Road wheels budget £250-280ish

mikeyj28

Hi all

New to road riding but race mtb xc competitively. Have bought a boardman team carbon 2014 to get some road miles in to improve my endurance in the off season.
The stock wheels seem to be heavy and I am in the market for some new ones that are light (relatively) and good value for money. I am running an ultegra cassette and the bike takes rim brakes and not discs.
Any advice and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

arlowood

Hard to beat Campag Zondas in the off-the-shelf category. Maybe not the lightest but well regarded and bomproof to boot

£265 for the standard clincher variety

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/campagnolo-zond ... 60518141uk

Can be had as a two way fit (ie tubeless ready) for ~£60 more.

Your budget will also stretch to some decent handbuilts such as :-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Handbuilt-H-P ... 6b283f85cb

mikeyj28

arlowood wrote:

Hard to beat Campag Zondas in the off-the-shelf category. Maybe not the lightest but well regarded and bomproof to boot

£265 for the standard clincher variety

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/campagnolo-zond ... 60518141uk

Can be had as a two way fit (ie tubeless ready) for ~£60 more.

Your budget will also stretch to some decent handbuilts such as :-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Handbuilt-H-P ... 6b283f85cb

Are the Zonda wheels any better than Fulcrum 3 or Ultegras? As seen those on CRC within budget.
How reliable is the tubeless system on road wheels?do you get a lot of burping and how hard is it to seat the tyre?

londoncommuter

Superstar must be worth a look this weekend with an extra 20% off everything:

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/s ... ht-wheels/

daddy0

I have been riding some Zondas for a year now. Previously I have had Fulcrum 5s and ProLite Braccianos. Out of all 3 I prefer the Fulcrum 5s, more solid, faster and cheaper. Replacing the bearings is really simple too, unlike the Zondas.

Bobbinogs

Daddy0 wrote:

I have been riding some Zondas for a year now. Previously I have had Fulcrum 5s and ProLite Braccianos. Out of all 3 I prefer the Fulcrum 5s, more solid, faster and cheaper. Replacing the bearings is really simple too, unlike the Zondas.

Hang on a mo', the Zondas are one of the stiffest wheelsets out there, in fact one of their failings is that the very stiff ride can be a little unforgiving for lighter riders so I don't see how the 5s are more "solid".

Fulcrum 5s faster than the Zondas? Seriously? Not really a lot of difference between them so I am puzzled as to how the 5s can be faster.

Finally, the bearings are indeed very different between the two in that Zondas are cup/cone whereas the 5s are cartridge. This means that the Zondas need a little more maintenance but it is relatively simple and the bearings (if cared for) will easily outlive the rims whereas the Fulcrums need very little maintenance but, if they do, it is a bearing replacement job.

The 5s are cheaper but weigh about 100g more (but at ~1700g they will still feel lively climbing). The one big plus point for the Fulcrums is that they now have a wider rim (the LG) which makes the Zondas a little old hat but, having said that, they do run 25s very well which overcomes some of the harshness.

Other options in this price bracket are the Shimano Ultegras, lovely hubs/bearings and well made for a smooth ride but they have a slightly narrow rim (like the Zondas), similar weight to the Fulcrums.

iron-clover

Shimano Ultegra wheels could be an alternative to Zondas at that price point- they are slightly cheaper although nearly 50g heavier (than Shimano/ Sram freehub zondas). That being said the rims are very light- possibly lighter than the Zondas which is where the weight is felt. They can also be run tubeless.

You could also look into having a pair of wheels built for you using decent Novatec hubs and Open pro rims that would give you a sturdy but light wheel that can be re-built once you knacker the rims- I use Hope hubs and Open Pro rims as my default race wheels at the moment. I know the Shimano rims especially can wear pretty quick in wet conditions.

silverbugle

How will lighter wheels help your endurance training? Training programmes for endurance are based on time and effort not speed and distance. Lighter wheels might allow you to cycle faster/further for any given effort but the effort level and time will still be the same. Unless your MTB racing is sponsored and someone else is paying for your kit I would spend the money on your race bike.

Ste_S

If you want a decent training wheel it's hard to look past Fulcrum Quattro LGs. If you want to spend a bit more and/or want a lighter wheel, then Campag Zonda/Fulcrum 3. You loose the nice wide rim of the Quattro though.

rob39

Just bought Zonda's with 25's and well impressed. Responsive and lively on the climbs. Solid on the flat

mikeyj28

silverbugle wrote:

How will lighter wheels help your endurance training? Training programmes for endurance are based on time and effort not speed and distance. Lighter wheels might allow you to cycle faster/further for any given effort but the effort level and time will still be the same. Unless your MTB racing is sponsored and someone else is paying for your kit I would spend the money on your race bike.

The wheels that the road bike a me with aren't the greatest and the expenditure on the wheels would see a greater difference than my MTB as most parts are top end and I cannot justify the extra expense for very little/if any difference.
Riding the road bike will help get more miles under my belt, serves as variety and enables me to join clubs for longer rides as MTB xc training on your own/ with a fellow racer can be hard going at times.

mikeyj28

Ste_S wrote:

If you want a decent training wheel it's hard to look past Fulcrum Quattro LGs. If you want to spend a bit more and/or want a lighter wheel, then Campag Zonda/Fulcrum 3. You loose the nice wide rim of the Quattro though.

With the thinner rim does this give rise to a more harsh ride? Are punctures more likely with the narrower rim too?

Ste_S

mikeyj28 wrote:

Ste_S wrote:

If you want a decent training wheel it's hard to look past Fulcrum Quattro LGs. If you want to spend a bit more and/or want a lighter wheel, then Campag Zonda/Fulcrum 3. You loose the nice wide rim of the Quattro though.

With the thinner rim does this give rise to a more harsh ride? Are punctures more likely with the narrower rim too?

The tyre is the key here, 25mm tyres have lower rolling resistance than 23mm tyres at the same pressure. If you're not racing, you can run lower pressures and get better grip and increased comfort. You can generally run wider tyres at lower pressures with a reduced change of pinch flats that you get at running equivalent pressures at 23mm.
Wider rims better support wider tyres, and having a rim width matched to tyre width is supposed to give better aerodynamics.

In my experience a supple 25mm tyre (Veloflex Corsa/Master) run at lower pressures (85/95psi) gives an amazing ride compared to the 23mm Contis I used to run at 100/110psi

mikeyj28

Ste_S wrote:

mikeyj28 wrote:

Ste_S wrote:

If you want a decent training wheel it's hard to look past Fulcrum Quattro LGs. If you want to spend a bit more and/or want a lighter wheel, then Campag Zonda/Fulcrum 3. You loose the nice wide rim of the Quattro though.

With the thinner rim does this give rise to a more harsh ride? Are punctures more likely with the narrower rim too?

The tyre is the key here, 25mm tyres have lower rolling resistance than 23mm tyres at the same pressure. If you're not racing, you can run lower pressures and get better grip and increased comfort. You can generally run wider tyres at lower pressures with a reduced change of pinch flats that you get at running equivalent pressures at 23mm.
Wider rims better support wider tyres, and having a rim width matched to tyre width is supposed to give better aerodynamics.

In my experience a supple 25mm tyre (Veloflex Corsa/Master) run at lower pressures (85/95psi) gives an amazing ride compared to the 23mm Contis I used to run at 100/110psi

Thank you for the information. It is much appreciated.