80s at the start of 2012 when I started getting a bit more serious about cycling. Raced on them (with some success) all of last year. They're still on the Allez (which is now my commuting/training bike) and I really like them.

Bought a Canyon at the start of this year which came with the 2013 Ksyrium Elite S wheelset. Raced on them all year and they've been excellent.

A month or so ago bought a pair of Dura Ace C50 tubs to race on and I absolutely love them, but they're definitely just for racing.

700c

Over the years:
Campag Zonda was the first upgrade -great wheelset,.really stiff lighter than the stock fsa's my bike came with. good for larger riders though not easily repairable like handbuilts would be..

Then put rs 80's on GF's bike. V light for the price and hold up well so far.

Finally, this year I got new summer wheels which are carbon deep ish section tubulars, backed up by crash protection Reynolds 46T. Yes they are expensive but they're a great wheelset. They positively float uphill and on smooth flat roads. I don't think expensive components are easily justifiable for many, and diminishing returns definitely applies, but if it's your hobby and passion...

blinddrew

I had a pair of planet-x model B's but I've just bought a new set of wheels from http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk., Gigantex carbon rims (24mm x 50mm) on their own hubs with Sapim spokes. Not cheap, but hand-made with a great guarantee, great service and pretty light for deep-section rims at 1515g for the pair. Sadly it's pissed it down since they arrived so I haven't had a decent ride on them yet :¬(
Look like this:

djhermer

Over the past couple of years I've changed stock wheels to various offerings from the usual OEMs. I've had Ksyrium Elites, Ksyrium Equipes, Aksiums, RS80s and Fulcrum 3s - so everyting from the c.£150 - £550 mark. I've also got some ROL race wheels with Powertap.

All are good in their own right. Horses for courses. Earlier this year i decided to go down the handbuilt route (Derek at Wheelsmith). For similar money (c£450) i went for Race23s with WS hubs and Sapim CX Ray spokes. They look brilliant (black annodised to match my bikes - admittedly it does wear eventually).

They most closely matched the Kysrium Elites (which i still have and are still good after several thousand miles). They look better (IMO) and were slightly cheaper. However, where they really came into their own was a couple of weeks ago when my rear mech hanger snapped and threw the derailleur into the spokes....

Derek has just repaired (replaced all drive side spokes), assessed and re-sent to me for £80. I am extremely glad i put the Race23s on that day. Had the Kysriums been on the bike i would have been looking at a replacment wheel (£250).

I wouldn't not buy ready built wheels off the shelf again, but handbuilts are becoming increasingly difficult to overlook due to the huge range of options (i.e. pick and choose your components to suit you and your budget) and the costs of repair vs others.

supermurph09

I went from Easton Aero's to Planet X 52mm Clinchers. The main reasons were performance and looks. I'd also started doing TT's on my road bike so thought they would help (they did). They spin up much quicker and when you're upto speed you do feel the difference. They cost £500. I'd looked at handbuilts too, came very close to buying them but a few club members already had the same wheels and had recommended them so I went with that advice. Looks wise (and lets face it, it matters!) I think they transform the bike.

graham_g

HouseMunkey wrote:

I changed to a heavier set of wheels, Hope Hoops on Stans Alpha 400 rims. Added 200-300 grams but the hubs are proven excellence, lightweight rims so going up the hills seems no harder and 32 spokes is always a nice insurance and keeps it stiff but comfy. I wanted something of a reasonable weight, high quality (also read reliable or 'bombproof') and a price that wouldn't leave me reeling and these filled the hole nicely.

^^ and don't forget the ability to replace a rim/spoke/hub with minimal fuss - I'm amazed at how many factory wheels are essentially scrap once you've worn through a rim, I mean even without winter use there's a limit to how many miles you're going to get out of a rim, so unless it's 'sunday best', race use, or so cheap they're disposable, I'm really struggling to see the point in factory wheels for most day-to-day riders.

paul64

Hi Rob, when I began road cycling as a late starter (in my late 20s back around 1992) I trod the path of Mavic Open Pro and similar and then around 1995 I bought some CXP30 on Hope Ti hubs which saw many years of good use. Heavy and the flat-bladed spoke design made them less comfortable than they were capable of. But I had no idea and simply appreciated the way they rolled and were fast on level surface and descents.

In more recent years I have:
cheap Bontrager Race wheels were bought for winter use, fashionable low spoke count, they make the bike go forward but that's about it.
Easton EA50SL wheels with a bike I bought about 4 years ago, fast and comfortable, absolute pigs to change a tyre until I was shown it is easier than I thought, I added comments to the review up on Bikeradar which explains more
Mavic Kysrium Equipe in white to match one of my bikes, nothing special, underwhelming, disappointing in fact as a £300+ wheelset and to me (and one or two others who have tried my wheels) not as good as the cheaper Eastons
Duar Ace WH7850-C24. fabulous but an abject lesson in how to waste money. Should have been explained to me that these should only be used in the dry and/or race days (I don't race) and when after only a couple of years of what felt like light use it was pointed out to me that one rim was thin to the point of dangerous, my heart sank.

Many of these wheels mean sourcing bespoke rims or spokes when problems arise so I have gone full circle (no pun intended) to sticking with handbuilts in the future especially as I have no plan to buy a new bike with disc brakes any time soon. H Plus Son rims or other well known choice, double butted spokes with a count of 28/28 minimum and Novatec or Miche hubs, built by someone reputable and there are a couple of them who post on here as you may know. One of them rebuilt my old CXP30 for me in the summer and as soon as my tibia fracture is sufficiently healed (don't ask!) I look forward to using them.

tim_wand

He asked if you have upgraded your wheels, what to and why.......not give him random options.

Anyway, I had some cheap lightweight wheels built by superstar and they were a nightmare. Without being too much of a troll I think you get what you pay for and their prices are looowwwww.

Yep . and I answered him, I ve got some Hope Hoops Rs Monos and some Ksyriums and would recommend both as an upgrade to his current set up.

I also have some Stans Alpha 400's with Volta hubs which Superstar Components built up. I m 90kg and hammered these on the Rutland Classic including the unmettled sections between Melton and Burton Lazars. I run them tubeless and use them for CX with no issues at all.

blinddrew

robstevens wrote:

Hi all,
My question is, have you upgraded your wheelset? If so, what did you upgrade from and to and why?
Rob

I've linked to this elsewhere but if you're still interested, here's a review of my new wheels: http://yamdac.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/wh ... eview.html

arran77

blinddrew wrote:

robstevens wrote:

Hi all,
My question is, have you upgraded your wheelset? If so, what did you upgrade from and to and why?
Rob

I've linked to this elsewhere but if you're still interested, here's a review of my new wheels: http://yamdac.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/wh ... eview.html

Good write up there

These are definitely the wheels I'm going to go for now, good to know that you get carbon specific pads just to get you started.

One thing I can't quite tell from your wheels is whether there are any logo's on the rims at all, some pictures I've seen seem to have 'Wheelsmith' in large black lettering on the rim? Do yours have this or can you ask for them totally plain?

blinddrew

I just wanted mine plain but they can do decals for you. Give Derek a call and he'll talk you though it.

ugo.santalucia

blinddrew wrote:

robstevens wrote:

Hi all,
My question is, have you upgraded your wheelset? If so, what did you upgrade from and to and why?
Rob

I've linked to this elsewhere but if you're still interested, here's a review of my new wheels: http://yamdac.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/wh ... eview.html

On balance I would have waited... there are plenty of reviews focussing on irrelevant details, while there is a lack of reviews after mid term ownership... those that people actually want to read. I trust you will write a second review in spring, after having had a few adventures on your wheels...

arran77

ugo.santalucia wrote:

blinddrew wrote:

robstevens wrote:

Hi all,
My question is, have you upgraded your wheelset? If so, what did you upgrade from and to and why?
Rob

I've linked to this elsewhere but if you're still interested, here's a review of my new wheels: http://yamdac.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/wh ... eview.html

On balance I would have waited... there are plenty of reviews focussing on irrelevant details, while there is a lack of reviews after mid term ownership... those that people actually want to read. I trust you will write a second review in spring, after having had a few adventures on your wheels...

Care to elaborate Ugo before I make a purchase?

blinddrew

ugo.santalucia wrote:

blinddrew wrote:

robstevens wrote:

Hi all,
My question is, have you upgraded your wheelset? If so, what did you upgrade from and to and why?
Rob

I've linked to this elsewhere but if you're still interested, here's a review of my new wheels: http://yamdac.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/wh ... eview.html

On balance I would have waited... there are plenty of reviews focussing on irrelevant details, while there is a lack of reviews after mid term ownership... those that people actually want to read. I trust you will write a second review in spring, after having had a few adventures on your wheels...

Absolutely! I'm interested / nervous to find out about the wet weather braking for one thing, and whether there's any perceivable rim wear after a winter's riding. I've found a place selling black prince pads at £36 for a set of 4 so that might be wise investment.

ugo.santalucia

arran77 wrote:

Care to elaborate Ugo before I make a purchase?

Elaborate what? I just pointed out the lack of proper mid term ownership reviews as opposed to a lot of people posting enthusiastic reviews soon after opening the box... it's human nature... enthusiasm vanishes in time and so any drive to write a review

That's why my review of the Croix de Fer after 12 months ownership became a classic on the Evans cycles website...

arran77

ugo.santalucia wrote:

arran77 wrote:

Care to elaborate Ugo before I make a purchase?

Elaborate what? I just pointed out the lack of proper mid term ownership reviews as opposed to a lot of people posting enthusiastic reviews soon after opening the box... it's human nature... enthusiasm vanishes in time and so any drive to write a review

That's why my review of the Croix de Fer after 12 months ownership became a classic on the Evans cycles website...

Maybe I mis-read your last comment as I took "On balance I would have waited" to mean you would have waited on purchasing these wheels? I guess you mean blinddrew should have waited posting his comments about his new wheels until he'd ridden them a little more

ugo.santalucia

arran77 wrote:

Maybe I mis-read your last comment as I took "On balance I would have waited" to mean you would have waited on purchasing these wheels? I guess you mean blinddrew should have waited posting his comments about his new wheels until he'd ridden them a little more

That's the one...

blinddrew

Which is fair enough, but a couple of people had asked and I think I was clear enough that it was just an initial review :¬)

blackhands

Airlite Hubs and Weinmann Scheeren rims with 15/17 Chrome spokes. Clement 3 silk tubs.

arran77

ugo.santalucia wrote:

arran77 wrote:

Maybe I mis-read your last comment as I took "On balance I would have waited" to mean you would have waited on purchasing these wheels? I guess you mean blinddrew should have waited posting his comments about his new wheels until he'd ridden them a little more

That's the one...

Okey dokey.

Maybe we can have a another review in the new year blinddrew, I'm not going to be buying until about February

blinddrew

arran77 wrote:

Okey dokey.

Maybe we can have a another review in the new year blinddrew, I'm not going to be buying until about February

Should have got some seriously inclement miles on them by then for sure!

Danny87

Far be it from me to tell you what to do blindrew. But if it were me I wouldn't wreck your carbon wheels through the winter. Road salt and muck over a winter of riding + £700 carbon fibre wheels = an expensive mess by spring.
That said you may have plenty of money, an if so presumably you won't mind forking out for a new set; or maybe just bearing replacement. I would of thought at the very least from a winter of use they would suffer considerable rim wear..

blinddrew

Danny87 wrote:

Far be it from me to tell you what to do blindrew. But if it were me I wouldn't wreck your carbon wheels through the winter. Road salt and muck over a winter of riding + £700 carbon fibre wheels = an expensive mess by spring.
That said you may have plenty of money, an if so presumably you won't mind forking out for a new set; or maybe just bearing replacement. I would have thought at the very least from a winter of use they would suffer considerable rim wear..

Which is, I think, what everyone wants to know. I've still got the model Bs for the really crappy days but the chances are I'll be doing some wet miles on these at some point.

mugensi

I changed the Pro R35 factory wheels on my last bike to a set of Fulcrum Quattros, the quattros are only 190gr lighter but they have better hubs/bearings and spin easier plus they look brilliant with their low spoke count in comparison to the Pro's which have like 4 million chrome/polished spokes.

When i bought my Felt F5, i removed the CXP22's and fitted the quattos instead. I never actually rode the bike on the CXP's so have no idea how the quattors compare other than they look so much better.

pashda

After 4 years on the stock wheels that came on my Bianchi which are Ambrosios they started to look a little worn on the rims so I thought I would treat myself. Looked at lots of reviews and peoples advice here and was going to go for some handbuilts as I had a budget of £500 and that seemed to be the best route. Then happened across some lightly used Corima Winiums which looked ideal. Went for those and some nice tubs to go on them and they have transformed the bike. Maybe all in my head but they roll so much smoother and faster than the old wheel/tyre combination and are 1kg lighter for the pair than the old ones. I have done about 1000 miles on them so far and wish I had upgraded sooner.