Wheelset upgrade
Pedro872
Posts: 67
Hi I have a 2014 Specialized Allez sport with Axis Classic wheels. My question is would I benefit from upgrading the wheels? Have a budget of around £350.
I was looking at maybe the Campagnolo Zondas which seem reasonable and have good reviews.
Any other suggestions or should I just stick with what I have as I wouldn't see any difference?
Thanks.
I was looking at maybe the Campagnolo Zondas which seem reasonable and have good reviews.
Any other suggestions or should I just stick with what I have as I wouldn't see any difference?
Thanks.
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Comments
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Upgrading from low end stock wheels can be quite worthwhile in terms of looks, feel, weight, self esteem, placebo effect, and maybe even performance. I've also been looking around at the current wheel deals and the Novatec Jetfly tick a lot of boxes for around £350 - light, aero, wide, tubeless compatible, nice looks. For £200 I'd be looking at the Fulcrum Quattros which are a bit heavier but would look great on a red bike. Ultegra 6800 for a little more are less blingy but seem to be a very good wheel for the money. Zondas are a good choice too as would be RS81 in 24 or 35mm. Also some more boring but sensible handbuilt options within your budget, but I think you'll be wanting something the really adds to the look of your bike so the Jetflys or Quattros would be my choice if your bike is red!0
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Zondas like you said. They will be a good noticeable upgrade without going daft. £240 (you might just find them even lower somewhere).
Get a good set of tyres too if you haven't already, like a set of Conti GP4000sII for £60 and job done. Those tyres will last well for most people (unless you live in a puncture and cuts part of the country) and they are nice and fast and still good in the wet.
Forget Quattros, too heavy and not really much aero benefit, only buy those if you like the look.
Jetfly seem a reasonable proposition on paper, lighter than quattros for that little more rim depth, but I haven't ridden them so can't actually recommend them myself... I'd ignore that rim depth though, it won't make any difference, it's not a proven aero profile or anything.
Stacks and stacks of people are really impressed with Zondas remember, that's cos they are impressive for the money, they were impressive at £100 more than £240. They are as far as I'd go on wheels for the bike you have, and are regularly a good upgrade on a 2k bike.
(This is all assuming you are a regular kind of weight and not chunky or a big bloke who would benefit from a strong handbuilt).0 -
Fitted some Fulcrum Racing 5 LG to my Allez Sport got them for £152
They have made a massive difference to the way the bike rides and feelsSpecialized Camber Expert
Specialized Allez Sport0 -
Forget Quattros, too heavy and not really much aero benefit, only buy those if you like the look.
Have to disagree with that. I ran a set of Quattros for 2 years and now have Zondas, there is no discernable difference in terms or speed, climbing ability or ride quality between the two of them. The Zondas did initially feel a little quicker to accelerate but i think that may be more a placebo effect than a real world difference. I have hundreds of Strava records along the same routes showing absolutely no difference in terms of average or top speed however I would go as far as to say the Quattros were faster of freewheel descents as my cycling partner has Fulrum 3's on his bike for the last 3 years, when I had the Quattros, I was faster on freewheel descents than his bike, now with the Zondas, we are roughly the same. I have been using Michelin Pro4 SC's for the last 2 years and he uses Schwalbe Ones so tyres have remained constant throughout.
Saying all that, I prefer the look of the Zondas and I got them at a really good price. They are an excellent wheel and I would recommend them to anyone looking to upgrade from the OE wheels.0 -
Also look at some imports from a company such as Yoeleo.Trainer Road Blog: https://hitthesweetspot.home.blog/
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Fitted some Fulcrum Racing 5 LG to my Allez Sport got them for £152
They have made a massive difference to the way the bike rides and feels
These aren't light nor aero, so how is that possible.....0 -
Fitted some Fulcrum Racing 5 LG to my Allez Sport got them for £152
They have made a massive difference to the way the bike rides and feels
These aren't light nor aero, so how is that possible.....
they don't need to be light or aero to make a "massive difference". No claims on speed or acceleration were made. Maybe the old wheels were just very poor?0 -
Fitted some Fulcrum Racing 5 LG to my Allez Sport got them for £152
They have made a massive difference to the way the bike rides and feels
These aren't light nor aero, so how is that possible.....
they don't need to be light or aero to make a "massive difference". No claims on speed or acceleration were made. Maybe the old wheels were just very poor?
The standard wheels are uuhhm standard wheels with 32 spokes (so won't be sloppy)and no lead attached nor a permanent brake.
No way it could ever be a massive difference....psychology.0 -
The Cero AR30 (or even the AR24 and save some money) are well worth a look.0
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The Cero AR30 (or even the AR24 and save some money) are well worth a look.
Like the look of those, thanks. Feel like replacing my DA C24s with something a bit deeper without sacrificing too much in weight and those AR30s look to be a good buy.
Also liking the look of the Pro Lite Bracciano A42 which are a bit heavier but also a fair bit deeper.
Any other suggestions for lightish (< 1700g) , deep section ( > 35mm) wheels for less than £500?0 -
Fitted some Fulcrum Racing 5 LG to my Allez Sport got them for £152
They have made a massive difference to the way the bike rides and feels
These aren't light nor aero, so how is that possible.....
they don't need to be light or aero to make a "massive difference". No claims on speed or acceleration were made. Maybe the old wheels were just very poor?
The standard wheels are uuhhm standard wheels with 32 spokes (so won't be sloppy)and no lead attached nor a permanent brake.
No way it could ever be a massive difference....psychology.
So the bearings have no difference?
There's got to be something in it - because I've done upgrades on wheels for myself and my wife and we've both found significant difference in going from them to the FR5s ...
That said - I've just put Quattros on my best bike and had a good ride in this morning - too early to say "they're better" (other than the old wheel was bust, so anything is better!) - but they felt nice this morning...0 -
Fitted some Fulcrum Racing 5 LG to my Allez Sport got them for £152
They have made a massive difference to the way the bike rides and feels
These aren't light nor aero, so how is that possible.....
Well they weighed in at around 400grams lighter than my old wheels that came with the bike
also the wheels spin much smoother than the old ones (Cheap Cup/Cone)Specialized Camber Expert
Specialized Allez Sport0
