Recommended lightweight cheapish wheels

DM222

Hi all

I realise cheap usually means heavy but can anyone recommend please some lightweight decent quality wheels that won't break the bank but would be a decent upgrade to the Shimano R501's I currently have please?!

Thanks

navrig2

Cheapish is relative to disposable cash. What's your budget?

ugo.santalucia

The R 501 are not heavy... if you consider they have heavy hubs, probably 200 grams heavier than wheels built with Taiwanese hubs, then the rotating part of the wheel actually weighs very little more.
The risk is spending money to get something which is lighter as a whole, but has the same weight in spokes and rims...

LegendLust

Miche wheels are good quality and their hubs are very good

These are a good price and decent weight

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/miche-syntium-a ... -wheelset/

DM222

Navrig2 wrote:

Cheapish is relative to disposable cash. What's your budget?

£200 ish I think

junglist_matty

I've got these...

http://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-105 ... 59395.html

£215 per pair, really good wheels IMO

petemadoc

I'd save your money, you won't get any sort of proper upgrade for £200.
Get some nice tyres or some comfy bib shorts instead.

petemadoc

Oh and BTW

If you are determined to get a wheel upgrade, I'd recommend saving a few more pennies. £300 I think is the sensible amount to spend. I had got some handbuilts made up for racing for £300 ish and there are plenty of factory options at this price too that come in around the 1500-1600g mark

keef66

+1 You've already got lightweight cheapish wheels. You need to be spending £300 or more to get a tangible benefit.

drlodge

£300 will get you decent wheels, and hand built ones at that. That way you get the exact wheels you want for the purpose you're using the bike for.

What do you want out of a "better" wheel? What kind of riding do you do? What's your budget? You could end up paying £300 for no discernable benefit if you're not careful.

A nice wheel might be something like Shimanno 105 hubs and Archetype rims on 28 db spokes. And that's using spokes that are esaily replaceable and in stock at most shops, not silly hard-to-get straight pull things that take 4 weeks to deliver from timbuktoo.

DM222

keef66 wrote:

+1 You've already got lightweight cheapish wheels. You need to be spending £300 or more to get a tangible benefit.

Ok thanks

neilvx

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/campagnolo-zond ... -wheelset/

These get good reviews and I keep looking at them :-)

Doony

Save the extra £75 and get some Zondas..by far the best bang for buck

Sprool

There is a downside to wheel upgrades, you may end up with lighter, more rigid ones that help you climb or accelerate but are perhaps more prone to pothole damage or less forgiving on bumps and rough tarmac, making the entire ride less comfortable. Depends on your area and the sort of rides you want to do. Upgrade for bling factor by all means, those zondas look great but theres always a trade-off somewhere.

Guanajuato

Have a look at Swissside. St Bernard are what I have & are great. Franc get good reviews but are a touch above your price.

cycleclinic

£200 is not alot and is unlikely to get any advantages. I have yet to fine a wheel that less forginving than another if you use the same tyre and pressures. Radial deflection of any wheel is so small on rough roads that the rider will never notice the minute deflection (less than 0.1-0.2mm on a rough roads 1mm if a 4000N load is applied to the wheel). Sound transmision will be different with different wheels but this is easily cured with the right tyre and pressure.