good wheels for long distance riding
 

I need some help.

I'm new to ultra riding and need to get a new set of wheels. I weigh 130 pounds have a budget of about $600. I'll be riding mostly 100 - 300 mile events (at least for now!) at 15-17mph (on bike speed, not total average speed).

I've been looking at these wheels and my mind hurts trying to compare the little differences between them. They're all about the same price. I'd love some comments and if you have experience with one/some of these and could recommend one over the rest, I'd appreciate it.


Boyd Vitesse
Blackset Race 12 White Edition
Williams 30
Williams 19
Vuelta Team V
Vuelta Corsa Race
Vuelta Corsa Super Lite
Shimano Ultegra 6700
Mavic Ksyrium Sl (on sale)

These wheels all seem pretty similar. Maybe they would all get me down the road in good shape.

Your thoughts are appreciated. Thank you.

forget about all of those boutique wheels. you have a very reasonable budget, find yourself a wheelbuilder (local would be preferred) and have something built just for you. hand built wheels will generally be more durable, and tuned to the type of riding you want to do, they will be repairable and use commonly available parts for rebuilding.

break a ksyrium SL spoke for example - and you're pretty much out of luck. break a spoke on a pretty standard handbuilt wheel, and any bike shop should be able to sort you out in hours...

OP: it seems to me that @ 130 pounds, all you need are wheels that are round.

If going long distance, self-supported, get round wheels with a decent spoke count.

Hand built is the way to go, as AS said. Decent hubs like Ultegra or 105's with a rim wide enough for the tires you will be using. I am thinking of having a set of wheels built with Ultegra hubs and Mavic 719's to fit a 40mm tire and I just had a set of wheels built around Formula hubs and Mavic Open Pro's for 32 mm tires for my commuter.

Any of those wheels will probably work just fine for you. Especially at your weight. No matter what wheels you end up getting take them to a reputable wheel builder and have them tensioned properly.

That's one of the funniest things I've read here in a long time. Outstanding!

I haven't been a buck thirty since I was 14. <sigh>

Handspun wheels

http://www.biking.com/brand/handspun

http://www.bicyclewheelwarehouse.com.../prod_156.html

And read this
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html