Bicycle Mechanics - Thinging of Upgrading road wheels, need advice

I obtained a nice set of Shimano Ultegra 8 speed brifters for a great price. So now I'd like to upgrade my Cannondale SR500 that currently has RSX 7 speed. In order to make this change, I would like to upgrade the wheel set rather than change the freehub and re-dish the current rear wheel for the 8-speed cassette. I'm currently riding on Mavic CXP10's with Shimano RSX hubs. I'm considering two wheelsets. New or lightly used Easton Vista's and/or a lightly used set of Mavic CXP33's. One question I have is, I'm assuming this will be an upgrade and I will see a performance improvement. Is this correct or are those old CXP10's good rims, and the upgrade is not worth it. One other comment, the CXP10's are in great shape, true and I'm having zero problems with them. I don't know how many miles are on them because I purchased the bike used, but when I repacked the bearings, there was little to no signs of wear.
I will not discard them, instead they will be transferred to my Bianchi Campione that has a low end set of Mavic's.
So should I make the change? Your thought are welcome.

Performance improvement will be barely noticeable between all three sets of wheels. The CXP33 and Easton are sexier looking rims, a bit more aero, but unless you have a 250+ watt engine you won't be aware of the decreased air resistance which is not apparent under 20-22mph. You will need more expensive inner tubes, with long reach stems, Easton longer than the -33. If you have a use for the old wheels and the new ones are reasonable in price then go for it but not for reasons of performance differences.

For best strength-to-weight ratio, you want 32 or 36 spokes.

I obtained a nice set of Shimano Ultegra 8 speed brifters for a great price. So now I'd like to upgrade my Cannondale SR500 that currently has RSX 7 speed. In order to make this change, I would like to upgrade the wheel set rather than change the freehub and re-dish the current rear wheel for the 8-speed cassette. I'm currently riding on Mavic CXP10's with Shimano RSX hubs. I'm considering two wheelsets. New or lightly used Easton Vista's and/or a lightly used set of Mavic CXP33's. One question I have is, I'm assuming this will be an upgrade and I will see a performance improvement. Is this correct or are those old CXP10's good rims, and the upgrade is not worth it. One other comment, the CXP10's are in great shape, true and I'm having zero problems with them. I don't know how many miles are on them because I purchased the bike used, but when I repacked the bearings, there was little to no signs of wear.
I will not discard them, instead they will be transferred to my Bianchi Campione that has a low end set of Mavic's.
So should I make the change? Your thought are welcome.

A couple of points worth mentioning:
1. Shimano cassette hub bodies are 8,9 and 10 speed compatible and 130mm wide.
2. Check your spacing, If you have 126mm on an aluminum frame you can't safely spread the frame.


Tim

A couple of points worth mentioning:
1. Shimano cassette hub bodies are 8,9 and 10 speed compatible and 130mm wide.
2. Check your spacing, If you have 126mm on an aluminum frame you can't safely spread the frame.


Tim
Good point Tim. Before I started this project I measured the spacing on this frame, and my Bianchi Campione. The Cannondale is 130mm. Actually my original plan was to replace the downtube shifters on my 7-speed Bianchi with brifters. But the Bianchi is 126mm. I know its steel and I could cold set the stays, but I was advised by a very competent mechanic not to. So with the Cannondale already spaced for an upgrade, I figured I'll just change it to an 8-speed and put the 7-speed brifters on the Bianchi.

I know its steel and I could cold set the stays, but I was advised by a very competent mechanic not to.

You probably don't even need to cold set the stays. You should be able to squeeze a 130mm wheel into a 126mm frame with no problems. Its a pretty small difference.

You probably don't even need to cold set the stays. You should be able to squeeze a 130mm wheel into a 126mm frame with no problems. Its a pretty small difference.
+1

I put a Campy 8 speed, 130mm, in a Schwinn Prelude, 126mm, and it almost fell in. Most of the time you can just pull a 126 apart by hand and a 130 will fit real nice. Aluminum is another matter, it isn't very forgiving.

Tim