Road Cycling - Another one of those wheel questions...

Hello all,

As you might know (probably not) I just purchaced my first road bike, a 63 cm 1500 '05 trek Road Bike. It comes with their SLR frame (middle of the road, bonrigger race carbon fork, 105 drivetrain except the bonrigger ISIS crank, etc. I am very happy with the price too, 900 after discounts from my local shop.

My question is about rims. I am 6'6", 230 pounds (dropping) and I ride alot, I expect to put 100 - 150 miles a week (well I guess medium use) not including time on my MTB at work (another 150 miles). I do not like the bontarigger select rims that the bike comes with. Basically the shop I go to will pay retail for certain parts off a new bike that they sell to you if you trade the parts before the bike leaves the shop for upgraded parts. In my case I am upgrading the rims to lighter and stronger rims while I can get full credit for the ones on the bike new.

Now it is down to a few rims and I would like to know if you have any sugestions...

The first is the WH-6500 ultegra wheel set, obiously by shimano. It is middle of the road in wheel sets, here is the specs
Shimano 6500 Aero Wheelset

Brand: Shimano™ 6500
Model: 6500 Aero wheels
Features: Unique design spoke pattern which increases wheel rigidity and ride comfort
Bead blasted braking surface improves speed control
Rim design reduces weight
Steel Freehub body
Alloy quick release
User serviceable

Weights: 733 grams - front clincher
970 grams - rear clincher
Spokes: 16 - front wheel
16 - rear wheel
Skewers: Included

Prices: $574.99

Of course the rims are 20% off right now at the shop which means they are 450. I really like the weight and the looks of the rim and it is placed right between the race lite and the race x light from bonarigger which are the other wheels I would consider. Weight is also in the middle but the shimano wheels feel noticibly stronger than either of the others. I have heard good things about the shimano rim and wanted to know if youthink it is a good deal. I tenitivly ordered the shimanos but I have until monday to really decide if I want to go with the others. For reference the other rims are 400 and 749 respectivly.

Ideas? Thanks in advance

Well, I have Shimano WH-R540s, which look very similar. All I can say is, they suck. Heavy like a boat anchor, flexy as all hell (even for a 150lb rider...), and while they look cool, Im just waiting for one of those paired spokes to break and my rim taco subsequently. And if they flex with my 150lbs on them, Id hate to see what theyd do with 230.

Like I said, slightly different wheelset, but I wont be buying Shimano wheels when I replace these...

The other wheel that I am serious about is this one, thinking about switching to this one.

Wheel Size Rim Type Hub Speed Rim OSB Valve Spokes Spoke Type Nipples Color Weight (g) Part No. MSRP (USD) Compare

Front 700c Clincher Bontrager – Road Lite N Presta 20 14G Custom blade Brass locking Black anodized 725 243335 $200 –
Rear 700c Clincher Bontrager Comp 9/10 OSB Y Presta 24 14G Custom blade Brass locking Black anodized 1020 243336 $275 –
Pair 1745 230075 $400

What's wrong with the Bonty's? They're supposed to be good, serviceable wheels. Are you just looking for something more high performance? Is it the looks?

The Bonty Race-Lites are a good 2 steps up from the Selects and are excellent mid-range wheels.

55/Rad

if you are worried about your weight then dont go for low spoke count

I am going for performance at this point, both rims have low spoke counts. The shimano seem a bit stronger and lighter but people have had problems with shimanos, not this one in particular but some. I am not horibly heavy (235 for 6'6") but I am not light either. I hear the race lights are still a bit heavy too and that the shimano is another step about the race lite, between that and the race x lite.

The Race Lites are around 1750 gms for the wheelset. I have a set of these plus a set of the Race X-Lite Aeros. Both are great - durable and smooth.

55/Rad

How does the race lites compare to the race x lites in riding? Is the difference noticable.

I do not want to spend huge money on rims for a 1100 dollar bike but something cost effective for performance.

The Race Lites and the Race X-Lites AEROS are very similar in weight - the Aeros are about 50 grams lighter in the wheelset. The big difference is in the hubs and rims.

The regular X-lites are around 1500 grams and are lighter and more responsive. They are also $300 more. If you can feel the difference when you raise or lower your seat 1 cm or extend or shorten your stem 1 cm, then you will certainly notice the difference in the X-lites.

Good used X-lites can be had for $4-450 and Race Lites for around $250 or less. If money is a concern, go with the Race Lites.

55/Rad