Wheel upgrade for heavier rider.

copperthorpe
copperthorpe Posts: 82
edited August 2013 in Road buying advice
Hello folks,I bought a Giant Defy 2 on b2work and want to upgrade my wheels.
I live in quite a hilly area so would I be better staying away from an areo setup and will I notice difference between £200 wheels & £350/400 wheels?
C49

Comments

  • copperthorpe
    copperthorpe Posts: 82
    I forgot to mention I am 14.5 stone!!!
    C49
  • eric_draven
    eric_draven Posts: 1,192
    i run some ultegra 6700 wheels, done about 3-3500 miles,i used to weight 15st,now just under 14st,good weight wise and strong,roads not that good round here,i have also climbed several alpine road cols on them with conti gp4000 tyres,can't say enough about them,merlin are usually have them at a good price
  • simonj
    simonj Posts: 346
    Mavic Ksyrium Elite may be ok for you, although I'm sure many will say go the hand built route. I'm simular weight and bought DA 7900 C24 which I found fantastic, rolled great and a big upgrade, but then read about potential problems of weight so sold them on a bike I got rid of and went back to the Ksyrium Elite's. They don't feel as good as the DA, but they're 90-95% there. I am interested in potentially going the hand built route, would want a 1500g or less set but capable of taking a 14.5st guy, do they exist!
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Copperthorpe wrote:
    Hello folks,I bought a Giant Defy 2 on b2work and want to upgrade my wheels.
    I live in quite a hilly area so would I be better staying away from an areo setup and will I notice difference between £200 wheels & £350/400 wheels?

    It depends, I'd recommend the latter option as with £200 wheels they might not be as good as the ones you have! For £300 you can get a set of RS80's which are good.

    Remember to keep your old wheels of course as they don't belong to you (yet ;))
  • copperthorpe
    copperthorpe Posts: 82
    Thanks guys,both wheelsets mentioned are the two people have been advising me to buy so I think I'll buy whichever I can get the cheapest. :D
    C49
  • nawty
    nawty Posts: 225
    For around £300 you could get yourself a set of 32 spoke handbuilt wheels based on the Archetype rim which will be very strong and also quick and comfy.

    At that price they won't seem very lightweight on a set of scales but the rim is nice and light (and strong) and a lot of the weight is in the hub so the rolling weight is low, resulting in a quick ride.

    I recently got a set of 28 spoke (11.5st) and the difference compared to my Mavic Aksiums is unreal.
    Cannondale CAAD 10 Ultegra
    Kinesis Racelight Tiagra
  • arlowood
    arlowood Posts: 2,561
    Copperthorpe wrote:
    Thanks guys,both wheelsets mentioned are the two people have been advising me to buy so I think I'll buy whichever I can get the cheapest. :D

    I'd be wary of the RS80's with your current weight. I bought some when I weighed around the 14st 7lb mark. Don't get me wrong - they were a fantastic improvement on the stock wheels that came with my Spesh Secteur at that time.

    However after a mopnth or so I began to notice quite a bit of flex in the front wheel when out of the saddle on a climb. Got to the point where the Cateye Strada magnet was catching the wireless pick-up on the fork at each revolution.

    Eventually got rid of them and went for some hand builts - Mavic Open Pro rims, Novatec hubs and DT spokes with 28/32 config. Cost around £270 complete. They've been great wheels - so I would favour the handbuilt route
  • poppit
    poppit Posts: 926
    I've just bought these http://www.wiggle.co.uk/hope-pro3-clincher-wheelset/ on advice from someone else, not ridden them yet but reports from others are good. BTW, I'm 16 stone.
    Eddy Merckx EMX-3
    Dolan L'Etape
    Cougar Zero Uno
    Genesis Core 50
    Planet X TOR

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