Road Cycling - Shimano Wheelset

Hey Everyone.

I have just received my awesome new caad 5 frame in the gloss black/silver. I've had all dura ace parts fitted to it (off my old frame) and new deda magic bars and stem. Though i have a tattered old ultegra/open pro wheelset.
To top off the bike, i'd like to purchase a new wheelset (along with a new chain).

I'm looking at the shimano 535, or 105 wheels i think they are. What is everyone's take on these wheels?
I'm about 100kg's and my local bike store has said they will be fine under my weight. I have been offered a great price (AUD) and i'm keen to get them just to put the finishing touch to my new beast.

What are the good and bad points on these wheels? are there any other alternatives? eg, rolf, bontrager, mavic????

Hopefully you guys can fill me with lots of info like in previous queries.
Thanks in advance and happy riding.
Tim

Sorry - can't help in the wheel department. I just thought I'd drop in a note to say hello and welcome.

Looks like you're another Aussie. Where are you in this great brown land?

Yeah I am another Aussie.

I'm from the ACT.

I'm new to cycling, and i used to be a speed skater, or still am.

I'm learning to be a track sprinter due to a few good test results and i needed a new road bike so i can learn to pedal!!!

So i'm after a sweet set of wheels to top off my new machine.

Tim.

I've got 535's on my Bianchi. Haven't logged a lot of miles yet but so far so good. They look great and the reviews are good.
http://www.roadbikereview.com/Wheelsets/Shimano,WH-R535/PRD_129493_2490crx.aspx

Ive heard nothing but good things about shimano wheel sets. I think which ever set you choose, you should be well off.

Perhaps the only thing is that the wheel has low spoke count. I heard that just in case one of the spoke broke, the wheel would not work if there are too few spokes. Perhaps that's the reason why most wheels still have many spokes.

I have the R535 (stock) wheelset. The wheelset isn't light or too heavy. The low spoke count does reduce drag a bit. However, the wheel is almost impossible to true given the spokes are laced. Go with a Dura Ace hubs with Mavic Open Pro, 1600 grams. About 1 pound lighter than the R535. I am using a pair right now. The Dura Ace hubs roll great and the rim is very easy to true. Colorado Cyclist and Excel Sports do sell them. I got my from Colorado Cyclist.

For most cyclists, including all tourists, commuters, and recreational riders, reduced-spoke-count wheels are not a good choice. The higher the spoke count, the stronger, more reliable, and more truable the wheel.

I've got a set of 535s on my raceline and (while I haven't had the opportunity to test the dura ace wheelset) they are the best set of wheels i've ridden on. Only complaint is the the low spoke count means that stiffness is right up there but what are you more interested in: good times or a nice soft ride?

I did what the bike shop said they'd never seen before; broke a spoke in the rear wheel, not once, but twice (and I only weigh 158 lbs.) The particularly annoying thing about breaking spokes with these wheels? One spoke gone and you are WALKING!!!! - the second time I was about 5k from home. I was not happy. I replaced the rear wheel once and then the shop was kind enough to allow me the privelege of upgrading the rear to a 6500 model. It hasn't failed yet, but I've been riding Cosmic Elites lately (heavier but more reliable). I've lost a lot of faith in the Shimanos, and am afraid to get too far from home on them (which kind of defeats the purpose). They do feel lighter (due to the rotational weight difference) and accelerate better than RevXs and the Cosmics. I wouldn't buy them again, but in Shimano's defence, I'm apparently the ONLY one with this problem. I guess I'm just too strong:D !

That must have been a flawed wheel. Maybe the spokes were way too tight to begin with. I haven't had a problem and have ridden on some really rough stuff. Also the reviews have been really good on these wheels.

But I broke spokes in two different rear wheels. They replaced the wheel after I broke the one spoke with a new wheel, and then I broke a spoke in it too. Maybe just dumb (bad) luck!

Oh, I didn't realize that. Quit doing those 6' drops! :D

Greetings,
I think you will have a :confused: BIG PROBLEM :confused: putting mountain bike wheels on a road bike!!! Here's the link to the Mountain Bike Wheel section of Shimanos site - notice the 535's.. http://bike.shimano.com/wheels/mountain/index.asp

I recommend the 540 Wheels, probably the best value out there. I have the DuraAce 7701 wheelset. Heres the wheels... http://bike.shimano.com/wheels/images/roadwh-7701.jpg
Heres the bike they are on... http://members.cox.net/rick.schultz/somec/ricks_somec/index.html

These are the strongest wheels out there. I have had no problems whatsoever with them. They do take 4 or 5 times in the bike shop to have them trued, but once they settle in, they are GREAT!

Hope this helps................................

But I broke spokes in two different rear wheels. They replaced the wheel after I broke the one spoke with a new wheel, and then I broke a spoke in it too. Maybe just dumb (bad) luck!

Originally posted by knifun
Greetings,
I think you will have a :confused: BIG PROBLEM :confused: putting mountain bike wheels on a road bike!!! Here's the link to the Mountain Bike Wheel section of Shimanos site - notice the 535's.. http://bike.shimano.com/wheels/mountain/index.asp



Knifun, they came standard on my cross bike. Just wondering why you would think it would be a big problem. Shimano's site says it's an great all around wheel. And it's a 700c wheel.

carlk23,
Since these are very high stressed spoked wheels, tensioning is very critical! I am guessing that your bike shop just threw a new wheel on before testing / adjusting the tension - and truing the wheel. The back wheel takes more punishment than the front, that is why there are more spokes there. I am guessing that your original wheel was not trued/tensioned either - they were probably taken right out of the box and put right on the bike. It has been my experience (racing in So Calif.) that there are very few bike shops that know what they are doing. I bought a Specialized kids mountain bike for my 7 year old daughter and took it back in for the free 30 day tuneup. The thing was in worse shape when I got it back than when I took it in. They had the brakes adjusted on the rear wheel so the one pad was hitting the tire! and neither derrailer would shift. In my opinion, this is the quality of a typical bike shop. I have a pair of SPOX Spinnergy wheels for my training bike that were given to me by a good friend at GT. I took these into 4 different shops and all of them told me they did not know how to true these. I finally found one mechanic Marcel at celoeuropa (http://celoeuropa.com). He is a little on the expensive side but can true a wheel like no one else I have seen. He will spend 30 minutes or more with new wheels before putting them on the bike. When he was younger, he rode professionally in Europe, then, after he retired, went to work for Ernesto Colnago where he was trained in framebuilding and the correct way to build a bike. This continues today as he is the best mechanic I have seen.

What I am trying to say is that you need to find a mechanic that knows how to build, true and maintain these new breed of wheels. Once you do, you will be riding much better because your bike will be riding better.

In summary, these new breed of wheels are very very strong and I believe that the failures you experienced were due to the wheels being out of tension.

Hope this helps.....

Dirtgrinder,
I am looking at last years Shimano catelog. They did make both a M535 (for mountain) and an R535 (for road). If you look at Shimano's website (where they seem have the latest stuff), it looks like they replaced the R535 to R540. Maybe this was the confusion with bike dealers ordering wheels. They just said 535 (which used to come in both road and mountain). It looks like if the original post is buying 535s, they will be last years model (hence maybe a better price they can get) and make sure that you are getting the correct wheel. You can't put a M535 wheel (26") on a standard (700c) road bike.
-Everyday road wheels.
-Uses same rear spoke pattern as WH-7701 wheel set.
-28mm deep aerodynamic alloy rim for clincher.
-Machined braking surface.
-Quality hub internals featuring, low friction labyrinth and contact sealing.
-Durable, dependable Shimano freehub body.
-150g/pair lighter than WH-R535.
http://bike.shimano.com/wheels/images/roadwh-540.jpg

1) A coule of notes on the Shimano wheels - for the 7700/6500, spoke tension is (FRONT = 86-103 in lbsf), (REAR right side = 92-118 in lbsf), (REAR left side = 86-103 in lbsf). Also, there needs to be a special rubber spacer applied in-between where the spokes cross. If any of these are out of spec or missing, then breakage will occur.

2) The Marcel I referred to above is also a new-product tester for Shimano. He just tested the new "Lance Armstrong" pedals that will be coming out in October. These are the Shimano front half and Look rear half. I rode these and they are REAL SWEEEET. Also, Shimano is coming out with a new DuraAce chain. I tried this as well and there is absolutely no play in the chain. You can actually feel the difference between the current chain and the new chain. The current chain will stretch a little under hard acceleration thereby absorbing energy, the next generation is SOLID. Stand by for some great upcoming products from Shimano - I almost sound like I work for the, but I dont.

Here are a couple of other great wheel recommendations, you might have to save up over a few paydays though :)

New model Mavic Ksyrium SSC SL
http://www.mavic.com/servlet/srt/mavic/road-prod_fiche?produitsid=35&lg=uk#

Mavic Cosmic Carbone SSC
http://www.mavic.com/servlet/srt/mavic/road-prod_fiche?produitsid=41&lg=uk

If you have a few extra bucks, get a set of the above or the Shimano DuraAce 7700 Carbon
http://bike.shimano.com/wheels/images/road7700carbon.jpg
You will need different (more agressive brake pads with Carbon rims) I believe it might be part number Y-8FA 98010 R55C (for the 7700) You can also use the more agressive pads for the 7701, but it will eatup the rim faster.

or the DuraAce 7701
http://bike.shimano.com/wheels/images/roadwh-7701.jpg