BykOfALesserGod

I recently ordered a build kit for an IF frameset and it comes with Vuelta Corsa Lite wheels. I'm coming from MTB in the late 90s early 2000s and never really thought of Vuelta as a wheel company so I'm checking out other brands.

I have an option to upgrade for a price. Since the groupset on order is 11sp Athena I started looking at Campy wheels to keep it all under one banner.
Here are the candidates and what it will cost me to upgrade to them:

+$ 139 Campagnolo Scirroco 1725g wheelset
+$ 79 Campagnolo Vento Reaction 1755g wheelset
+$ 0 Campagnolo Khamsin 1873g wheelset

There is sparse info on these wheels on the interwebs outside of a negative review in Bikeradar for the Scirocco and the Vento.

It's Mavic town where I live so I also checked them out:
+$ 369 Mavic Ksyrium Elite 1550g wheelset
+$ 159 Mavic Ksyrium Equipe 1690g wheelset

Finally there is this option:

Adrenaline Hand built Custom Wheelset upgrades. Stans ZTR 340g Alpha rims, and DT Revo Spokes:

+$399 Campy Record 1295g (saves 283 grams)

Group's thoughts? Keep the Vuelta? Spring for a bit more $$$ for something better? Thanks!

My riding: I'm 70" 189# and dropping (185# today). In the front of but still firmly in the B group. No racing aspirations, just riding @ 17 to 19 mph ave.

garciawork

Fulcrum Racing 3's? Campy Eurus? Those are my fave wheels (that I can afford). Of those options though, I'd go with the Record/Stan's handbuilt option.

MajorMantra

The three Campy options you list are all essentially entry level so not worth paying more for. If I were getting new Campag wheels I'd go Eurus/Shamal/Zonda.

The Ksyriums are always popular but get the Elites if you go with them.

The customs would be very nice BUT I'm not sure they're the best choice for your weight. Use Google to search BF and Weight Weenies - they're popular rims but have a reputation in some quarters for being a bit flexy. You might want to look at other custom options though - what about Velocity A23s or something a little sturdier?

kyoto now

I have a set of Vuelta Corsa Superlites and I can't think of a single complaint. They're very light, reasonably strong, roll smooth, were true out of the box, and have stayed true after about 500+ miles of riding on some roads that aren't the greatest. I'd say the only area where they might be lacking would be lateral stiffness when laying down some serious sprinting power, and obviously the bling factor is next to zero. But for the cash, there aren't many wheels out there that can hold a candle to these.

sced

Build your own wheels https://www.bikehubstore.com/

You can buy the parts, put them together (easy), try to true, and have your local shop check them out.

topflightpro

Is this a steel frame? And the Athena is all silver right?

If that's the case, I say you go for some sweet custom built wheels. I'm thinking silver Record, King, White Industries or Alchemy hubs, silver spokes (I like Sapim CX-Ray) and then some Ambrosio clincher rims. It will match that group beautifully and look sweet on that frame. Not to mention, it would be an awesome set of wheels. You could also do Stan's rims - do they come in a grey?

MrTuner1970

I like my Campy Eurus wheels a bunch. Have put maybe 12-13K miles on them (two wheelsets) since 2009. Had three spoke nipples break.

The only thing I'd advise is that Campy parts are always expensive and sometimes hard to come by (think special order and waiting several days). Ditto for Mavic bladed spoke wheels with the proprietary nipples. Unless your LBS happens to be one that has them on hand. Some do.

I'd lean toward a wheel with traditional spokes and nipples so that when you need them, any bike shop will have them. At your desired average speeds, just about any wheel will work.

Bingo Blingo

The Khamsins are good tough wheels. Excepting for the weight, they are generally well-regarded. I have them and like them. I am planning to eventually get a bike (from Ribble) with the Athena group set and Zonda wheels. Zondas are similar to Khamsins in terms of durability but lighter.

James1:17

I wouldn't buy anything if I were you, unless you just don't like the look of the Corsas. They're listed at 1578gr, which isn't that bad at all for medium profile aluminum clinchers. I've been riding the much heavier and cheaper Vuelta Zerolites for two years now, and have been pleasantly surprised by their smoothness and durability.

halfspeed

Avoid Campy wheels with G3 lacing on the front. Fulcrum is just Campy under a different brand (without the G3 lacing). Vuelta is bargain stuff. "Mavic" is French for "overpriced". In fact, skip anything with proprietary parts. Get some nice handbuilts from a reputable builder.

rc51crazy

I have a set of the Vuelta Corsa Lites and have been very pleased with them. I don't understand why some push these aside as cheap wheels. Mine have 2600 miles on them on some of the roughest roads around and have only had 2 spokes break. For the money they are light weight, they are a great bargin and pretty damn tough. So to heck with the bling factor of some of the other over priced name brands.

BykOfALesserGod

Hmm. Not really looking into bling. Just never heard of Vuelta wheels back in my MTB days. I looked into it more and found that the reviews are actually good on these too especially for the price. I might give it a try but if not I think I will go with recommendation for the bike shop's in-house Record wheels but with a different rim. Perhaps Open Pros or Velocities and conventional spokes for ease of repair.

Campag4life

You are basically an average rider per your spec's. In my opinion and only that...reducing wheel weight and associated higher cost for the average guy...and keeping durability in mind...is a bit of a waste. You have many many options. I have ridden a lot of Campy wheels and they have been faultless. Any of the options would be fine including the lower level Ventos.
Your upgrade options relative to cost has to be considered in the broader context of how much you are spending for everything.
For an average rider the Scirrocco option is a good one. Research the option of Stan's before you pull the trigger. Stans + roadbike doesn't have the most sterling rep for durability. You can't beat Open Pro's + 32 spokes for your weight and durabililty and will be light enough.
Have fun.

BykOfALesserGod

I talked to the shop (Adrenaline Bikes) wheel builder and discussed the options with consideration to the advice dispensed here. We settled on a 20h fr/28h rr C4, Velocity A23, Revo build. Now if I can only make up my mind about Athena vs Chorus shifters.

Campag4life

I am a Campy guy and only suggestion about shifters if you choose Athena is...make sure they can multiple shift up and down the cassette...what makes Campy worth getting. They may or may not have that feature for Athena. Somebody will likely know on the 41. Quite certain Chorus has this feature.

MajorMantra

Athena is Powershift - i.e. single upshifts (harder gears) only. Chorus is Ultrashift. Also, if you're getting the crank, Chorus is Ultra-Torque which is much nicer than Power-Torque IMO.

MrTuner1970

One of my road bikes has Chorus shifters, and the rest Athena (CF Power Torque crank). That's what I recommend for the multiple gear shifting.

And Ultra Torque is easier to do maintenance. You need a special gear puller for the PT. Haven't had to do any maintenance on my PT yet, so haven't bought the tool. But UT is the way to go. Super easy, and a great design.

pgjackson

Love my Vuelta Corsa Superlites. $350, 1465g...best value for the money. Good looking, durable, bladed spokes. 1700 miles, no complaints. Very happy.

Dan333SP

I also have a set of the wheels the OP's bike is coming with (the Corsa Lites) on a Campy Chorus drivetrain. I looked at all those wheels you mentioned in the first post, but because cost was the #1 consideration I went with the Vueltas. I'm happy I did, I guess you've already posted that you are going for something else but IMO the Corsas are great. No problems after 2,000 miles so far, and I'm around 175lbs and ride rough roads so they get a workout. My one complaint is that they don't have a perfectly smooth braking surface, there is a minuscule ridge at a seam that leads to a faint pulse on the lever when you're braking heavily. Anyway, I like them enough that I've ordered a Shimano freehub so I can swap them over to my new Madone to replace the crap Bontrager wheels it came with.