Good evening road bikers! I have been reading posts for a week with no good results. I am looking for some wheels to put on the Cannondale R3000 that I'm building up. My debate is between two lesser known companies, Soul and ROL Wheels. First of all the Soul 2.0 wheelset averages around 1300g for $550, while the ROL Race Sl's come in at around 1550g for $650. The ROLs have amazing reviews on roadbikereview (higher than mavics and other big names), while I cannot find too many ratings for the Souls. Those who own the Souls really love them, however they are shipped from overseas while the ROLs are from the USA (meaning that warranty coverage is more difficult for the Souls if they need repair, as they would need to be shipped back overseas and taking much more time). The biggest issue with wheelsets that I've been seeing is spoke breakage due to heavier riders. I am a lightweight around #125. Would I be light enough to use the Souls and not break any spokes or have them flex under my weight? Will I feel much of a difference between a 1330g wheelset and a 1550g wheelset as far as speed, acceleration, or rolling resistance as a newbie roader? I'm really leaning toward the Souls because I'm being a bit of a weight weenie, plus they are $100 cheaper! Which might work best or which are you all more familiar with? Thanks for your help!

Soul 2.0 is really nice. The newer version now is lighter and probably nicer than the one I had. Roll extremely smooth. Never had any issues whatsoever. Another one to consider is Dura Ace C24 9000. One of the best wheels I've ridden so far and I can be had for a little more than the ROL.

You will likely have good results with either. I really like my ROLs and I've gotten a bunch of others to ride on ROLs and they are all happy. I have had great (above and beyond) service when I've needed it. That said, full disclosure, I live where they are produced, I now know the owner and I know many of the folks who work there so there you go. Great folks, by the way. I weigh about 130, ride the Race SLs, I've owned lighter wheels but they have not proven to be faster for me. It seems to me that the ROLs hold speed better than the lighter ones I've owned (Easton EA-90 SLX) and at the end of a long, fast ride I've had more left in the tank with the ROLs. YMMV. Maybe it's the old "aero vs. weight" thing.

At 125 you can go much lighter than the soul wheels w/ no issues. If you're worried about overseas shipping, look at boyd's wheels, which are lighter than rol and seem to be more reliable. Still you should be more than fine w/ the soul wheels. If you can find a builder who will do it, you could buy your own components from bikehubstore.com and build up a really solid wheelset that weighs far less than the rol wheels for less money (but not everyone wants that hassle).

Thanks for your help everyone. I have a good feeling about either of the two now that I've heard some opinions and found more reviews. I know I can get something durable and lightweight for under my budget of 700. The more I look around, the more I find positive reviews for both sets, the souls are just lesser known. I may go with those, as I can't find anything negative about them (besides being an overseas company). But if something goes wrong, it may be just as cheap for the shop two blocks down to fix it as it is to ship them back. The souls can be customized with colored hubs/nipples/etc. I think the blue nipples would look sick against the blue R3000 frame