Wheels - CAAD8 - Too much choice!

tartanmartin

Hi there, I have a CAAD8 Sora which I have since added a 105 gear set and brakes to. Next up is the wheels as the ones on it (Maddux RS 3 I think) are pretty heavy and I've done a good 1300 miles on them now. My short list includes:

Fulcrum Quattro
Fulcrum Racing 3
Mavic Ksyrium Elite S
Shimano RS81

Obviously the Quattros are a bit cheaper but are the other three worth the extra money? What would be my best bet? I can't split them.....

I'm about 75 kg and have the ETAPE Double coming up along with a number of planned 60+ mile rides over the summer.

Cheers!

ugo.santalucia

If you want to upgrade, fair enough, but I wouldn't say your wheels have gone very far at all to the point that they need to be replaced... that's 2 months worth of use for me...

tartanmartin

Yes clearly it's through choice rather than necessity, I'm obviously not at the same standard as most (still early days for me).

I just feel like Id like to upgrade because at the time I couldn't afford a better bike than I got. Hence now having a 105 set which is much nicer to use than the Sora set.

So is the extra £150 a worthwhile additional expense to get a Fulcrum 3 over a Quattro for example?

bendertherobot

£150? You might be able to get that down a bit. Paid £320 for my F3's.

Worth it over the Quattro? Maybe. Quattro is a good wheel, not all that heavy. Worse in sidewinds, probably not all that much better aero wise. So, in effect, pretty much neutral on gains and losses.

ugo.santalucia

bendertherobot wrote:

Worth it over the Quattro? Maybe. Quattro is a good wheel, not all that heavy. Worse in sidewinds, probably not all that much better aero wise. So, in effect, pretty much neutral on gains and losses.

Tell me you're not a salesman...

ugo.santalucia

tartanmartin wrote:

Yes clearly it's through choice rather than necessity, I'm obviously not at the same standard as most (still early days for me).

I just feel like Id like to upgrade because at the time I couldn't afford a better bike than I got. Hence now having a 105 set which is much nicer to use than the Sora set.

So is the extra £150 a worthwhile additional expense to get a Fulcrum 3 over a Quattro for example?

You have changed the chainset if I understand correctly... I don't know how you can say it's much nicer to use, when in effect it is exactly the same thing, give or take a few grams... but fair enough...

The upgrade fever is a spiralling thing that will suck thousands out of your wallet in very short time for very little if any gain at all... probably worth thinking carefully as YOU WILL want a carbon bike pretty soon and then YOU WILL want carbon wheels... so maybe best to wait and avoid buying twice? Remember second hand components are worth LESS than half their original price, even if unused

tartanmartin

I replaced the shifters, front & rear mech, cassette and now brakes. The shifters are what's made the difference.

With regards to second hand parts, I'm amazed at some of the prices for used wheels, people looking for £300 for used F3s!

ugo.santalucia

tartanmartin wrote:

With regards to second hand parts, I'm amazed at some of the prices for used wheels, people looking for £300 for used F3s!

Asking is one thing, getting the money is another...