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Wheel Upgrade........

by Walshyr32
Thu, Jun 25, 2015 17:53
7

Greetings one and all,

I'm looking for your expert opinions on the matter in subject. I'm new(ish) to cycling, I spent most of my time on a tourer (Surly LHT) doing the lap of the world thingy and late last year I invested in my first road bike. It's a Canyon Endurance AL 7.0 and it's rather nice with a full Ultegra 6800 groupset. It came with Mavic Aksium One wheels and I'm looking to make my first foray into the world of 'upgrades' for the purpose of seeing some extra 'gains'.

I've read that the best upgrade for seeing a few gains here and there is the wheels so to that end that's where I'm starting (I simply can't justify spending as much on a power meter as the bike cost, not just yet anyway 3 )

I've been looking at the Campag Zonda and the RS81 C24, I say 'looking' because that's all I've done, the techy part isn't really my strongest area.....bearings this and spoke design that, aero here and rolling resistance there (when you're used to plodding along on a tourer hauling 40kg of bike and equipment, anything over 20kph is flying 24 )

So I have a budget of around €500 (would like to spend less if possible but can make 500 if the wheels justify the price) and where I live is relatively flat, I head to the hills some 20km away around 3 times a week so a wheel that is suited to both would be ideal.

So in the words of Lloyd Grossman, "it's over to you".

Look forward to having your assistance and expert guidance.!

Cheers

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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7 comments

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Walshyr32 | 8 years ago
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Thanks one and all, some food for thought and even some routes I'd not even considered.......oh the wonderful world of cycling!

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Simon E | 8 years ago
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This subject crops up frequently. Some previous discussions:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=site:road.cc+forum+wheel+upgrade

I'd agree with Derny. Any weight or aero advantage of lighter / deeper wheels is far smaller than manufacturers want you to believe. I have Shimano RS80s for racing and they are nice but it's not a night-and-day difference over the much cheaper RS10s, which get me up hills just the same.

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upinthehills | 8 years ago
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Would have to agree with Derny.

Dura Ace C24 are a superb wheel. Got a winter and summer pair.
Can't really go wrong with Mavic Elite either. They are a shade heavier and I think they are a little firmer than the C24 in the comfort stakes.
Both are good at power transfer.

Wild card for you would be Rolf. Have a pair of Prima Vigour on my Canyon CF Slx and boy are they fast. Aluminium wheels which are 35 deep aero profile. Bearings are great and they climb well too.

I have a pair of Richey Superlogic tubulars and the Rolfs are just as good, if not better.

Only down side to the Rolfs would be the lack of parts if you needed something urgently from a bike shop.

On balance if its one set of wheels go for the C24. Not super aero, but light, stiff, reliable and spares if you need em.

best of luck

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Batchy | 8 years ago
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You could consider Mavic Kysium Elites. They really are THE tried and tested all rounders. No aero bling but light ( 1500ish gs ) very stiff and strong and 2014 versions can be bought for less than £500 if you trawl the net .

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tinyking12345 | 8 years ago
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There are some good carbon aero wheels on merlin cycles at the moment which fit within your budget. Look at stuff from supra.

Or you could buy from a chinese company like farsports or yeoleo? Only problem with this is the quality control, but I have had a set for about 6 months and have had no problems yet...

Tubulars will be cheaper than clinchers and lighter but more of hassle if you get a flat. Tubulars wheels also have a smoother ride.

Good luck!

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adam900710 | 8 years ago
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As my LBS and online shops get shimano wheels more, so I'm not familiar with Zonda wheels.
I only used Xeon stock wheels, and UT6800 wheelset, then RS81 C35 as current wheelset.
And DT swiss R24 disc on my commuter bike.
So my suggestion may all lean towards Shimano wheelset. 1

For Shimano RS81 serious:
Price is the reasonable lowest price, need to search online to find one.

C24, around €400: Light but no aero advantage - For climber, cheapest,
Consider it as a upgraded 6800 wheelset. Better hub better rim and lighter.

C35, around €500: All round, some aero advantage not too heavy - Fits your budget and usage.
I got my pair at €475.

C50, around €650.: Heavy but obvious aero advantage - Out of your budget.

For C35 the aero advantage, it's just about 2~3 km/h improvement at 30+km/h on flat, compared to my old ut6800 wheelset(almost same weight).

For climb, I didn't see the weight penalty as it's the same weight with my 6800.
Although its 1650g claimed weight is a little heavy compared to other brands like Mavic or DT swiss (Hey, even R24 disc is lighter than C35), but I'm completely OK with the weight.

If you want to keep your view wide, you may also want to see recommendation on other brands.

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Derny | 8 years ago
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Until you get to a deep rim (eg, 40-50mm) and a small number of bladed spokes, I don't think you'll find yourself going faster on flat terrain. The Zonda won't be significantly faster. Of course light wheels always feel nice to ride, as they give the bike a lively feel, but on relatively flat ground they will do almost nothing for you. If those nicer wheels make you want to ride the bike more that's probably the main benefit. If speed is your goal and you're spending a lot of time on level ground then you should save up for real aero wheels.

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