evan938

is there really not a subforum for just wheels on BF? am i just not seeing it? please forgive me if theres a thread somewhere i didnt see about this.

im trying to decide on some new wheels to look at. i just picked up a supersix, and would like something that compliments the bike, and is a little better than whats on it (currently sram s27al)

I would like to go with clinchers. Im about 180-190#, depending on the time of year. I dont race, no real intentions to anytime soon (i've gotta get a lot stronger first), i mainly do group rides, a few a week, 35-70 miles, longer rides on the weekends. we have average roads where im at, nothing too horrible but also not a lot of areas that are a PITA. we have some small hills, but its definitely not a mountain filled area. the most elevation ive gotten in a day is around 4k', and those days were on a 60 and 100 mile day. most 40 mile rides we do might be 1k' or so

i would like something that is going to hold up well and be sufficient for years to come. i dont want to have to be (or want to be) upgrading in a few years, unless its for something like if i decide to race.

I've read some and see that the way some wheels are built, some wont spin up as fast, but will help you hold your speed better, some will spin up faster, but you'll work harder to keep your speed. i would say doing mainly group rides, i'm not worried about getting up to speed as i am staying at speed. i finally cracked into the A group rides at the end of last year, and would like to stay up there. i know the majority of that is going to have to do with me more than anything.

So, what should i look for? i finally came across some extra "play" money i've been waiting on for months, so lets say i have a ~$1000 budget. i've seen wheels like Reynolds assault (46mm), easton ec90 (38mm), ksyrium SL or SLR, im sure many others. i HAVE emailed Psimet to get some ideas, and still waiting for a response

and one other thing, something that looks good on my bike. its red/white/black, so something that doesnt look out of place. this isnt a top priority, but i definitely dont want something that looks out of place

sorry for the long winded post, and thanks in advance

ericm979

The wheels you have are fine. You could get more aero wheels but the difference in performance will be small. I only notice it on descents over 30-35 mph. Lighter rims will make the bike feel lighter but the actual difference in performance is small, especially if you don't do much climbing. Aero carbon wheels look "cool" because that's what racers use. If they were all on low profile box section aluminium rims everyone would be wanting those.

The wheels I built for everyday riding have 27mm deep aluminium rims, same as the ones your wheels have. I've raced on them and done long rides with a lot of climbing on them. The wheels did not hold me back.

If you really want to get faster, use that play money for a power meter or a coach.

rangerdavid

In the price range you have a wide variety of choices. You might consider Boyd carbon clincher. Mavic has several in that price range too.

jdon

Custom wheels from a quality builder.

Andy Somnifac 

If you want new wheels, get round ones. They work best.

evan938

Well, for being a forum, i thought id get a wider array of responses. Lol

Happened to find a set of Ksyrium SL on craigslist today, 2012 MY, listed for $600. Might have to consider these for the price...

RollCNY

Rol
Boyd
Williams
Psimet

Not necessarily in that order.

Or you can get a great selection of hand builds for $600 or less.

canam73

I think everyone is petered out on answering this question. And in your case, there isn't much to recommend that will offer a noticeable improvement on what you have. A mildly aero, mid-weight clincher is what most people end up training on so I would suggest sticking with them until they actually need replacing. A handbuilt set would probably last longer, but that's about it.

Go back and read ericm979s post again. Getting a rear wheel built with a Powertap is with in your budget and if you really looking to get faster it will help way more than a change in wheels.

neneboricua

It's just that the wheel debate has been done to death... For your purposes, the stock wheels are fine. You're not racing (no real need for aero wheels), not climbing much (no real need for feather-light wheels), not beating the crap out of wheels on horrible roads (no need for heavy bullet-proof wheels), not extremely overweight (riders above 215lbs might have issues with the strength of some wheels).

You need wheels for JRA (just riding around), so your stock wheels are fine.

Now if you want wheels purely for looks and have money to burn, more power to you, go ahead and get whatever looks cool to you.

evan938

Sorry guys. didnt mean to beat a dead horse. In my years of being in forums, I figured its probably been discussed, and due to that, i figured there might be a sticky or a main thread that gives explanation of what wheels will work best for certain situations (climbing, flats, etc), certain riders (weight of rider, etc), and maybe some examples like "if you want to do THIS, then THESE might be better suited"

I agree the wheels i have are enough for what i do now, but id like to get better at that, and if i can get any advantage from a set of wheels that will make me work less and be more efficient, well why not?

I may have to look into the powertap idea, though i kinda think of the rides i do as "if im in the back all day,.im still not strong enough, if im able to pull my weight and take my turn pulling, im doing better.

marqueemoon

This. $1K will get you nice wheels built on hubs that will be worth rebuilding on when the time comes.

Maybe deeper rims would be a slight advantage in the conditions described, but it's not a race, and I don't think it's going to make a difference between hanging with the "A" group or not.

NWS Alpine

Boyd carbon Clinchers are new and the price went up a bit. It's still well worth the price for what you get. The improvements in the 2013 wheels are boss.

canam73

There probably should be a sticky, but too many people seem to think their case is unique.

If you do a search you will find that a typical improvement of deep aero wheels over low profile rims is around 1 minute per hour of time trialling. I assume the benefits of light weight wheels while climbing are no more than that. In regular group rides the benefits of both will be quite a bit less, and in your case your stock wheels are not really heavy or non-aero, especially when compared to something like Ksyriums.

But if you are looking to improve your performance and eventually race, the Powertap will allow you to get a handle on your power outputs during your pulls and hard efforts and then to repeated intervals to replicate those efforts. Short of having a trainer or team to train with, a PT is probably the biggest bang for buck around when it comes to getting faster.

Yotsko

This (custom wheels from a quality builder). I'll add November to that list - super happy with my RFSC 58s.

dtrain

Go check out those Mavics for $600.

M_Wales

Custom build!! Love both my sets of Psimets...

marqueemoon

Don't rule out the LBS for custom wheels. If you're not handy with wheel truing or don't want to mess with it a lot of shops offer lifetime truing and spoke replacement on their builds. That's not a crazy as it sounds really. It gets you in the door to look at the new shiny things.

In the not-too-distant past this is how most high end wheels came to be. Then some marketing geniuses realized that if they could brand "wheelsets" they could keep a bigger cut for themselves. If you're putting your own name on it you can go straight to the source for parts and not have to use Shimano, DT Swiss, Campy, etc... A lot of "wheelset" brands still use branded spokes because it's a selling point, and at wholesale they're pretty damn cheap anyway.

Wheel building is not rocket science. For a grand you could also buy all the tools and parts you'd need to build some nice wheels if you're so inclined.

evan938

i emailed the guy and he never responded

someone was actually just talking about those november wheels. i forgot to check them out when i was looking

bianchi10

Cough...cough...BOYD....cough.....

bigfred 

If your motivator is getting stronger and going faster, I can't think of any wheels that would make a potentially larger difference than a rear with a powertap hub. (If you use it as part of a systematic training program.) Add my vote to the list for a powertap.

Homebrew01

Ksyriums are about as non-aero as you can get. If anything, they will be slower than what you have. Keep in mind, that the "speed increase" between various wheels is measurable in wind tunnels, but not the deciding factor in most race situations. For non-racing, be realistic about your expectations and get something nice that matches your bike.

RT

ftfy

If you have a $1,000 budget, go hand built. I had a dude lace me some wheels at the LBS last year. Cost me $40 a wheel and $1 a spoke. I brought some old hubs in good condition and some basic ALX 450 rims from an old beater. The wheels ride better than any branded wheel I've bought, even the Titans.

RT

Agree with everything except wheel building not being rocket science. It is really voodoo. I just can't do it, but I can wrench anything else on a bike.

canam73

Boyd wheels are handbuilt.

jdon

Yes, but for a non-racer, all you need is a "systematic training program". We raced long before powertaps.