belowzero

Logically I know having the same wheelset is probably a good idea however if you're a poor ass, can you have, lets say a basic racing shimano wheelset for the front tyre and a mavic cosmic for the rear without any dramas?

Would be cheaper to upgrade 1 wheel at a time if you're going to get higher performace wheels and I'd say the hubset on the better wheel should make a significant difference?

2kwik4u

There's no problem mixing wheels. Aerodynamics will be most improved by upgrading the front wheel to something with a deep section.

pelotonracer

There's hardly any (if any) difference between a Mavic Cosmos and a "basic" Shimano racing wheel (I assume the Tiagra R500 or 105 R550). Save your money and stick with what you have now.

After aerodynamics, weight is the next most important factor.

urbanknight

Not sure what you're going after (weight, dynamics, strength) but there's no problem mixing them. As mentioned above, the front wheel should be the first one if you're doing one at a time. I did time trials with a Shamal front and basic Shimano Ultegra/Mavic Open for a year before buying a rear aero wheel, and I've seen plenty of people racing road races, criteriums, velodrome, etc. with different types of wheels in a multitude of combinations.

By the way, I would argue that weight is the most important factor, THEN aerodynamics (unless you're doing time trials). But that's just me.

53-11_alltheway

Unless you are getting a serious wheel (like Cosmic Carbone, etc ) I don't think this exercise is very high yield. Of course I've never ridden a Cosmic Carbone myself but on paper the increase in performance doesn't really seem especially great.

Aerodynamics are the most important but you can actually get 1500ish gram low spoke count wheels for under $400.