Wheels for £2-400

bobmcstuff

Have been lurking round these parts more recently since I've been doing a fair bit more road riding, this is probably a very simple noobish question but here goes:

I have a 2012 Giant Defy 2 which is pretty much stock, only stuff that's been replaced has been wear and tear.

Getting some extra cash this month and thinking about some new wheels, partly because I think it might cut off a bit of weight from the stock Giant SR-2s and partly so I can leave the turbo tyre on the old wheels so I don't have all the faff when I want to use the turbo.

In terms of what type of riding I'm doing it's anything from 1hr after work jaunts to 130km rides, and I'm in Aberdeen so it's hilly and often fairly breezy. I'm doing Edinburgh to Aberdeen with work at the start of August and thinking about putting some 28c tyres on for that (some gravel/rough parts) so if some road wheels can't take those tyres it'd be good to know.

There seems to be quite a large selection on CRC in the £200-£400 mark which feels about right in terms of price, but there's a rather bewildering array... The Fulcrum Racing ones look OK? Any advice much appreciated!

rickeverett

Hills - then lightest you can get for your money which would be these ...

http://www.cycledivision.co.uk/product- ... id133.html

arlowood

These wheels came out well in a recent Cycling Plus review:-

Might be worth considering:-

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/cate ... -14-48293/

Guanajuato

Have a look at the Swissside range.

bobmcstuff

Argh more choices! Thanks

Those CEROs look good - but one of the reviewers said they give a bit of a harsh ride and aren't particularly comfortable, which could be an issue on longer rides?

Swissides - the Francs maybe? Only 200g over the CEROs and about the same as the Novatecs above http://www.swissside.com/shop/franc-wheelset

rolf_f

rickeverett wrote:

Hills - then lightest you can get for your money which would be these ...

http://www.cycledivision.co.uk/product- ... id133.html

Both Cycleclinic and Superstar can build lighter for less money though whether they would suit the OPs weight and needs is another matter.

giant_man

I'd go handbuilt for 400 notes personally ..

bobmcstuff

Rolf F wrote:

rickeverett wrote:

Hills - then lightest you can get for your money which would be these ...

http://www.cycledivision.co.uk/product- ... id133.html

Both Cycleclinic and Superstar can build lighter for less money though whether they would suit the OPs weight and needs is another matter.

Light is always good but I need them to be comfortable too - I'm doing 140km through the Cairngorms on Saturday for example and I want to be in a reasonable amount of comfort.

Also I am definitely not the lightest in cycling terms, I'm currently 82-83kg (down from 88kg in january woop) and on a steady downward trajectory, my near-term target is ~79-80kg, longer term maybe lighter but I'll reassess when I get there.

giant man wrote:

I'd go handbuilt for 400 notes personally ..

OK, sounds good to me - any recommendations?

tincaman

Campag Zonda's from Wiggle £250, 1550grams, great reviews

ic.

tincaman wrote:

Campag Zonda's from Wiggle £250, 1550grams, great reviews

This.

drlodge

I too would go handbuilt for that money with archetype rims. Or if you must buy factory wheels, the Zondas.

rickeverett

Comfort comes mainly from the tyres too. I would go with the CERO's

bobmcstuff

Is there anyone in particular you would recommend getting handbuilt wheels from?

Those Zondas look like a really good deal though.

ugo.santalucia

bobmcstuff wrote:

Is there anyone in particular you would recommend getting handbuilt wheels from?

Those Zondas look like a really good deal though.

If you want reliable, talk to Big Al at Wheelcraft; if you want something trendy talk to Wheelsmith... they are both based in Scotland so once you're out of the UK the warranty still applies...

Tjgoodhew

Another thumbs up for the Zondas if you go factory.

Have had them on my Cannondale for 3k miles and they have been great. For that price they are a steal

cycleclinic

I am sure both of those scottish builders use wide rims too and that make the tyres a bit wider which is always good.

vermin

bobmcstuff wrote:

Argh more choices! Thanks

Those CEROs look good - but one of the reviewers said they give a bit of a harsh ride and aren't particularly comfortable, which could be an issue on longer rides?

Swissides - the Francs maybe? Only 200g over the CEROs and about the same as the Novatecs above http://www.swissside.com/shop/franc-wheelset

I ride the CERO AR30s. No complaints at all: very light weight, good braking, apparent aero benefit (I am measurably faster with them on than with my Ksyrium Elites), no flex (at 68kg rider weight). They are stiff - if you don't like that, put some higher volume tyres on. Worth noting that the freehub is a noisy one - something I like a lot - and most people assume that it's a Hope.

tincaman

Zondas at Wiggle are £247, there is also £7 Quidco available so the final price will be £240. Just fitted mine to a Scott CR1, what surpised me most was how quiet the freehub was

cycleclinic

What ever wheels you buy a stiff wheelset is always going to to last longer and perform better than more flexible wheels. Wheel stiffness does not affect comfort I have tried enough now to know. Otherwise lower end Mavic wheels which are not all that stiff would be really nice to ride wouldn't they. Tyre volume is important and that is where a wider rim helps. For Factory Zipp , HED do a number of wider rims as do Flo which will be in your budget I think, other wise it is handbuilt. At the OP's weight most builder's would offer a 20F/28R or 24F/28R. A 24 rear could work well but 4 more spokes on the back will not slow you down.

Father Faff

tincaman wrote:

Zondas at Wiggle are £247, there is also £7 Quidco available so the final price will be £240. Just fitted mine to a Scott CR1, what surpised me most was how quiet the freehub was

Snap! Except I haven't put them on the CR1 yet!