nismosr

I'm new to the sport of road cycling - bought my very first road bike back in July 2007, found this site through the internet. I've been lurking around few post here and there and mostly reading and learning from you guys on this forum. and I've been reading a lot about wheelset which happen to be mines that came stock on my bike. Shimano WH-R550 and a few members complain having problem with the wheels.
The bike is almost 4 months old and managed to put in 500miles i'm 5'10 210lbs. Now should I be worried about my wheelset considering my weight ? I know most of the guys here are under 200lbs. I never had problems with the wheels and the fastest i've clock in is 39mph on a descent. Or wait till something happen ? Any opinion is greatly appreciated. Thank You - This is the bike

wfrogge

The wheels are fine for your weight.

kukusz

I don't think you are in danger of the wheels disintegrating or anything, but they might go out of true more often. A higher spoke count would fix that if you find that the wheels are coming out of true too often.

Buckshot77

About the only thing I'd fix is getting more miles put on the bike. If they're not giving you problems, don't worry about upgrading them right now unless you're out for the bling factor. I'll admit, I've been looking at wheelsets lately too, but I'm mostly out for something different looking, not strictly performance related.

As with most things on a bike, if it isn't broken or making you hurt, you probably don't need to change it out and your time/effort will be a lot better spent upgrading the engine rather than the bike. Now, if I could just listen to my own advice.......

Rick

dekindy

I weigh the same as you and had the same thoughts. I had read both very positive and very negative comments about these wheels prior to purchasing a new Serotta Fierte that these were already spec'd on.

I put 3,000 miles on mine and had zero problems. I hit a pot hole hard with no damage. That is when I really quit worrying about their durability. As long as these wheels are tensioned properly when built and touched up after your first few rides, they should be fine. Shimano does say that they require more frequent maintenance than traditional spoke count wheels. You can do a search on the Forum and read a lot about them and roadbikereview.com has some reviews that you can read.

I have upgraded to Dave Thomas's Speed Dream Wheels, AR-20's, and notice a much smoother ride and better shock absorption. My steel bike rides like a steel bike now and road chatter that I previously avoided I now ride over with little notice. Big difference in that respect. The creaking these wheels make while climbing hills is a little unsettling isn't it. I know wholeheartedly agree with the frequent advice that a wheel upgrade is the most significant upgrade.

waterrockets 

That wheelset is not strong enough for you in the long-term. If you're at 500 miles since July, the wheels will still probably last you a couple seasons. If you ramp up your mileage, that time frame will change.

You could just ride them into the ground, and replace them when spokes start breaking regularly, and that will be some time off. On the other hand, you could probably get new wheels, then sell these on ebay to recoup some of the money, since the wheels are still healthy.

If I were to recommend a wheelset to you, I'd say a 32h front, 36h rear Velocity Fusion or Deep-V, with Ultegra hubs. These would be truly durable wheels, with a reasonable weight (though not light). I race on a 32h/36h set of Deep Vs.

Still, no emergency, but these current wheels will die on you prematurely. Of course, most of the people on BF turn over gear so fast that wearing it out isn't a concern

wanders

I'm the same size +5lbs and you will know if you need to replace the wheelset if-

1) Will not stay in true - even after after having the wheel rebuilt with 14 gauge spokes
2) Breaking spokes.

I started on mavic open pro 32 hole rims. Broke spokes continuously and couldn't keep them true.

I have 10k miles on a set of mavic ksyrium elites that replaced the open pros. They have fewer spokes but are straight pull. I have never had them come out of true or broken a spoke.

Ride what you have until they start to give you trouble.

Treefox

If you're not having any problems with them, they aren't a problem, are they?

lesdunham

I have a friend with a 1 year old Scott and the same wheel set. He has had problems with the dust caps not staying put and rear wheel would not stay centered. He bought some Mavic Krys from Craigslist and no more problems plus about 400 grams lighter.

If you have no problems then don't worry. Ride alot and enjoy the great bike. Wear out the wheels and move on.

EffSizzle

I ride on those wheels as well. I haven't had any problem with them so far and I've put about 800 miles on them since August.

king-tony

They should be OK. I'm 215 and have 3 different sets of wheels with 16, 18, and 20 spokes on the rear wheel have 2k, 13k, and 7k on them respectively, with one broken pawl spring as the only problem I have had. I typically resist the temptation to hit the local BMX track or single track on the way home and I do fine...

dur4ce

I agree with the above poster. You don't "need" to upgrade. The only real reason if you aren't having spoke breakage or a problem keeping them in true is for BLING! I wanted more visual- and lightness bling so I got some Rolfs.

Hello.. My name is Steve, and I am a bike-part addict...

(cue chorus of monotone "Hi, Steve")

-Steve

Treefox

Yeah, but he probably *needs* one of those snappy Mavics with the one red spoke.

Should say I've got nearly 2000 miles on a pair of 550's and have only needed some casual truing of the rear wheel.

But from what BF suggests, we have more forgiving roads o'er in the Olde Countrie. Socialism resurfaces roads far more than is probably necessary.

jkizzle

dont buy upgrades, ride up grades.

waterrockets 

I know a guy who rode those wheels for a year, at 200 lbs, and now all the trailing spoke holes on the rear rim are cracked...

Zinn-X

yeah...

they might not be the most awesome wheels ever to grace the planet, but as long as they're working for you, they should be fine. your question is "do I need to replace...?" well, i would say that the answer is simply no, since they work fine.

after spending way too much money on a bike, i have settled on a philosophy relating to upgrading (actually my brother taught me this): if it's not broken, don't upgrade it!

stapfam

If you are having doubts about these wheels taking your weight- then read the reply's and I don't think you have a problem. If you replace them- what are you going to get? More expensive wheels that don't take your weight? Or sturdier wheels that are more expensive and heavier?

I don't have your weight problem But like a few on the forum- I got a pair of Training wheels for every day riding and I keep the Ultegras for the "Events". Good sturdy wheels that will last a lifetime- no matter how much I abuse them- and did not cost a fortune. I got 105 hubs- Mavic CXP rims and 36 spokes. I now use the Training wheels for everyday riding and Don't worry about how many potholes I find- or How rough the road is. I got them made a bit more comfortable with the spokes being crossed X 2 instead of radial and the other advantage is that I have a spare pair of wheels- In case I do ever find a damaged wheel just before a ride.

snoboard2

i put 2k on those wheels before getting a powertap rear. no problems at all. don't worry about it till they start sucking bad

CARBON4EVER

I had those wheels. two cons:

1. They go out of true very easily
2. If you ride in the rain....even once....the consider the wheel set ruined. The front has plastic caps over the bearings inside the hub that you can easily remove The rear seal is pretty bad also.

Treefox

I ride in the rain constantly. No problems.

(even if that were the case, one could still re-grease and repack the bearings - hardly 'ruined')

Spin Cycle

My bike came with the WHR550's, and although I don't weigh as much as you (185) I put on 2500 miles with no problems at all. Only replaced them because the rear was out of round (couldn't swerve around a pothole on a high speed descent in a group). Bottom line - these are solid wheels and just ride on them until they don't work for you anymore.

BTW have a riding buddy who ranges from 210 to 240 depending on time of the year who runs on low spoke count aero wheels. More than once I've had to wait for him to get his wheels re-trued in the middle of a long supported ride. What a pain - don't do this to your friends!