Need a new set of wheels
 

Argghhhh! Some bastard stole the wheels off my Lemond Poprad outside a local train station. I'd taken all the decals off the bike and made it look as crappy as possible, but the hubs were gold Coda comps so whoever stole them must have thought they were worth a lot of money (they weren't).

So I need to buy a new wheelset, and I don't have too much money (hoping under $200). Anyone have any recommendations? I need 700c with a 130mm rear spacing (non disc) and hopefully a rim that's wider than 20mm. Not bothered if they are 32 or 36 hole.

I have my wheels handbuilt, so I don't have any recommendations for inexpensive pre-built wheels. (If you had the Poprad Disc, I have an old OEM wheelset.)

But it seems like a good time to remind folks that, unless you're a racer with a car following you stocked with extra wheelsets, quick-release skewers are not your friend. The first thing I do with any bike that's going to be locked anywhere is replace the quick-release skewers with either a bolt-on or locking skewer.

• Nashbar Bolt-On Skewers are inexpensive and at least makes a thief find a 5mm. $15 per set regular price, $10 when on sale. I use them on my bikes that will only be locked for a few minutes while I run errands.
  
• Delta Hublox use a special wrench you can keep on your keyring. $30 list price. Downside: All sets use the same wrench.
  
• Pinhead Skewers also have a special wrench for your keyring, and have the same downside as the Deltas. Upside: They also make locking seatpost bolts and headset caps. In addition to selling under their own brand, they private-label for others. On-Guard and Trek locking skewers are made by Pinhead. Prices vary by set and brand.
  
• Pitlocks have 256 different special wrenches (which they call pits). Sets are available keyed-alike (special-order). They also make locking seatpost bolts, headset caps, V-brake bolts, disk-brake bolts and dynamo headlight bolts. (I have two sets that use the same key and include skewers, seatpost bolt and headset cap.) Available in the US at Peter White Cycles and the US & Canada at Urban Bike Tech. You'll need to visit your local hardware store to buy a Clevis Pin ($1.19 at my local ServiceStar) to carry the "pit" key on your keyring.

Its hard to not appreciate the value of these wheels:

http://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1670

I'm considering a set for a bike I'm building myself....

For a little over $200 you could have these: http://cgi.ebay.com/Mavic-Open-Pro-S...ts_Accessories Shimano 105 with Mavic Open Pro rims.

Pitlocks are your friend.

Thanks for the advice, I will definitely be putting bolt ons on whatever wheels I do purchase. I honestly thought someone would just steal my bike rather than my wheelset, but live and learn I guess.

Those are indeed good value!

I'm thinking about buying a set of these. I've heard good things.

Front

Rear

There's also this wheel set

Front

Rear


Good luck.

I can contribute some good feedback about the brand. In February I bought a second-hand bike with a very old set of Neuvations on it.
http://www.brucew.com/images/peloton...trait-1024.jpg

I've been very pleasantly surprised by these wheels. Despite being on the order of ten years old, they're true--and stay true--no matter what I ride on going to work--including these cobbles.

http://www.brucew.com/images/vsalon/...ay-2-color.jpg

The bearings are velvety smooth--the bike coasts for days--and the freehub is stealthily silent. It's entirely possible to coast along and scare the bejesus out of pedestrians. :D

I too am seriously considering a set of new Neuvations for my other new-to-me frame.
http://www.brucew.com/images/litespe...4/100_6197.JPG

Or, for the same price, you can get these (front and rear). I have one of these on the rear of my road bike, and it's been pretty solid - I've trued it a couple of times here and there in 10k miles or so, which I don't think is unreasonable.