Originally Posted by
Rocknificent
Are all 700c wheels ridiculously expensive? On jensonUSA, the cheapest wheel was $88, for a single wheel, and the price curve was exponential from there it seemed. Are the nicer wheels that cost upwards of $400 near-bombproof? I'm new to road biking, but crashed semi-frequently on my mountain bike, bending my cheap no-name steel front wheel twice. But those cost nowhere near what a road bike wheel does. Is expert engineering the reason for such a steep price range?
Spending more does not really get you more durable wheels, usually you are paying for less weight and maybe aero properties.
You can get a decent set of functional, reliable, and reasonably lightweight wheels for way under $400. I bought a set of Mavic Open Pros with Ultegra hubs for about $200 at performance bike (watch for sales and coupons). They aren't anything special, but they stay true and aren't too heavy. There is a guy (PSIMET) that a lot of people on this site recommend who can build you a nice set of wheels for a reasonble price or you can also look at bicycle wheel warehouse, performance bike, etc. I think a lot of people buy expensive wheels for the bling factor. Nothing wrong with that and I wouldn't mind rolling on some aero/carbon blingy wheels at some point, but a $1,000 set of wheels is not going to make you much faster and probably not be as durable as a $300 set.