Wheels for Used S-Works Venge? Which are better?

cbr shadow

I just bought a 2012 Specialized S-Works Venge on Ebay. The guy I bought it from was selling it without wheels, then threw in some Bontrager RL's. How are these wheels? The bike comes standard with Rovel Rapide SL 45's, which look great but wont come with the bike.

So I found a local (used) set of Rovel Rapide SL 45's that I can pickup for $500. Should I do this? Would they be a big improvement over the Bontrager RL's? They certainly look better, but worth the $500? Are there any options that are similarly priced but much better wheels?

Thanks!
Ryan

slowmart

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/specia ... 07751.html

If you take the fact the previous owner kept the Rovals and "threw in" the other bontragers might indicate his thoughts about the wheels. It's like free advice. It's worth what you paid for it ;-)

I've a pair of Roval CL 40's and I love them to bits. Tough, stiff, light and spin up quick and maintain speed exceptionally well.

imposter2.0

'Better wheels' are going to be very difficult to define. Usage matters, as does (mostly) personal opinion.

cbr shadow

Imposter wrote:

'Better wheels' are going to be very difficult to define. Usage matters, as does (mostly) personal opinion.

I'm mainly using the bike for fast group rides in the San Francisco Bay Area, with some big climbs/descents mixed in.

trek_dan

If they are the newer Bontrager RL TLR wheels as link below I have a set and think they are very very good. Wide rim, decent hubs (rebranded DT Swiss) and most importantly for a set of alu training wheels easy to get tyres on and off - which is very definitely not the case with a lot of tubeless compatible road wheels on the market. They might not look as cool as the deep section Rovals but I know which I'd rather have for general use.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/equip ... l/p/11060/

bigmitch41

I'd be tempted to get the Rovel's too, then you have best of both worlds.