Shallow(er) wheels for Propel

Dan Walton

I still have some birthday money burning a hole in my pocket and was thinking of buying some new wheels.

I currently have the Giant SL1 Aero wheels on my Propel which I believe are 58mm deep. I do notice the bike getting blown about a bit in bad weather. I know the frame will be contributing to this, but my thoughts are some shallow wheels that I can put on for winter should help a bit.

My thinking is Fulcrum Quattro LG's as they are wide, reasonable weight and still have a bit of depth (35mm) so won't look so odd against the chunky frame. 35mm won't be anywhere as tricky in a crosswind, will it!?

Basically, is there anything better for the money, they can be had for under £190 at the moment.

sloppyschleckonds

Not sure which country you live in but in the UK its as windy in spring/ summer/ autumn as it is winter so makes no difference

Dan Walton

I'm in the UK!?

Ok, the same question stands but we'll just say it's for windier days and saving my nicer wheels.

nicklong

You're in the right ballpark. Look at the lower spec Propels, they come with 30-35mm alu rims.

Depending on your budget, other good options which would look 'right' would be,

- Mavic Cosmic Elites (circa £350 but lots on eBay, standard spec on Cervelos), 35mm

- Shimano RS31s, 30mm

- Shimano RS81 C35s, 35mm

- Superstar 30s, Wheelsmith 30s, Cero AR30s etc - think they all use the exact same rim.

Or do what I did and get some proper all-rounder wheels like Reynolds Assaults or Cosmic Carbone C40s (38 - 41mm depth), very versatile.

Bobbinogs

Chap is looking at something around £190 so I am not sure what value listing wheels from £350 up to those costing over a grand will help. My vote would be for the Quattros, bang up to date with a nice wide rim and decent all rounder. 35mm will be fine in windy weather... well, all wheels suffer to some degree from gusts particularly for lighter weight riders so the usual caveats apply. The RS31s are ok (nice serviceable bearings) but I found them uninspiring and they seem a tad old now.

For me, 'winter' wheels are either cheap consumables or decent handbuilts with replaceable rims and good hubs. Both actually cost the same in the long run... which is why I shelled out a lot more this year as I was fed up with throwing away wheels after a couple of winters' use.

964cup

Wiggle Cosine 32s aren't bad, and they're cheap; you can run them tubeless (but you need to use Stans or a similar micro-bead sealant to seal the rim joint). I use them as winter wheels on my S5.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cosine-32mm-all ... -wheelset/

Dan Walton

Thanks for the responses guys.

From looking at some of the other recommendations I think I'm probably gonna go with the Quattro's!

Other options look either nice, but too expensive or possibly not up to dealing with my massive power output... ok, I mean weight! Also, I've kind of got suckered in by the "wide wheels" propaganda and most of the others that are in the right price range are more traditional widths.

Thanks again.

nicklong

Bobbinogs wrote:

Chap is looking at something around £190 so I am not sure what value listing wheels from £350 up to those costing over a grand will help. My vote would be for the Quattros, bang up to date with a nice wide rim and decent all rounder. 35mm will be fine in windy weather... well, all wheels suffer to some degree from gusts particularly for lighter weight riders so the usual caveats apply. The RS31s are ok (nice serviceable bearings) but I found them uninspiring and they seem a tad old now.

For me, 'winter' wheels are either cheap consumables or decent handbuilts with replaceable rims and good hubs. Both actually cost the same in the long run... which is why I shelled out a lot more this year as I was fed up with throwing away wheels after a couple of winters' use.

Steady on mate. "DEPENDING on your budget" is a bit of a clue. And there's a world of difference between price and value. (As you clearly understand as you then follow up with the nice hub/cheap rim option.)

OP, Quattro's will look great on the bike.

nicklong

Although to prove my point, nearly new Cosmic Elites for £140:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/322274033074

dowtcha

nicklong wrote:

Although to prove my point, nearly new Cosmic Elites for £140:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/322274033074

Do you understand the concept of an auction?

Dan Walton

Went for the Quattro LG's in the end. Glad I went for something with a little bit of depth, I think it would've looked terrible with properly skinny wheels!
Only been out for one ride with them so far, seem pretty decent. No flexing that I could detect, scarily quiet compared to my other wheels both under power and coasting. In fact, it almost feels like free speed when coasting as the noise of the freehub on my others gives a very audible indication of losing momentum!!
Have just slung the old Giant tyres I had on them for now, may buy some Gatorskins before long. Can't really comment on the whole rim width thing as they appear to be identical to my others!