Bicycle Mechanics - Best bang for the buck pre-made wheels

I am going to be on the hunt for wheels and everyone always says that pre-made wheels are much cheaper than making them yourselves. Where is the best dollar for value ratio out there? I want to keep it relatively cheap but not hobo cheap. If someone handmakes them out there for a good price I would be into knowing that as well.

Thanks!

What are you willing to spend? You looking for race level wheels, training wheels, commuter wheels, etc? Press 1 for more information.

I am going to be looking for 2 eventually. A 650B set and a 700C set. Both for basic riding and some commuting. No racing. Street riding mainly. Some of the streets can be rough but not deadly.

I could probably use some training wheels too :)

For commuting/general riding and training you can't beat Mavic Open Pros with an Ultegra hub for under $300. Race-wise Rolf Vigors are a superb performer for a sub 1k set. Loads of other personal opinions out there, but that's my 2 cents.

For commuting/general riding and training you can't beat Mavic Open Pros with an Ultegra hub for under $300. Race-wise Rolf Vigors are a superb performer for a sub 1k set. Loads of other personal opinions out there, but that's my 2 cents.

+1 This seems to be the standard quality wheel sold in many locations. Usually machine made, sometimes hand tweaked. There are variations in the spoke type used. Look for a source with a good reputation or good reviews and go for it.

I just bought a set online,105 hubs,36 hole Mavic 719 rims,laced with Wheelsmith DB spokes for $215 delivered to the door.Very nice wheel for the money,if you can handle the weight of those four extra spokes....

Be aware that a significantly important question to answer, and it does depend on your riding style and preferences, is what is more important to you weight or strength (of the wheel that is). Weight and strength have conflicting requirements, that is to say heavier is usually stronger, lighter is usually weaker. That being said there is a broad range. Selecting wheels or components for wheels (rims, spokes, nipples, hubs, tires) is an important decision if longevity is important to you. If you put several hundred bucks into what you get you don't especially want to be doing it often. Two important things affect longevity IMO, components (use good quality only), and the craftmanship of the build. So it kind of depends on how deep you want to get into these details. It's much easier and quicker to pick a reputable ready made set but usually your choices are more limited that way. All that said, in your case (basic riding and commuting) the field is much wider BUT still you don't want to be out somewhere and have a wheel failure. Whatever you decide on remember this "The rims are the two components of a bicycle subjected to the highest loads." And "Most wheels suffer from under tensioned spokes leading to premature wheel failure." So do your homework and check to make sure whatever you get has adequately tensioned spokes!