Wheel set questions...

musicville

Good evening all,

I am looking to upgrade the wheels on my Giant Defy 1 (upgradeitis has set in). I am fortunate enough to live in the peak district, however the downside of this is that i do a lot of hills and the roads are a mixed bag.

So the questions i need answering are what should i be looking for? should i be looking at deep rims, carbon/ aluminium. im 5'8 & 88KG if it makes any diference. my rides are always very hilly but rarely over 50-60 miles.

i want a set of wheels that make it easier to get up hills and that will be an improvement on the stocks wheels. I will be keeping the wheels i have for winter as they have been faultless so far and only needed truing once after i failed to spot a pot hole (or well!)

Regarding price i am looking up to £5-600 max and will use these on my next bike once iv been married and can afford a carbon/ ti frame.

Thanks in advance

Mike

imposter2.0

At 5'8 and 88kg, your best options are to either lose some weight, or increase your aerobic capacity - ideally both - and both of which can be achieved significantly cheaper than £500-600.. No wheelset at any price/spec is going to make any significant/noticable difference to yours (or anybody else's) ability to ride up hills, to be fair.

Shuggy76

Dura Ace C24's? Whats your budget..? I wouldn't bother with buying deep section or carbon jobs...
*Edit, just seen your budget, seems reasonable enough.
I'm about 85Kg's at the mo and ride fulcrum racing 1's, don't find going up hills an issue... though i don't think wheels actually help *that* much, but they're nice to have anyway :-)

ugo.santalucia

I second Imposter in that throwing money at the problem won't make it go away.
Realistically you are looking at shedding 10-20 Kg depending on your bone structure, while with wheels you can only shed 500 grams at best. I'm not saying don't buy the wheels you want, but be prepared to be disappointed if you expect improvements.

To put it in context, Snake Pass from Glossop, I am sure you are familiar. With a wheel set a pound lighter you will top it 10 seconds earlier, while if you lose 10 Kg you will top it 3 minutes earlier...

See if that makes sense.

musicville

Thanks for the replys guys, im also a boxer so regarding body weight i can go down to to 79 but only when i cut weight for a fight. So my general weight is 85-88 kg. i understand what everyone is saying and i dont want to waste money either. So with that in mind it might be best just to keep my trusty giant wheels then!

imposter2.0

Drop down to welterweight...

cycleclinic

5ft8 and 88kg is not a cycling build. Which sport is more important to you and trim your weight accordingly. For instance I am 6ft1 and 77kg but I do not carry the muscle that a boxer needs.

Trying to save 50 on wheels is fine but will not change the way you ride.

ugo.santalucia

thecycleclinic wrote:

5ft8 and 88kg is not a cycling build. Which sport is more important to you and trim your weight accordingly. For instance I am 6ft1 and 77kg but I do not carry the muscle that a boxer needs.

Trying to save 50 on wheels is fine but will not change the way you ride.

As a matter of fact boxers are extremely light... Mayweather is 5'8" and 68 Kg, Amir Khan is 5'10" and 64Kg!!

imposter2.0

ugo.santalucia wrote:

thecycleclinic wrote:

5ft8 and 88kg is not a cycling build. Which sport is more important to you and trim your weight accordingly. For instance I am 6ft1 and 77kg but I do not carry the muscle that a boxer needs.

Trying to save 50 on wheels is fine but will not change the way you ride.

As a matter of fact boxers are extremely light... Mayweather is 5'8" and 68 Kg, Amir Khan is 5'10" and 64Kg!!

Some boxers are extremely light - other boxers are extremely heavy - depends on the weight class.

cycleclinic

Of I don't know enough about boxing.