sirkoondog

In the process of getting upgrades for my wife's bike. She is currently riding on older Alex AT rims. I am targeting the ultegra 68000 wheelset. Looking for see if there are betting options in that price range. She is 5.3, 115 lbs. Commutes on her bike 2x a weeks and metric century rides couple times a month.

On merlin, the other options I have narrowed down to are

Fulcrum 3
Mavic Ksyrium

Jiggle

Fulcrum 3 over 6800. Lighter, better spoke lacing, easier to find parts.

69chevy

What is the reason for wanting to upgrade?

dvdslw

I have the Ultegra's and they've been bomb proof going on 2 years under my 200+ weight. I wouldn't concern yourself with finding parts, anything can be ordered and to your door within a few days. If found on sale they're hard to beat and you get a tubeless option as well.

sirkoondog

We have been biking much more this summer and have 2 centuries planned for the fall. She is on an older alum bike with shimano 2300/sora parts but never really complained too much except when the cables gets loose and shifting isn't clean/sharp anymore. On a "training" ride a few weeks ago, she sampled one of her friends bike and was really surprised how smooth and solid it was. Obviously she came back and wanted to get the same bike. After finding out what kind of bike it was, we weren't going to spend $4k+ on a cervelo. Any carbon/ultegra combo is going to run 3k+ at the LBS. So instead of spending 1k on a new bike for a alum/tiagra, i can upgrade to the new 105 11sp + wheels for less. Based on all the talking heads, the 105/wheelset is huge upgrade from the 2300 circa 2012. The bike will basically feel like new again.

lsberrios1 

Which bike and model does she currently ride? If it's a decent bike (not sure since it's got 2300) then 105 + ultegra wheels would be my choice. I have a set of c24 ultegra clinchers and they have been great.

If her bike is junky then i'd go with a nicer newer bike. Maybe a alum defy or tcr with 105 11spd.

sirkoondog

its a 2012 marin ravenna.

Jiggle

https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-me...-9000-etc.html

mcmoose

Is her bike currently a triple? If so, is she willing (happy even) to switch to a compact?

I ask because if she wants to stick with a triple, you can get a good deal on a Tiagra triple groupset (<$238 from Merlin). Having ridden a 9-speed Sora and a 10-speed Tiagra, I think the Tiagra (while not quite as nice as the 105) is a noticeable upgrade. Add a nice set of wheels to that, and I bet she'd be one happy rider.

Plus, you won't "over build" your frame (and keep your upgrade costs relatively low).

Happy riding!

dtrain

+1. I like the idea of Tiagra + Vuelta-level wheels...or a new bike. The frame is the backbone and there are reasons for keeping components in a similar quality range.

dvdslw

I say just because someone was bored one day and took apart a Shimano wheel for no apparent reason other than curiosity without the proper tools or knowledge, doesn't mean that a competent bike shop couldn't repair a broken spoke without issue and find the spokes from their suppliers. Not everyone is a do it yourselfer, especially when it comes to wheels.

Garfield Cat

She can get the R2 that retails for 2,500 and it will be a brand new bike with Shimano 105 groupset. Trouble is the wheels may need to be upgraded.

Yes, you can upgrade for less but its not going to ride like that R2. I think of it as a wife who likes to ride and knows darn well that a new wheelset isn't going to make the big change. I think she will be happier with a brand new bike. Besides it could be a nice gift for her. Just thinking of her happiness that trumps frugality, sometimes.

Jiggle

That's right.

chaadster

I don't think the wheels are gonna do the trick.

Jiggle

Fulcrum 3 is still a better wheel. You're recommending the 6800s because you own them, not because they are objectively better.

sirkoondog

I thought about this, but the cervelo's smallest size is 48. I compared the specs to her current bike(43.5), it's hard to exactly know if it will fit without her trying it on. And of course, she graviated to the fire-engine red that is the S3. But once she saw the MSRP, she was shocked that bikes can cost so much. I found 1 store in NYC that has a 48 frame in stock. She explicitily said NOT to spend that kind of money but I would love to get it for her for xmas, but how do i get her to the store and see if it fits and surprise her at the same time. But even if we do get that R2/S3, I am not going to allow her to commute in NYC with it, so I am still going to upgrade her current beater. As for the triple, she has never used anything else before, so she has no idea. But I do notice that sometimes when she uses the triple, she changes into the wrong ring, the double may help with this.

chaadster

That's dumb. He addressed your statement about hard to find parts and implication of difficult servicing. His recommendation was based on his experience of the wheels as being objectively good, not objectively better than the Fulcrums, which they may or may not be, depending on which features you want. Lighter? Tubeless? Lacing...though I don't understand how you objectively determine better in that way.

69chevy

That was what I was wondering. The reason I asked is I found my wife a carbon Synapse Apex this Summer with less than 50 miles on it for under $1K.

I would bet money that you could find your lady a very nice used bike for the cost of upgrading her current one, and sell hers to offset the cost.

andr0id

While some are criticizing your plan, I tend to think it's not a bad idea.

Your wife has a difficult to find frame size and seems happy with the fit of her bike.

105 5800 groups are cheap and it will be pretty easy to swap that over. All 3 of Shimano's 11 speed groups are great. They shift smartly and are good quality stuff that will last a long time.

While the WH-6800 wheels are bit more pricey, those wheels can go on any bike you get in the future and will continue to be damn nice. I doubt that somebody that rides a 44cm is heavy enough to ever worry about breaking spokes.

If you shop around, you can get them for a lot less than list price.

Here they are from Jenson for just over $400.

Shimano WH-6800 Ultegra Wheelset > Labor Day Sale | Jenson USA

Garfield Cat

Sounds like two bikes for her: the current beater and the nice bike for that 5 borough ride. Never did that ride so don't know if its just "too crazy" to ride the nice bike.

Size: Emma Pooley the Brit who rode on the womens' team for Cervelo Test Team: 5 foot 2 at 106 pounds. Is that about wifey's size?

Full name Emma Jane Pooley
Born 3 October 1982 (age 32)
Wandsworth, England, United Kingdom
Height 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in)[1]
Weight 48 kg (106 lb)[1]

If a nice bike is somewhere in the future, then I would consider getting a nice wheelset that can work on both the existing bike and the new bike. I would go custom with PSIMET as the builder. Or someone like him. Rob Curtis is an engineer by education and work.

But if that beater bike might get stolen as she parks it outside in Manhattan, then no.

mpath

IIRC, Cervelo used 650c wheels on their smallest size (48) frames. Not sure if that's still the case, so be sure to check on their current lineup.

Jiggle

Lacing, more even spoke tension in the rear wheel in their design. He didn't address my parts concern, he just dismissed it. The fact is that Fulcrum 3 parts are far easier to come by and the 6800 is essentially a throwaway wheelset. If you're ok spending $300 of your money on that then fine but not all of us ascribe to that value system.

seymour1910

That's true. Jenson has a brand new Orbea Onix with Apex for $999

Orbea Onix Dama TPX Bike 2013 > Complete Bikes > Road Bikes | Jenson USA

tangerineowl

There's a 2011 S2 48 frame in Hudson on Craigslist at the moment. $1125.
Not "fire-engine-red", but there's a bit of red in there

Fiery

No idea what it is with the US list prices, but in Europe the RRP is around $440 and you can get them for under $300 with shipping:

Shimano Ultegra WH-6800 Wheelset | Road Bike Wheel Sets Shop