Originally Posted by supahjew
There seems to be a debate between Bontrager Select and Open Pro/Ultegra owners. Selects are lighter, but they're not as durable as their heavier, sturdier counterparts. Is that pretty much the concensus? A few people have said it's still a downgrade, and the Selects are great on NYC streets (refer to jwbnyc's comments in
http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=195561)
Speedgoat's calculator lists 32 spoke Ultegra/OP at 1886gm for the set.
Bontrager lists Selects at 1890gm for the set.
So, they are about the same.
I stated that they were about the same in weight, and the Selects might even be lighter: that was erroneous.
In terms of swapping them out, given that you said you will be racing; I said that seemed like a "lateral upgrade" maybe even a bit of a step backward, particularly for racing, ie; having used both wheelsets, the Selects were stiffer and handled better - my experience under heavy cornering and fast changes in direction - and that they were faster - meaning they spun up faster, held speed better, were more aero - again for me.
I said I never had any durability issues with the Selects. They were a good wheelset. They handled a great deal of hard daily riding - never needing to be trued - with no problem. Do I think that over the long haul they will prove to be as reliable as the Ultegra/OP set? No. I don't think any of the low spoke count wheelsets will surpass Ulegra/OP in that regard, especially for heavier riders. I am a light rider at 135lbs.
Please note that I also ride a 32 spoke Ultrega/OP wheelset. They are superior to the Selects in ride quality, crosswinds, and braking performance in my experience. They do, however, require more work to maintain the same speed as the Selects, again, in my experience.
The Ultrega/OP combo has withstood the test of time as a product. Everyone should probably have a set. They are workhorses and great value for the money. At no point did I mean to imply that the Selects were a better wheelset.
My point was that, in terms of performance, the Selects have their strongpoints.
There are plenty of reasons the Ultrega/OP wheelset might be better for you. I was just curious as to why you had decided on the Utegra/ OPs, for an upgrade, as my experience with the Two wheelsets was that they both had their good points, cost about the same, and could be seen as basically a wash in terms of use depending on what strengths were important to a particular rider, but that the Selects really were not to be discounted out of hand in overall performance, between the Two, if the goal was to go fast.