onehandman

First things first I want a high quality aluminum wheel set clincher. Thats where I get lost, there is so many different options out there, how many different spokes etc. I weigh 145LBS. I currently have mavic 2.2 which I believe weigh in at 2,200 grams. I think I want to spend up to 1500.00. I believe that should get me a quality aluminum wheel set. Am I wrong? Where do I go. I tried to contact a local bike shop, who is supposedly good with wheels, but he seems to keep pushing me off, as I am not serious at purchasing wheels. So here I am. Please educate me. Thank you Paul

Jiggle

$1500? Get a set of Dura Ace 9000 clinchers for $900.

rpenmanparker 

You can get lightweight aluminum (<1,300g) wheels for $500 or less. Kinlin XR200 rims, Bike Hub Store hubs, Sapim CX-Ray or Laser spokes 20 holes front, 24 holes rear, aluminum nipples. You just need someone to build them for you. That cost should be easy to meet. No need to spend $1,500. No need to chase a big brand name. These wheels will make you very happy.

2 wheeler

You can find some options here. I'm sure that they would answer your questions if you called.

SpeshulEd 

You're probably overspending if you spend $1500 on aluminum clinchers.

BigJeff

If you are planning $1500... have you thought of going carbon/aluminum?

I guess the question is if you prefer brand name over "what it is".

Are you concerned with what country your wheels are made in?


Some people buy fancy brand wheels then remove the labels... some just buy wheels.

It just seems you could get some crazy nice aero carbon wheels for your budget.

Will Goes Boing

I did a quick search on google and within 10 seconds I came across 3 very useful articles.

https://wheelworld.com/articles/buyer...sets-pg196.htm

https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...oadWheelsGuide

https://www.bicycling.com/tags/road-bike-wheels

The reason why the shop pushed you off was because you probably called them over the phone and probably said something along the lines of, "I'm fairly new to cycling.... teach me about wheels."

First off, what a lot of people don't seem to realize is that a typical bike shop usually have very few employees working and there are usually customers in the store. It's not reasonable to expect an employee to sit on the phone and "educate" you about wheels or anything for that matter.

You're much better off doing some research on your own and read some articles.

fauxto nick

Teach yourself about wheels! There's so much good info to hunt through on here as well as the rest of the internet, one does not simply get handed this knowledge on a silver platter with an espresso and some biscuits.

fauxto nick

Also, I second not calling a bike shop to have them sit on the phone with you educating you. Trust me, this is very hard on the staff, most of them would love to sit and chat about wheels but there's too much going on to be tied up on the phone with someone who just wants to learn. Very frustrating.

hybridbkrdr

I'm not into high-end wheels and spent probably more time reading in the touring forum but in any case, I read here that Shimano makes hubs that are good value for the money. I also realized something only after buying parts to complete a project that if you choose rims that are widely available like Sun CR-18 or Sun Rhyno Lite, you can replace the rims more easily.

SpeshulEd 

If I had $1500 to spend on wheels, I'd probably do something like...

Get a cheap light pair of Vuelta Corsa SLR's, 1500g, $320 (wait for Nashbar to have a 20% off sale)
https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...2_532637_-1___

And then rock out a really nice pair of carbon clinchers...(so many options)
https://www.novemberbicycles.com/rail/

IANative

Would the Zipp 60 be an option here, or are there better options for the same/less money?

BigJeff

zipp 60 are awesome... brand name, aero carbon, and Al rim (not a carbon rim to melt)

You can go cheaper if you go Chinese / non-major brand Taiwanese but a proper receipt from a hard wall store gets better vendor support.

(I'm riding Taiwanese 50mm carbon/al wheels and I love them.)

As long as you keep to your budget there are no regrets.... so go for it.


Nobody can read the brand while you are moving.

RJM

With your budget, you really kind of have your pick.

You could look at Rolf....Vigor or the Elan models https://www.rolfprima.com/products-road-page.php Many riders in my area are riding around on Rolfs and I haven't heard any one of them complain about them. As a plus, they really look cool.

Also, November makes the FSW23 https://www.novemberbicycles.com/fsw-23/ Looks like a good wheel with a wide rim and strong hubs. Cheaper than the Rolfs

Also, boyd makes the Vitesse and the Rouleur https://www.boydcycling.com/alloy-wheels/

Soul makes the s2.0, 3.0, 4.0 https://2013.bikesoul.com/

Of course you could go custom with your budget...contact Psimet or some other wheel builder. You could get something built for you and the riding that you personally do. Rob (Psimet I have found will work with you and be straight on what he thinks you will need) www.psimet.com


I am in the market for aluminum wheels and have been looking pretty strongly at the Rolf Vigor RS but have also talked to Psimet about a set. Haven't made a decision though. I want a wide rim and something durable and stiff, but I weigh more than you...so what I want may be different than you.

redlude97

Maybe shimano DA C24/35?

onehandman

When I called the bike shop, I didn't ask them to educate me, I told them I was looking to buy new wheels, and that 1500 was my budget. He recommended aluminum wheelset. I wasn't expecting anyone to teach me about wheels over the phone. I gave him my name and number and he said he would get some prices on wheels. After a week from not hearing from him I called and checked in and he didn't even remember talking to me. So this is why I am trying to do my on research. Just as everyone know spending a big amount of money, I want a quality wheel.

pdedes

As soon as the lbs employee heard you wanted to drastically overpay for an aluminum wheelset, he/she pegged you as a lunatic. As others have suggested, some research is in order. You could get a powertap g3 laced to a decent rim by neuvation for $849. add a front and you are out the door for under $1100 measuring power.

TommyBing

Has to be a troll post.

I have a CK - Hed aluminum clincher wheelset with a single speed hub, new, which was ridiculously expensive, and even build including expert labor was only $1000. Granted, I used regular (non- $8 aero) spokes, but even still, I don't think it's possible to get to a $1500 aluminum clincher wheelset.

Another wheelset is WI 11-spd 130mm disc hub with an Open Pro and a CK disc on an Open Sport and that's another $900. I really don't think $1500 is possible. Dunno, maybe with 180s, ceramic hubs, and then some weird rims. That wouldn't even be bling, though. That would just be for, like, some sick sponsored dude who just rides fire.

All bark, no bike. Trollzalotapus.

big chainring 

I would go with a set if tubular wheels and put your money into great tires. Dugast makes beautiful tires that will make your bike seem like its floating down the road.

Campag4life

I think you are giving the OP too much credit.
Who do you think the market is for high end wheels...lol. This guys fits it to a T.

hybridbkrdr

I wouldn't laugh too much about a guy who wants to buy a pair of wheels for $1500. I wanted to build myself a touring bike that would be my "dream bike". Well, because I practiced over and over again in the financial markets and couldn't make money, I ended up so stressed out I bought things everywhere including eBay that I didn't even need. So, what do I have now? I wanted to build ONE bike. I now have 2 frames, 4 cranksets, 5 front derailleurs, 3 rear derailleurs, etc. And the most stupid thing? Even after months and months of doing research on bicycle parts, some of the parts I bought aren't even compatible. And trying to figure out what I'm going to use to complete 2 builds is almost overwhelming. I just made the decision today to start selling stuff. (Even though it may take me weeks to get organized because I'm so tired and burned out.) (And I'm not even sure I'll end up with 2 builds.)

pdedes

Sorry about your issues but this relates to the OP how?

Psimet2001 

Op - you are relatively light weight. You are riding a 2200g set of wheels. You have a budget of 1500 and you're overwhelmed by the options...

1. Relax. Wheels can be overwhelming. There is a lot involved if you wish to dive into the minutiae, but step back and look at the big picture - just about anything you choose will be better than what you are on and you will enjoy them.

2. Lbs employee sounds like they were thinking they were doing you a favor. "Geeez...you don't need that much wheel. Just go alloy. I'll look up some option." In essence it is good advice. What that requires though is for this guy to either start looking up prices at distributors, call a few places, or start putting together a build by looking up individual parts and figuring out what the pricing is going to be. No big deal if that's what you do day in and day out, but a pita if you're working I'm a shop and your main focus is the customer in front of you looking to buy a bike. You are better off being in front of them and getting quotes on paper if you want to go that route.

3. You should be able to get a great alloy wheelset (which is what I would recommend as well) with very nice boutique hubs that will far outlast the rims/build in the $550-$900 range.

4. Stick with "traditional builds". These are wheels that are made with standard off the shelf spokes and nipples and symmetrical rim drilling a (not paired spoke or some other non-standard drilling). This will allow even poorly equipped shops to cobble together a repair for you when you most need it like when out in the middle of nowhere on a 160 mile ride.

Like I said though, don't over think it. These are bicycle wheels and this is all about riding a bicycle. Have fun and go with your heart. That's what hobbies are about.

bikemig 

A lot depends on what you want wheels for. If all you want is a good quality set of clincher wheels, handspun wheels are readily available and way, way under your budget. If you run shimano gear, you could get a handspun wheelset with ultegra hubs and a mavic open pro rims for around $400. This is a pretty decent wheelset and will work for someone who weighs 145 lbs. You can pay a heck of a lot more but small parts for these hubs will be easy to find and it will be fairly straightforward to repair these wheels if need be. You could pay a heck of a lot more but this is a good wheelset for many applications.

Jiggle

Open pros are a bit dated to recommend for a custom wheelset. Look into the Pacenti SL23.