Wheelset & front light

s1mon

Hi,

I'd like a new wheelset for my TCR Advanced 2 (2012) I'm not fast or heavy but looking for something that will give a much nicer ride and maybe save a few grams. Preferably like some with red on not sure on budget yet :? maybe £500

And I need a new front light as my old Dinotte's just don't really hold a charge anymore. Been looking at the Exposure Strada are they worth the money as it's more than I'd like to spend. Don't want anything with a seperate battery.

Thank you.

cycleclinic

Your wheel weight 1825g apparantly. So many options. In the handbuilt world wheels from about ~1400g are possible with alloy clinchers. spoke count depends partly on weight.

DT Swiss rims (RR440) have red in the decals, Miche hubs could be an option as there is some red in those two. Or use the H plus Archetype (although these rims are heavier than the RR440) and Miche hubs. If you are light enough then why not use of something like the velocity aerohead rims. It is the reduction in rim weight that you will feel.
All of these are lighter than what you have. Ride quality is goverened more by the tyre width you have and the pressure you run than what wheel you have. In principle though the stiffer the wheel the more vibration is transmitted through (hysteresis) but there are so many variables involved it is very difficult to make any real world comparison's without sounding like a bike mag reviewer.

They would not cost £500 either.

Other wise you have the options from the usual suspects, fulcrum, campagnolo, shimano, mavic, easton renoylds........

s1mon

Would some Easton EA50 be a noticeable upgrade ? As they get mixed reviews.

arlowood

There are many factory built wheels within your £500 budget that will be an improvement on those supplied as standard on your TCR. However factory builds can often suffer from difficulties when it comes to spares and repairs. I believe the Easton wheels fall into that category

If you are looking for wheels that will have some longevity and come with ease of maintenance and repairability then I would advise you to go down the handbuilt route. eg you can specify red hubs from the Hope Pro3 range or from Circus Monkey HRW-R

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/hope-pro3-mono- ... 5360228096

http://www.circusbike.com/product.php?o ... EAR%20HUBS

and Halo Aerotrack rims can be ordered in red if you fancy it:-

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... tAod6QoA3g

These are just a couple of suggestions to get you thinking creatively. Best to contact some of the wheelbuilders out there and talk through the best options for what you want

luv2ride

Re: lights, I've just plumped for this, discounted to 199 quid from rutland cycles:
http://www.rutlandcycling.com/110164/pr ... light.aspx
They also have the race 7 version at 164 quid (I'm upgrading from the older race Maxx2 version, which has been great but wanted a bit more light than the 480 lumens provided - I see the new version is now closer to 800!). The Toro just seems more powerful (look a the Wiggle light comparison tool), still has decent burn times, and will be great for the occasional off-road foray on the CX or MTB 8)

kajjal

Just got the new 575 Lumen Lezyne Super Drive XL for £88. It has worked well so far as I use it in race mode which means it switches from 575 to 175 lumens. 175 is fine to be seen by cars etc in street lit area's. Then in pitch black in unlit country lanes the 575 allowed me to travel at up to 20mph on the straight. The sharper the corner the slower I had to go as the light pointed in the same direction as the handle bars which was more towards the middle of the road the sharper the corner.