Wheels for a Caad 8

Davdandy
Davdandy Posts: 571
edited June 2013 in Road buying advice
Like many others on here i am thinking about changing my wheels on my Caad 8,i am currently using the stock Maddux RS 3.0.

The front wheel feels sluggish now that i have had it a few months and was wondering what set to buy next.The usual money issues arise though and would only be able to spend maybe £150,family life must come first.

Also,and please no abuse from the pros here,what real noticeable difference would they make,i have noticed on the current wheels that they do not `free wheel` very good,it is like the brake are slowing them down,of course the brakes are not touching but you know what i mean.Would any new wheels ride smoother and roll better for that price bracket.
Cannondale CAAD 8 105
Rockrider 8.1

Comments

  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I have no experience of your wheelset, but spending £150 may not get you a better wheel at all. If the wheels are genuinely not spinning freely you'd be better off just servicing the bearings.

    If they are cup and cone you can strip, clean, regrease and fit new ball bearings for a couple of quid. Careful with the cone spanners though; better slightly loose than too tight.

    If they are cartridge bearings and they've worn out it's even simpler to replace them, if a little dearer.

    What tyres / tubes are you using? Switching to a lighter, more supple tyre and tube can often make a significant difference to the ride.
  • Davdandy
    Davdandy Posts: 571
    The tyres are Continental Gatorskins,not sure which ones.The inners are Continental race bikes 700x23.
    Cannondale CAAD 8 105
    Rockrider 8.1
  • Schobiedoo
    Schobiedoo Posts: 121
    I changed my Caad 8 wheels for a pair of Mavic Aksiums as the stock wheels were flexing quite a bit when a lot of pressure was put through the pedals (climbing / or out of the saddle). The mavics are stiffer and do not flex and I noticed an immediate difference - although I'm not sure whether this was because my old ones had lost spoke tension over time or whether the mavics are just better wheels. The one thing it hasn't done is really affected my average speed, they do not make that much of a difference.

    Also have gatorskins on them (before and afterwards)
    Neil Pryde Bura SL
    Cannondale CAAD8
  • Davdandy
    Davdandy Posts: 571
    That`s the problem for me,if the difference is negligible is it worth the money in changing them.I am reasonably happy with them,it is only through reading people on here that got me thinking about changing them.Plus,they do seem slower than when i started cycling though that could be my mind saying this and not the truth,is it my head telling me to change and has me thinking the wheels are at fault whether they are or not.Hmmmmm.
    Cannondale CAAD 8 105
    Rockrider 8.1
  • drewduncan
    drewduncan Posts: 32
    I too have a Caad 8 and changed wheelset a few months ago - Fulcrum Racing 5's. Although most posts on this sort of question will say you will not notice a difference I for sure have. I dont think there is much of a difference on climbing but for picking up speed and keeping speed there is definitely a noticeable difference. Just as importantly the ride quality is alot smoother as well.

    I think it boils down to what you are used to and alot of members on here are obviously used to alot more expensive kit that I am!!
  • Davdandy
    Davdandy Posts: 571
    I am not after great speed or entering races of any kind so that is not an issue.To be honest if i hadn't read so many on here suggesting changing the wheels i wouldn't have even considered it,but it does seem to be the one item they all change.

    I realise the £150 price tag does not help but that's life i`m afraid.It can be cruel.
    Cannondale CAAD 8 105
    Rockrider 8.1
  • notlongnow
    notlongnow Posts: 176
    I had issues with my stock dale wheels kept breaking spokes returned them got replaced with shimano r501s which have less spokes but have been great spin really good good solid wheels,can be had for around £75 if u shop around.Also got fulcrum 7s on my other bike another quality wheel set at around £130
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    Well now, there you go. Just goes to prove that there is no single correct answer to any single set of wheels.
    smidsy wrote:
    I have decided this wheel malarky is all in the head. I rode my 1st 100 miler on Sunday and due to the atrocious weather forecast (and indeed some of the actual weather on the day) I used my wet bike.

    Now, due to various factors which I shall not bore you with the bike has some Maddux RS 3.0 wheels on it (the standard ones Cannnondale fit to their CAAD range etc.) that I purchased 2nd hand for £30 the pair to use on the turbo.

    Now the rear is slightly out of true and they are generally considered not very good wheels in the first place. So imagine my surprise when they rolled really nicely, I climbed and descended as good as I ever have and they had no descernable flex (or brake rub).

    So thats it - bargain basement crappy wheels are where it is at.

    IMO for £150 you are going to get a comparible set of wheels, very little in the way of upgrade. And as I said in the quoted post - the RS 3.0 are actually OK.
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • Davdandy
    Davdandy Posts: 571
    Sounds like i should stick with what i have.Maybe get a Garmin instead eh? :D
    Cannondale CAAD 8 105
    Rockrider 8.1
  • AllanES
    AllanES Posts: 151
    Davdandy wrote:
    Sounds like i should stick with what i have.Maybe get a Garmin instead eh? :D

    FWIW I am in a similar boat - read on here about so many "upgrading" their wheels and got me thinking maybe I should do the same. I haven't yet and doubt I will in the forseeable future.

    However....................I did spend the money on a Garmin Edge 500 and it's made my rides MUCH more enjoyable than I could ever get from 0.5mph quicker on a better set of wheels :D
    If you're into following and analysing your rides (and subsequently pushing yourself to improve them!) then I'd suggest that's money better spent.
    Red Triban 3
    Giant Defy 1
  • Davdandy
    Davdandy Posts: 571
    AllanES wrote:
    Davdandy wrote:
    Sounds like i should stick with what i have.Maybe get a Garmin instead eh? :D

    FWIW I am in a similar boat - read on here about so many "upgrading" their wheels and got me thinking maybe I should do the same. I haven't yet and doubt I will in the forseeable future.

    However....................I did spend the money on a Garmin Edge 500 and it's made my rides MUCH more enjoyable than I could ever get from 0.5mph quicker on a better set of wheels :D
    If you're into following and analysing your rides (and subsequently pushing yourself to improve them!) then I'd suggest that's money better spent.

    Thanks Alan.

    I normally use Strava on my phone but the Garmin 500 seems to be the choice of most.I see Amazon sell it for £139.99.Worth the money over the wheels then it seems.
    Cannondale CAAD 8 105
    Rockrider 8.1
  • pitchshifter
    pitchshifter Posts: 1,476
    smidsy wrote:
    the RS 3.0 are actually OK.

    I wouldn't agree. My friend has had loads of trouble with them (broken spokes mainly) and they weigh a ton.
  • Davdandy
    Davdandy Posts: 571
    pitchshifter wrote:
    smidsy wrote:
    the RS 3.0 are actually OK.

    I wouldn't agree. My friend has had loads of trouble with them (broken spokes mainly) and they weigh a ton.

    I haven't had any spokes broken yet,and as for weight,they are as light as a feather,how much lighter do they need to be.My bottle of water weighs more than both wheels together.
    Cannondale CAAD 8 105
    Rockrider 8.1
  • pitchshifter
    pitchshifter Posts: 1,476
    Davdandy wrote:
    pitchshifter wrote:
    smidsy wrote:
    the RS 3.0 are actually OK.

    I wouldn't agree. My friend has had loads of trouble with them (broken spokes mainly) and they weigh a ton.

    I haven't had any spokes broken yet,and as for weight,they are as light as a feather,how much lighter do they need to be.My bottle of water weighs more than both wheels together.

    Apologies I was referring to the Maddux R3.0..
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    pitchshifter wrote:
    I wouldn't agree. My friend has had loads of trouble with them (broken spokes mainly) and they weigh a ton.
    smidsy wrote:
    Well now, there you go. Just goes to prove that there is no single correct answer to any single set of wheels.
    8)
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • AllanES
    AllanES Posts: 151
    Davdandy wrote:
    AllanES wrote:
    Davdandy wrote:
    I normally use Strava on my phone but the Garmin 500 seems to be the choice of most.I see Amazon sell it for £139.99.Worth the money over the wheels then it seems.

    I was also using Strava on my phone but found my phone battery was struggling to last the length of my rides. Also, with the Garmin you can have the data right there in front of you using the bar mount. I've found it very robust, reliable and I've loaded up courses to the 500 and found that relatively easy to follow too.

    And I still upload my rides to Strava ............as soon as I get indoors and can get the laptop fired up.
    :D
    Red Triban 3
    Giant Defy 1
  • Finlaz22
    Finlaz22 Posts: 169
    Does depend a little on build quality and maintenance like others have suggested. If you save up a little more you could get some 105 hubs with some cheap but light rims, and as long as they're built nicely they should be an improvement over your current ones - both in ride but also longevity.
    http://www.strava.com/athletes/3928202
  • Crozza
    Crozza Posts: 991
    Davdandy wrote:
    The tyres are Continental Gatorskins,not sure which ones.The inners are Continental race bikes 700x23.

    if you swich to GP4000s and a set of latex inner tubes, I reckon you'll feel a big difference

    bike-discount.de is cheapest for me for that stuff

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