Wheel Upgrade

gary280670

Bought my first road bike earlier this year, Planet X Pro Carbon Ultegra (10 speed cassette) which I am delighted with. Now looking to upgrade the wheelset. Currently using standard Shimano R500's along with 25mm Conti 4000's. Looking to spend around the £300 mark. I weigh just over 70kg's and average about 17-18 mph.

Looking for some advice, options I'm looking at are -

Campagnolo Zondas - £276 Wiggle
Fulcrum Quattros - £179 Wiggle
Fulcrum 3's - £300 Wiggle
Shimano Ultegra 6800 - £235 Chain Reaction
Mavic Cosmic Elite - £280 Chain Reaction

The Quattro's look a really good deal and I kind of like the look of them, would I notice any difference going for the 3's, and the reviews of the Zondas are really good.....how do I decide ????

ugo.santalucia

gary280670 wrote:

would I notice any difference going for the 3's...

I wish people stopped using this expression... it's meaningless... some notice a big difference dropping tyre pressure by 5 PSI...others don't notice any difference when their wife moves in with their best friend... noticing a difference is very subjective... there is no sensible answer to that.... YES, NO, you choose...

The real question is: are they better than your R 500? And the answer is: marginally... the margin can be quantified in roughly 2% improvement in speed

imposter2.0

Unless there's actually anything wrong with your R500s, I would save your money, as none of those wheels will be significantly better than your current set.

gary280670

Excuse my expression, rather would I benefit from upgrading to any of these, if not, what sort of money would I need to spend to make the upgrade a worthy one, and which wheels do you all suggest.

lostboysaint

Wider rims, choose from the new breed of 23mm rims such as the Velocity A23 or the H Plus Son Archetype. Change the tyre shape, rounding it out nicely making for smoother transition as you corner. Mine are wonderful and were a fantastic upgrade on the Fulcrums.

dinyull

Imposter wrote:

Unless there's actually anything wrong with your R500s, I would save your money, as none of those wheels will be significantly better than your current set.

This^

I ruined the front wheel that came as standard with the bike last winter and replaced them with Mavic Cosmic Ellite as an upgrade. Never really noticed any real improvement though which was a surprise considering how much everyone recommends upgrading the wheelset.

chadders81

Buy some new wheels if you want them. No shame in upgrading your bike. I have and don't regret it.

They might feel a bit zippier but working on your fitness is the way to get faster.

canny_lad

lostboysaint wrote:

Wider rims, choose from the new breed of 23mm rims such as the Velocity A23 or the H Plus Son Archetype. Change the tyre shape, rounding it out nicely making for smoother transition as you corner.

^^This. Just put 25mm rims on my bike and my 25mm Conti's are now 28mm. The ride is better, cornering is better, they look better and the bike feels a bit livelier when I'm out of the saddle. Are the wheels any quicker? - dunno, but they weren't bought for that purpose. Do I regret blowing >£400 on a set of wheels? - no!

cycleclinic

With wider rims you will be quicker in the bends that makes some difference, you will also be a bit safer in the bends as the bike is simply more stable.

The archetype rim is a better rim compared to the velocity A23, same price, rounder, stiffer, better looking and wider internally (just) so really what the point in the A23, unless 35g per rim worries you.

gary280670

Went for the Fulcrum Racing 3's. Fitted and had 3 outings since doing so. Can only be described as like having a new bike. Much more responsive, wheels just keep on spinning, climbing so much easier. I think I'm happy with them.....

imposter2.0

Post-purchase justification is all well and good - but can you quantify this in terms of any numbers..?

gary280670

No numbers sorry, different routes, weather etc.

rc856

If they make you feel faster, feel better and didn't break the bank, it's a win

paul1000

If they put a smile on your face, it's money well spent, nothing at all wrong with that, who wants r500's on their good bike lol.

cycleclinic

I do find on my different bikes with high or low spoke count wheels varying in weight, if I try equally hard I go up roughly as fast. Point is your wheels have to be particulry ropey or flexible (in which case they will not last long) to slow you down on a climb.