I'm looking at wheels for my Ti road bike. A friend can get me a deal on Shimano tubeless wheels, but I have a SRAM group and find tubeless to be a bit odd still (maybe I will convert?). Have also looked at Williams and am considering building Open Pro/King or Rolfs ( a bit out of my budget, but super hot).

I am broke from buying the bike, so I don't want to spend much more than $500-$600, which I know isn't much for wheels, but I hope to get something used and upgrade in a couple years. I am hoping for light-ish, durable and probably not carbon since I'd like to stop in the rain.

The title, personal shopper? Well, since most of you are like women who like to buy shoes/purses, except you're dudes with shaved legs and a bike habit, I figured you might need a reason to look for stuff you don't need without any guilt.

Help a woman out.

Light or deep or both?

I'd rather have light than deep.

Shimano wheels are generally tubless and clincher compatible, you can stick with clincher.

What are you looking at? WH-6700? Should be a great wheelset.

Having a SRAM drivetrain has nothing to do with tire type, tubeless/clincher etc.

And tubeless is not the same thing as tubular.

Go tubeless. I doubt you will regret either the comfort or the near-elimination of flats. You can use either clinchers or be tubeless. I have two Ti bikes with tubeless wheels--I won't be going back to clinchers, but I'll always have the option to use clinchers if I want. (Campy Eurus 2-way on both bikes.)

Check out Stan's No Tubes. You can pick your wheelset and convert it to tubeless. He also has a set of wheels close to your price range.

Tubeless benefits are worth it. I would write about it here, but have already done that in the past and would say the same thing. Just do a search in a the archives....

thanks guys.

Anyone have any input on the Easton EA90slx?

Rather than hijack this tread, I will start a new thread about Stan's Tubeless. I have wheels that I love but they aren't tubeless. I would probably like them more if they were tubeless so I would like to get feedback from someone that has tried it.

Seconded. Get the Alpha Comp's. I found 'em for $500 somewhere online, just don't buy from Stan's, as they are the highest price. Great wheels, and I LOVE tubeless. Really light too.

If it's your only set of wheels, get something that your LBS can service and provide warranty support. If something goes wrong, you don't want to be shipping wheels around the country while you cool your heels without a ride. That also means normal spokes and nipples that your LBS might actually stock. And just say 'no' to internal nipples. I think the EA90 SLX you mentioned fits the bill although I've never ridden or serviced them. The one pair of Easton wheels that I've had up close were built really well. The freehub body is probably aluminum so be aware that Shimano/SRAM cassettes will score it over time.

i believe that they slx version dont have ceramic bearings and thus cost a lot less.

regarding ceramic bearings: the .1 watt you save is SO WORTH IT! be sure to get CARBON TIRE LEVERS!

Custom build w/ Kinlins, CX Rays, and hubs that fit the budget. Relatively light, durable, and you shouldn't need that upgrade.

The Shimano are a good wheelset, even better if you get a deal from a friend.

I like Easton generally but I do know of people who've had hub issues.

My man said the same thing. I'm actually looking at the Alpha Teams and I might be able to get them close to my price range through his sponsors. They're pretty light and durable for the price range. He might actually get a set for Everest this year. He has Reynold carbon tubies and Williams system 19s (more of a training wheel, though light enough to race), but the Alpha's are a good option for climbing, avoiding flats, and keeping it light.

Nice. I think I am closing in on my wheels.

Ya, I'm gonna pass on the Eastons. Also going to pass on the Shimano. They're a tad heavier than I wanted and I ( the snob in me) feel/s a bit odd putting Shimano on a bike with a SRAM group.

Check out the Easton EA90SLX on sale at Performance, these are "special edition" (actually old stock) but $550 or less with a coupon code for a 1500g wheelset isn't bad.

https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...0_20000_400038

nvmd just saw you're passing on a 1500g clincher cos it's too heavy...maybe get an alu tubular built?

The Shimanos were 1700 g and a bit heavier than I wanted, not the Eastons. I just heard that Easton has bad customer service and turn around on getting stuff repaired is a pain. Also heard people were breaking spokes left and right.

Those definitely look like a decent deal though. Hmmm...

Boyd Cycling will sell you a 1000g carbon tubular wheelset for $750...

https://www.boydcycling.com/tubulars/t20.html

I don't want to get caught in the rain when I'm high up in the mountains and I definitely don't want any scary descents in the rain because I can't stop on my carbon rims. And tubies, well, probably not a good idea. But they sure are sexy and tempting!

Thanks though!

Use set of Rolfs maybe?

Yep, that's what I was originally considering, but I looked around and couldn't find any used. No connections with them either.

Soul S2.0SL, Easton EA90SLX, Shimano RS80, or Ksyrium SL should all fit the bill unless you want handbuilts.