Road Cycling - Aero wheels

I'm going to get back into racing next year, and I'm looking at getting a set of new wheels. I'm trying to decide between a heavier aero wheel like the Zipp 404 or American Classic Carbon(tubular) or a light but not so aero wheel like the Topolino(clincher), but they told me that they will be coming out with a tubular version this fall.

I've read that the deep dish wheels can be kind of fragile, but the Topolinos are almost indestructable.

Any thoughts would be welcome on this.

Dish refers to the rim offset from hub center, to allow room for the cogset with out using a really wide triangle. The more of that dish the weaker a wheel is.
If you are thinking of the deep rim section as deep dish then the idea of them being fragile does not apply. Generally aero section wheels are much stronger than a regular box section rim. This strength is how they get away with so few spokes. They also weigh more and ride harsher. I built a lot of Zipps up for a tri store, good wheels. American Classic makes some good stuff as well. Flip thru a tri mag or go to a longer event (olympic or half-ironman) and look at what is being used.

I would buy based on the racing that you are going to be doing and the type of terrain you will be riding on.

If you are doing time trials over reasonable flat roads then a HED 3 spoke and a disc is about the best combo out there.

If you are road racing on flat roads go for the aero wheels.

If you are crit racing on flat roads go for aero wheels that are stiff and confidence inspiring while cornering and light weight (need that acceleration)

If you are racing in an area that is hilly then go for light weight.

Check out the Zipp 303's, they are reasonable light weight, medium section type rims and cost about the same as the 404's. If you have REALLY deep pockets the Zipp Z3 comes in under 1kg for the wheelset and is fairly aero to boot.

Bontager has some interesting stuff as well for decent prices, it's not as light as the Zipp's and probably not quite as aero, but the price difference could make up for it.

Andrew

I'm probably going to be doing crits and RRs and the odd TT. I can only afford to buy one really good set of wheels, so I would like to get a pair that will do it all. I only weigh about 140lbs, so I shouldn't have to worry about over stressing them. I'm leaning toward the 404s, they seem to be the best compromise between weight and aerodynamics.