Yet another wheel advice (<850 GBP)

luisccsousa
luisccsousa Posts: 6
edited April 2016 in Road buying advice
Hi,

Long time lurker reading this forum but only now had the need to ask for advice and create a post (I think this is my #1).

I'm looking to upgrade my OEM wheelset for some carbon tubular wheels and I'm thinking in something with 50/60mm since I do triathlons, both draft and non-draft legal.

So far my shortlist is:
- PlanetX 60mm tubs (if I find them discounted to 500/550GBP again, and start saving for a powermeter next year).
- Wheelsmith Aero 60 (850GBP - I really like the look of these and they seem to be quite appreciated by it's owners)
- FFWD F6R (875GBP and I can buy them locally and since I'm from Portugal I could save any headache to send a package back to UK in case of warranty claim).
- Speedsix Tri 60mm (875GBP - they seem nice but since they are the same price as FFWD I would probably go with the later).

I'm mostly torn between the Wheelsmith (I like the decals better :roll:) and FFWD since they are a reputable brand (I think?) and their hubs seems to be built by DTSwiss and are reliable.

Does anyone have experience with Wheelsmith or FFWD that could give some advice?
I'm also open to another suggestions. :)

Thanks!

Comments

  • Shuggy76
    Shuggy76 Posts: 91
    Worth considering Reynolds Assault/Strike? Kind of in the same price bracket, and there were some 2nd hand ones for sale on here. No experience of the others mind...
  • JesseD
    JesseD Posts: 1,961
    Had a set of FF F5c's a while back, brilliant wheels, these were the ones with the FF hubs and not the DT Swiss hubs but still great wheels, felt fast under acceleration (subjective I know) very stiff under sprinting, great all round wheels.

    Downside is the decals are under the lacquer so you cant take them off, although they do all black decals and black and white decals now which are better.

    not sure if the shape of the rim has changed since I had mine, probably has I would have thought, Id buy another set tomorrow if I had the cash to spare.
    Obsessed is a word used by the lazy to describe the dedicated!
  • philbar72
    philbar72 Posts: 2,229
    Far sports rims and hope hubs. pretty much as fast as you can get for the cash. should set you back less than £700
  • luisccsousa
    luisccsousa Posts: 6
    @Shuggy76 - Thanks, Haven't considered second hand Reynolds but I'll look into it now.

    @JesseD - Even the FF hubs are made by DT Swiss :) They have a "LTD" edition all black, but it's with DTSwiss 240 hubs and are 150£ pricier, thank you for your feedback and experience, at the moment I'm tending towards FFWD.

    @philbar72 - I've though about FarSports wheels but since I would surely get it by import duty + tax, aprox 30% haven't considered, but if I only buy the rims from asia and get the hubs and build locally I might get a good price, thanks for the suggestion, I'll surely look into it.
  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    Had some F4R's once. Really rated them. Nice wheels. Mate was F6 and likes them.
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
    https://twitter.com/roubaixcc
    Facebook? No. Just say no.
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    You should buy these from me for 750 with tubs. Less than 500 miles on them. ;)

    http://www.i-ride.co.uk/Fulcrum-Racing-Speed-XLR-Dark-Label-Carbon-Tubular.aspx
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • luisccsousa
    luisccsousa Posts: 6
    Thank you all for the replies, just wanted to give an update on this.

    I was all set on the FFWD F6R LTD (240 hubs/dark labels) for £1100, but then I saw the PlanetX voucher for 20% on *almost* everything, and bought the PlanetX 60/60 for £450 (560-20%)! I'm sure they aren't as good and reliable as the F6R, but for less than half the price I think it's was a very good deal. Even if I don't like them I'm pretty sure I can sell them without losing much money.

Categories