Road Cycling - New frame, advice on wheelsets would be excellent

I just picked this bianchi up on ebay for $230.

http://i10.ebayimg.com/03/i/02/4b/cf/e6_1_b.JPG

The included parts are:
campy mirage cranks
campy mirage rd
campy avanti fd

So now, I need some wheels (and bars and levers and a seat and a chain, etc etc)
I'd like to spend somewhere in the rage of $180-250 for a wheelset, and if anyone could recomend a good set in that range, I'd appreciate it.



allllso, this is my first dealing with campy, and I'd like to know where the mirage and avanti series fall in line with the Shimano line.

Nice buy. Looks just like my frame.

The Mirage/Avanti stuff is low end. If you have to compare, I'd say quality wise they would be comparable to Tiagra since the Avanti components IMO are better than SORA.

I had a set of Alex 330 ("A-Class Wheels") on my bike for a long time before getting a set of American Classics. They're pretty aero at 27mm rim section and decently light at 1630gr a set. They're also pretty tough since I've raced CycloCross on a set with no problems.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=58099&item=3694978489&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Neuvation M28 Aeros - nice wheels - tough, durable, light and smooth.

www.getawaybikes.com or on Ebay at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=58099&item=3695887589&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

55/Rad

Neuvation M28 Aeros - nice wheels - tough, durable, light and smooth.

www.getawaybikes.com or on Ebay at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=58099&item=3695887589&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

55/Rad

The Neuvation M28 Aeros look like the same OEM wheel as the Performance Titan wheels. The hub, flanges, spoke count, rim profile, and weight are all identical. I have a set of Titan wheels on my commute bike and they're pretty decent, though not light compared to other wheels. The price is right though.
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile_combo.cfm?SKU=17107&estore_ID=&subcategory_ID=5320&CFID=17120697&CFTOKEN=18258732#

The Neuvation M28 Aeros look like the same OEM wheel as the Performance Titan wheels. The hub, flanges, spoke count, rim profile, and weight are all identical. I have a set of Titan wheels on my commute bike and they're pretty decent, though not light compared to other wheels. The price is right though.
I would agree - they do appear to be the same. I would call them "relatively light" at 1750 gms/set. At least compared to other wheels in the same price range.

I bought these as second set beaters and didn't expect much. I put them lower in my scale to the Mavic OP's with Ultegra hubs I already had. But I was pleasantly surprised and now prefer them to the Mavics. Certainly lighter and more aero. Durable too. I haven't trued them yet in over 1500 miles. Good bang-for-the-buck.

55/Rad

On that bike, Campagnolo Ventos. Sturdy, look nice. $200 from cbike.com or other retailers.

Good call on the Campy. brianallan, are you sticking with Campy or going Shimano?

considering it comes with campy cranks + fd/rd, I'm probably going to stick with campy. Although, I've only ever used Ultegra shifters. Are shimano shifters compatable with 9 speed campy rd/fd's? And, would you suggest mirage levers with a mirage rd?

Also, the campy vento's look pretty nice. I think I'll give them a try. : )

The Centaur line is their low end stuff, but I use it on my Crit bike and have been very happy so far.

Centaur is low-end? I guess it's the low-end of the high performance line. I thought it was the equivalent of Shimano's 105 or Ultegra. I believe the pecking order from highest to lowest goes like:


Record - Highest level no-holds barred racing/performance
Chorus - Combines best performance, durability and price with all the performance of Record but slightly heavier and less costly; direct trickle-down from Record but with less titanium and carbon
Centaur - Entry level racing; start of high performance lineup
Veloce - Upper-end recreational level; start of 10sp and best overall bang-for-buck
Mirage - Midgrade recreational level, 9sp
Xenon - Entry level 9sp group