dohc97 

i would like to upgrade the wheels on my 87 ironman to something more modern that weighs less. I do not intend to upgrade much else as i like the bike as is and i would like to use funds in my search for another vintage bike. Currently it has wolber alpine wheels with shimano 600 hubs, i have not looked to see if its freewheel or cassette but it is 7 speeds back there. What would be some options? also i really love the 600 hubs, they are very smooth so something comparable to that as i dont want to go backwards with an upgrade. budget really varies depending on what is out there but i would be willing to spend up to 400-500 if need be.

Jose

oldbikenewbike

I have the same wheels on my "Purple Haze " Ironman Master. They're great! For the money you're looking to spend, I'd keep the original wheels and use that money toward another bike. The weight savings on another set wouldn't be worth that amount of cash...IMHO.....

roccobike

You need to determine if it's a freewheel or a cassette. If it's a cassette you're in luck as you can upgrade to almost any wheelset you want. You'll have two problems/concerns to deal with, but almost any wheelset will work. To keep a 7 speed, you'll have to use spacers with the new, deeper freehub (intended for use with 8/9/10 speed) so that the cassette fits tight on the freehub. Also, the new wheels will have a 130mm spread and your frame is 126mm. You'll have to force fit the rear wheel, but it works. You can find other threads on force-fitting the rear wheel on this forum. IMHO, upgrading wheels is the one area where, if you upgrade significantly, you'll feel the improvement in acceleration almost immediately. I'd go for it keeping in mind the two concerns mentioned here.
However, if it's a freewheel and you want to keep it a freewheel, you'll have to have a custom set of wheels built to get something substantially better than what you have now.

RobbieTunes

I have nothing more to add. Good hubs, good rims, my preference is to clean/lube/adjust the hubs to perfection and ride it.
The 600 on the '87 would be the 600EX, and they'd be a freewheel hub, which is heavy, I admit. rocco and the other guy are both right.

oldbikenewbike

Also, for the $400-$500, you could pick up ANOTHER Ironman on ebay in really nice condition for that price. There are a few on there now. You'd have a spare!, lol......

Fred

rccardr 

Shimano R500 wheels are the ticket. OEM on lots of mid-high level bikes like Cervelo's, lower spoke count than the 600 setup you've got (I think 24/28) and it's not unusual to find a new-ish owner upgrading to something more expensive. I've bought a bunch of low mileage ones for $100-150 a pair (Yes!), sometimes with the Schwalbe tires that came new on them. Can take any HG cassette, so if you want to keep with 7 speeds just use a 4mm spacer on the inside of the hub. If you just have to spend more money, check out the VeloMine web site, they sell some very nice Shimano/Velocity wheelsets at various quality levels. For about $250 or so delivered, you can have a set of Open Pro rim/Ultegra hub wheels, which are some of the best values out there IMHO.

If you do decide to upgrade and want to sell your wheelset, let me know. Wheels recently got stolen off of my daughter's Ross at the train station and they would be equivalent to the 1050 105's that some meth head just HAD to have.

cehowardGS

I thought I was the only one that noticed that!!

Right now, I have wheels that are running $90 to $119 on my 88 Ironman, and IMO, they ride nice and look super good. However, the OP is looking to spend between $400 and $500 so I won't even show or mention these!!

tom25

In reality other than looks can you truly upgrade the performance of the wheelset in question? Personally I don't think so.
You may get a cooler looking wheelset, but I don't think you can get faster.

dohc97 

i know that the money part of this doesnt add up but this being my hobby i usually dont spend with an eye on value. I like to work on my hobbies and spend as much as i can afford without caring much for what the bike is worth as i often sell things for less than half of what i paid for. Considering what everyone is saying i do think this money might be better spent on finding another bike. funny thing is this bike has not seen the road since i bought it, so i dont even know how it rides. ill ride the centurion as is and ill try to find another ironman or maybe a lemond/merckx. ill use the same money and try to find a new bike maybe take it to $800

thanks for the insight everyone.

Jose

tom25

Jose,
Don't take all this the wrong way. If upgrading the wheelset makes you happy by all means do it. Some of the Guys who have commented here have some sweet modernized Ironmen. The point is Its a nice ride the way it is.

due ruote 

Another thing to consider is that for a fraction of what you're talking about, you could get some great tires, which will make a big difference in the ride.

dohc97 

not taking it wrong at all, i guess i better get on this bike and ride it before making a decision. I still need to finish polishing some metal bits and have to wrap one side of the bar. Ill try to take it out this weekend and see how i feel about it. i intend to make it my daily ride which is about 15-20 miles 4 times a week and at least a 30 mile ride on sundays. i love tinkering with things, my day job is wrenching on cars and as weird as it sounds working on bikes relaxes me and brings me down from all the stress of dealing with a shop.

wrk101

Depending on your weight, personally my three preferences wheel wise are either Ultegra 6500, 600 tricolor (6400), or Dura Ace 7700.

All are readily available used for a small fraction of your budget.

If you want to stick with freewheel style, I really love my Superbe Pro wheelset. Super sweet!

I personally avoid the low spoke count wheels (due in part on my size, and I don't care for the look on a vintage bike).

SoreFeet

Personally I would not hesitate to splurge. You love the bike, the bike fits and you dig it right? I'd build a set of white industries hubs to some nice Velocity rims. Later you can take the wheels with you to any bike. White Hubs are a really nice product.

cehowardGS

Like somebody said, don't take it the wrong way...

Here is my 88 Centurion Ironman Expert, proudly sporting $100 wheels..

RobbieTunes

Can't argue with Mr. Howard. I have to admit, I've put many a nice set of wheels on an Ironman, and boy, did that frame come alive.

andyfloyd

Vuelta aeromax right? Those are great looking and lightweight for the price for sure.

John E

If you care about reliability and repairability, stick w/ 32- or 36-spoke wheels.

zukahn1 

+1 I would seriously consider keeping the wheels you have these are very nice, I think for the money you would spend you would be disiapointed with most upgrades. The only real reason to upgrade would be if your current wheels are 27inch or have a freeweel. In that case upgrading to a nice set of 700c's with cassette might make since. But personnely I would ride the Wolblers with the 600's till they wore out.

dohc97 

i like the look of the ones posted by cehowardGS, where can i get the spacer i would need to use that? and of course im assuming any shimano 7 speed cassette should work? buying those for just over 100 will leave me enough to pursue another bike, win win for me.

dohc97 

i keep going back and forth, im for sure taking her out tomorrow and probably do my long ride sunday on the ironman, something tells me robbietunes is right, the bearings in these wheels are very smooth...

zukahn1 

Another good choice would be to look for a good used set of Mavix CXP wheels with a 7speed cassette. Very nice medium V with 32 spoke count and they look great on Vintage 70's and 80's. you can probably pic up a set with cassette for $150

jimmuller 

If you must upgrade, get better tires.

cehowardGS

I have those on several of my vintage bikes. IMO, they are flawless, look good, and most of all, cheap. The seller list them as BIN for $118 with free shipping
Buy it now

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Wheelset...item4d10f6479d

However, the same seller also list them in auction. I get mine from the seller's auction and each time I get them in the $85 to 95 range with free shipping..
Auction

https://2013.usopen.org/en_US/news/ar...omo=right_rail

BTW, I picked up that Ironman off of CL for $90 the seller had Look pedals and toe clips. I weigh 135 lbs.

cehowardGS

Robbie can answer that for you, as he put those wheels on my 88 Ironman.