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Another wheel thread... advice please, I'm doing my head in.
Evening all,
I'm looking at buying some shiny new wheels for my Giant Defy 0 (Aluxx version). Or not.
I'm currently running stock PR2 wheels with PR3 tyres - they seem bombproof, but heavy (apparently 2kg but opinion is split).
My budget is around £200. I'm looking for some wheels that a) are lighter; b) are prettier; c) are still solid
I'll probably still commute on them as I'm too lazy to swap around all the time, bad as that sounds. On top of that, I'll ride club runs, chain gangs, a couple of short TTs and the occasional sportive (and I live in a fairly hilly area).
So - given my budget, can I improve on the wheelset I already have, realistically? Will I really notice a couple of hundred gram's less rolling weight?
The options (too many hours have gone into this):
- Stick with what I've got: don't buy upgrades, ride up grades
- Superstar Elite 38 Ultra: http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/elite-38-ultra-11speed-wheelset-20...
- Campag Scirocco 35: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/campagnolo-scirocco-35-clincher-wheelset/
- Fulcrum Racing Quattro: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing-quattro-clincher-wheelset/
- Cero AR24: http://www.cycledivision.co.uk/product-info.php?Cero_AR24_Alloy_Clincher...
Questions on the above - I love the look of the deeper wheels. Will they actually hold any more speed, being only 35/38mm? Or should I go light with the Ceros? Are they robust enough to stay true and not ping any spokes? Are all hubs made of cheese at this price range?
In my head, I've sort of already ruled out the Ceros, as the others are much better looking to my eye. I know that's not important, but it is really, we're all vain.
My trigger finger is itchy so I'd really love to hear real-world advice from someone with a reasonable hat on... what would you do?
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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14 comments
We'll they've arrived and they're fitted! I've only ridden up from the LBS back to the office (bad form not to fit your own wheels but I don't have a chain whip - it was only the cassette I needed doing) in my office clothes but super-subjective first opinion:
-Arrived less than 24 hours after ordering!
-Tyres (Conti Race 25mm) were a pig to fit, if that's important to you
-Stiff
-Decent weight
-Hub is MUCH louder than I expected. I love that sort of thing but others may not
Hilly TT tonight, update after!
{sits in corner rocking slowly, hitting refresh}
Come on, don't keep us in suspenders - How'd you do?
Haha if you insist... Average speed of 20mph on the button on a hilly course for just under 45 minutes. Not terrible on an aluminium Giant Defy, not great either. My minute man dangled off me for half the course then left me on the finish, and my 2 minute man was caught halfway around
Actually hardly even gave the wheels a second thought until I was on my way back home, which is probably a compliment.
I'm very pleased for the bonkers £175 price. They pick up speed very well from a standing start and from low speeds, and I don't feel so much like I'm fighting momentum on longer drags - once they spin, they stay spinning. Fairly stiff too, although my tyres were at 100psi and the roads out on the course were pretty rough. Reliability - subjective, but they feel pretty solid.
And the whirring of the hub is still awesome.
Mike, you've won me round. Just ordered the Ceros - will report back with my thoughts when I get them fitted. Must say 25mm Contis, the weight and the service at that price point are pretty amazing. Hope the review doesn't contain any surprises!
No pressure then
Their AR30's have sold out a number of times over the last year, so they seem to be doing something right. I always come at reviews thinking 'would I be happy if I'd spunked my own hard-earned cash on these' and for the AR24's - particularly after chatting with the Cycle Division support guys - the answer is yes.
Wiggle and CRC are both offering Ultegra WH6800 wheelset for £206 which are 2-way fit (clincher/tubeless) so no need for rim tape as there are no spoke holes in the rim.
My wife has a set which weighed in at 699+58 front, 959+63 rear (body + skewer) and they are behaving very well for now.
As for profile, though, they may not be as deep as you're looking for.
Thanks for the input everyone. And after KiwiMike's comments, I'm intrigued - free tyres too! Unbelievable.
So I think for me it's Quattros or Ceros... coin flip at this stage, they'd both do good things IMO.
if you want a better ride for £200 :
1340g for the pair.
http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/elite-25-tubular-ultra-11speed-whe...
Or you can have campag (straight swap of the freehub). And you ride on tubs which are a lot better ride than clinchers.
£185
^yeah I was just looking at the photo....seems a bit strange that thwybonly show 2 if the 4 bearings seeing as that can be a deciding factor for some....
Poptart242, not to pre-empt a forthcoming Road.CC review, but if you go for the Cero AR24's at the current £175, in my opinion, 'you will not be unhappy'.
I'm certainly 'not unhappy' after 1000km on them.
You are going to be the main person looking at the bike, so if you feel that the deeper wheels are better looking, than that rules the Ceros out!
Quattros and Sciroccos are the same wheelset, apart from the label (Fulcrum are Campag components labelled differently to appeal to Shimano/Sram riders), so maybe that might make a difference depending on your groupset?
I have not personally heard too much about the Superstars, reviews seem hard to come by, but there was a thread on here for the narrower rims a few weeks back that will be around somewhere. They are a homegrown brand though who seem to offer good service re repairs etc, not to mention they have 20% off wheels this month (WHEEL20), which brings the price down to similar to the Quattros and Sciroccos.
The weights of the wheels are all around 1700g, for £200 you're not going to get much better unless you go for narrower rims, but then if you fancy deeper rims, then a little more weight won't do too much harm once they are rolling!
I personally have just bought the Quattros after window shopping for a while, they should arrive this week sometime so can always report back if needs be, but there are lots of good reviews for them which helped me in my decision! (Not to mention how good I think they look and Wiggle has them for £165 right now!).
Also don't forget that you can get the Quattros (and possibly the Sciroccos too) with CX hubs if you want extra durability for commuting weather!
The cero only has 2 bearings in the rear hub.....that screams poor durability to moi.
the superstars will not feel like much of an upgrade imo they will be heavy and also wont have the massive aero affect you're looking for, I'd rather look at some of the shallower options from superstar.
Also factor in the cost of some nice tyres...vittoria corsa's are always a good bet
Speaking to CycleDivision today, it's 4 in the rear. If you're looking at the photo on the website, you're not seeing the two smaller ones in the freehub itself.