neneboricua

I'd like to upgrade my '09 Fuji Team Pro from the stock Mavic Aksium Race wheelset it came with. I live in the Seattle area so pretty much any direction I go there are hills. I'm 31 y/o, 5'8", 143lbs.

I don't race but am considering it. I do mainly solo training but also some fast and/or hilly group rides. To me, fast groups are anything 20+mph. I'm working on getting faster but can't hold 25mph for very long... yet

I would like to use this wheelset as my only set of wheels. I'd like it to be a good all-around set; provide some aero advantages while still being good for climbing. If/when I start racing, these are the wheels I'll use. I understand that very deep profile rims are heavier and can be affected much more by crosswinds so they're not so good for climbing. I'm just not sure when it is that a rim is too deep and is no longer good for climbing. I'm looking for one that is good at both (I understand that a jack-of-all trades wheelset will be the master of none).

I'm considering Reynolds Attack and Assault wheelsets. If there are other wheelsets of similar quality/price that would work better for this purpose, I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks for any advice,
neneboricua

datlas 

Williams 38.

Velo Gator

Assaults.

danvuquoc

Clincher right?

Fat Boy

I have a set of 38's (not Williams). I think they're a strange compromise. They're not deep enough to give you pronounced aero gains, but they're relatively heavy. Since they're carbon, they're also expensive. So you end up with a wheel that is heavy, expensive and not particularly aero. The good news is that they aren't sensitive to cross-winds, but that's kissing your sister a bit.

If you want an aero wheel, go at least 50mm. For this particular application, the Williams 58 or similar would be a good option, IMO. Use these for any fast group rides or races. Keep your Aksiums for everyday riding.

patentcad

Not anymore. The new ones are 1460 grams. That's relatively light.

recon455

https://www.j2-velo.com/J2-58-Carbon-...-Wheelset.html
J2-50 Full carbon clinchers, $745. 1560g 50mm rim. A really great price, but more on the aero side than the lightweight side.

Psimet wheels, custom built wheels by a well known member of this forum.
https://www.psimet.com/

"What does PSIMET offer?

Aluminum Clinchers and Aluminum Tubulars
Carbon Fiber Clinchers and Carbon Fiber Tubulars
Cyclocross Wheels
Powertap Wheels
Quarq Powermeters
Wheel Accessories"

agilis

+1

danvuquoc

I made the mistake of buying assault tubulars from Bonk for $700 just because I wanted aero carbon wheels. I ended up liking them so much that I want to ride them all the time -- unfortunately that's just too expensive (tire costs) to ride at anything but a race. So I bought a set of DV3K Clinchers for $1000 -- hopefully I'll like them just as much. Fredilicious.

agilis

anyone riding these wheels? Interesting...

SkyeC

+2

several thousand miles on mine. love em.

chicagogal

+3 on the assaults. Bought a set toward the end of last season, so only have about 500mi on them, but LOVE them, and can't wait to ride and race on them next season.

mazdatech10

soul c5.0 wheelset lighter than attacks or assaults an williams 38's , and are aero

VA_Esquire

bikeSOUL.com

$1300 for some awesome wheels.
1160g (plus 90g skewers)
49mm tubular rims

DanMartin

Carbon wheels above 1400 grams, what's the advantage?
Aerodynamics, stiffness? A good set of alloy wheels are around 1500 grams.
Not trying to start an argument, but I personally wouldn't go with a carbon wheelset above 1100 grams, dealing with the durability/braking issues I've had with carbon wheels, it doesn't seem worth it.

hammy56

aero trumps weight to a large degree...but riding around at ~20 mph there will be little, if any benefit.

mazdatech10

so my 1350 gram soul c5.0 are only 150/200 less in weight then your 1500 something alloy wheels , that have no flex , which a 20/25 mm alloy wheelset would have at this weight are faster up/down hills and accel out of corners faster too

DanMartin

Not disagreeing with you, just wondering what the advantage was, so stiffer & better aerodynamics going with carbon wheels.

Fat Boy

OK, fair enough. Throw out the heavy part. They're still relatively expensive for small aero gains. I'm just bitter because my Cane Creeks are heavy and probably no more aero than my AC 420's.

patentcad

They do feel faster on fast rides to me. I really like the new ones a lot. 150 grams lighter is not insignificant on a set of wheels. That really makes them much better all around hoops that the previous generation.

Mansram01

+4 on Reynolds Assault.

neneboricua

Thank you, everyone, for the replies.

Yes, I'm looking for some clincher tires.

Looking through forum posts and other resources, there's a lot of conflicting opinions about what depth aero rim makes a difference and at what speed. At the speeds I'm currently riding at (~20ish most of the time unless I'm in a paceline that's really flying), is an aero carbon wheel going to make much of a difference or should I just keep my Aksiums? Would Attacks (32mm) or Williams 38's offer noticeable aero qualities or is it really >40mm?

Also for climbing, almost half my rides include significant climbing (like a little more than 1000ft for every 10miles ridden). Would a carbon wheel help in that area more than my Aksiums (carbon flexing less and transferring more power to the road or something)? Does how deep a rim is affect it's performance while climbing (I'm thinking crosswinds) or is it just a function of weight?

As far as price goes, I'm trying to stay under $1000. I've seen the Attacks on Nashbar for $800-20%(coupon)=$640. Some Assaults on eBay for about $1000. The Soul c4.0 wheels seem awesome for the price: $1000 for a 40mm rim weighing 1390g. That's deeper and lighter than both the Attacks and Williams 38's, but more expensive than the Attacks by about $300.

The J2 Velosport wheels almost seem too good to be true. Anyone have experience with them?

neneboricua

recon455

I heard about them on this forum, but haven't seen anything about them elsewhere, because its obviously a very small company, 1-2 people?

I am planning to buy some soon, and I will write a review if I am so motivated. They have a gallery of customer's bikes with their components and wheels, as well as a 2 year warranty, and I didn't notice anything suspicious to the contrary. I also emailed the guy about their water bottle cages and I got a quick and good response(speaks English, correct grammar, properly formatted email).

As for your wheels, check Bonktown religiously. Dura-Ace wheels right now, $1000(50% off retail), ~1250g.

robncircus

Since you are in the pacific northwest and plan to use these as dailys you may want to consider something with an alloy brake track. The Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLRs have been coming up a lot on Bonktown and offer aero, good weight, and good braking. My experience with carbon braking in the wet is that it's not as great as alloy braking in the wet. Justy my $.02.

kayakdiver

Love my Attacks! If you find yourself up on Whidbey sometime soon you're more than welcome to give them a try. Favorite set of hoops I've owned.