Recommendations: Wheel upgrade on a budget

AyeYo

Hey guys, just looking for some advice here. I have a 2012 Felt Z5 that currently has the stock Mavic CXP22s on Felt hubs. These wheels are ~2200g. I do a lot of very hilly riding and I like doing hill climbs, so I'm looking for something lighter. I'm only 175lbs so I don't need anything that's built like a tank, but although I'm not a super experienced biker, I am built well and can put down significant power so something that's not mush would be nice. I'm looking to spend $500 or less - that's flexible but don't go crazy. I'm not putting $1000 wheels on a bike I got on sale for $1,500.

I was looking at the Vuelta wheels on Nashbar, which seems to have great reviews everywhere I looked, but the Lites are so cheap I'm worried about build quality, the SLRs seem to have more complaints of various issues, and for the price of the Team V...

I figured I might as well get the new Ultegra rims and have a trusted brand name. Then I started researching those and I see lots of complaints about the standard (non-cartridge) bearings and cone adjustment, excessive maintenance, etc. That kind of turned me off to those.

So I keep searching. I came across BWW, which many people seemed to have good things to say about. I was looking at the PURE Super Light race build. Then I came across a thread on some forum where a couple bike mechanics were pointing out the cheaper BWW wheels had cheap crap generic hubs which is what made them light and cheap. I think that's a good point and probably explains why their Ultegra/Dura hub rims are so much heavier for the price for otherwise similar builds. Great, now I'm kind of turned off on those as well.

I'm also getting tired of digging through crap and mostly baseless or anecdotal info on rims. "omg I love these, I've had them for a day" "omg those are total crap, but no I've never actually owned them" etc etc. So here I am to get help from you guys. Hey, maybe I shouldn't upgrade at all! If you think that's the case ahead and say it. Thanks in advance!

sparklehedgehog

Campag Zondas, Fulcrum Quattros or Shimano Ultegras

hstiles

Fulcrum Racing Quattros are excellent mid section wheels.

Fulcrum Racing 5s are a very common wheelset on USD1500 bikes. They are reliable, easy to service, have a decent spoke count and just feel nice.

If you get your timing right you could even pick up a set of Racing 3 for your budget.

I haven't had a great experience with Shimano RS10, 20 or 30 wheelsets and I belieeve the same applies to RS80. They have a very low spoke count, direct pull spokes and a non-standard spoke nipple size - a pain to service.

sparklehedgehog

hstiles wrote:

Fulcrum Racing 5s are a very common wheelset on USD1500 bikes. They are reliable, easy to service, have a decent spoke count and just feel nice.

And they're heavy! I have a set and hate them.

I prefer my 2014 fulcrum 7's to the 5's.

My favourite wheels are the Ultegras, so stiff laterally when standing and climbing. Superb roll and decent weight. Bought them for £225 from Ribble

Sprool

In terms of price per kg the Fulcrum 5's are not heavy, they are comparable or better than other entry level wheel sets of similar spec, such as the other popular choice Mavic Aksiums. The Shimano ultegras are more money, the same weight spec as the Fulcrum 5's yet they have only 16 spokes on the front wheel, which can make pothole damage and subsequent wheel truing a bit more of a pain than a higher spoke count wheel.

simon_masterson

1645g, according to the website. That's 'heavy', is it?

charlie_potatoes

Simon Masterson wrote:

1645g, according to the website. That's 'heavy', is it?

Yep!

DKay

Charlie Potatoes wrote:

Simon Masterson wrote:

1645g, according to the website. That's 'heavy', is it?

Yep!

The older Fulcrum 5s were quite heavy at over 1800g. The 2014 versions are quite a bit lighter, with the Campag fitment at 1645g and the Shimano fitment at 1690g.

sparklehedgehog

it's the pre 2014 ones i have hence i felt they were on the bloated side (like me!)

These £225 Shimano Ultegras are night and day with the Fulcrum 5's. Such a better wheel compared to the pre 2014 5