They're fine wheels. I have a set of Eastons that came on my Cervelo R3 over 5 years ago. They have been my main set of training wheels (until I got a PowerTap rear a few years back, but I still use the front Easton) I've had to have a couple bearings replaced and true the rear a couple times but that's it. That's good for me- I ride a lot and I kill rear wheels. It's normal for me to rebuilt a rear wheel every year (it was even less when I was using Open Pro rims- they suck) and retrue every month or two.

The problem with the Eastons is that they use proprietary spokes that thread into the hubs. If you break one you can't just go to the LBS and get a replacement, and if they break at the wrong place it can be difficult to get the spoke end out of the hub.


The "cheap" wheels that come with good bikes aren't bad wheels, they're just heavy and/or not as aerodynamic as expensive wheels. But they make perfectly fine training wheels, and if you are not racing you don't need expensive racing wheels.