Sub £200 Wheelset recommendations

I'm building Spokely and have got access to some interesting product data on wheels. The site isn't live yet but it's showing :

Forza Cirrus pair from £399 to £170/180ish http://www.merlincycles.com/forza-cirrus-road-clincher-wheelset-72600.html

Shimano RS31 £224 down to £139 or £129 http://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-rs31-wheels-pair-62845.html

Fulcrum racing quatro 1/3rd off http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing-quattro-clincher-wheelset/

best of all - Fulcrum racing 3.5s down from £449 to £249
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/fulcrum-racing-3-5-road-wheelset/rp-p...

Cheapest Zondas for Shimano at the moment seem to be Evans at £289 - bit more than you want to spend but worth it. Alternatively check Merlin , Shimano Zondas are out of stock but when they get more in they'll be cheaper still.

I have Fulcrum 5's. The wheels are great. The bearings and freehubs are awful. My brothers and my mate have had the same issue. The advice I would give is to whip off the bearing covers and fill them with decent grease.

I've just ordered a pair of fulcrum racing 5 (2015) for £150.

I just went from the stock Shimano R500/R501 wheels that came with my bike to a set of Shimano RS31 wheels. They aren't much lighter than the originals, but they've a few aero features (bladed spokes, deeper profiles etc).

They were £129 on Wiggle reduced from £259 as part of their warehouse clearance with the move up north. I ended up getting the wheels, some nicer tyres (Conti GP), new inner tubes, a new cassette and the tools to fit a cassette for about £240.

Took them out for a 60 mile ride today, the bike definitely felt like it rolled better and I got a fair few PR's on Strava.

It was an impulse purchase (I've a new bike arriving in 2 months!), but I'm pretty happy with the upgrade.

EDIT: a bit less than £240 actually:

£123.95 1 x Shimano RS31 Alloy Clincher Wheelset Black Shimano/Sram 10/11Sp
£21.95 1 x Shimano 105 5700 10 Speed Cassette Silver 11-28
£18.47 1 x LifeLine Shimano/SRAM Cassette Tool and Chain Whip Bundle
£44.92 2 x Continental Grand Prix Folding Tyre Black 700x25c
£8.98 2 x Continental Quality Road Inner Tube Presta 42mm 700x20-25 Race 28

Cheers also for this.

Looking at changing my Axis 2's that came on my Roubaix Sport, pile of pants wheels, not done 500ml and already warranty work done on the rear.

Have to say l was looking at the Fulcrum Quattro's, but like the Superstar Coms Ultra 30's, weight good, aero and look nice.

Will look at the Zondas also.

Any comments on the Krysuim Elite S as another option???

Dont forget that Fulcrum 3s and Zondas are actually the SAME wheel! Same freehub, same rim, the only difference is the spoke pattern. So if you see one cheaper than the other, go for the cheaper one!

Campag Zonda's. I've had a pair for a while now and i cant find anything to complain about. Well worth the money i spent.

Zondas, or if you cant stretch to them, the Superstar components ones. Our cyclegroup is full of "frugal" riders and they love both!

Cheers for the thread! I'm looking for a decent and cheapish wheelset for my Scott CR1. Fulcrum are high up on my list - ideally 3s but need to find a bit more £ before I can do that!

I purchased a pair of second hand ultegra wheels with cassette for £150.
Had them for a year now and have been great.

I put the latest generation of Fulcrum 5s - with the large drive side flange - on my Ultimate AL for the winter and they are brilliant wheels. I paid £138 for mine and though they're 170g heavier, these are miles better wheels than even my Shimano RS80s. Stiff, and efficient, and I felt that on the climbs more than the weight. Absolutely no problems with the seams. In fact, I've not even noticed them tbh even when cleaning them. Actual weights were 770g front, 950g rear, 1720g total with rim tapes.

i did a search for zonda and this is what came up. I'm not quite sure how this would help

Zondas, Zondas, Zondas. I'll say it again - Zondas.

If you can stretch just a little further I would go for Zondas.

I put fulcrum 5's (£140) on my bike mid-feb and can't understand why i didn't change sooner. Massively pleased with my ride now

Plus Road.cc reviewed them too http://road.cc/content/review/115857-fulcrum-racing-5-wheels

Don't get planet x al30's: they are light and stiffish and aero, however the spokes are made of absolute cheese.
I've snapped at least 4 on 2 different sets within 2000 miles

Quote:

I've found one. The flimsy sound of the freehub. Nerd I do prefer them to make a more meaty noise. Ah well. Guess I can't have *all* the nice things.

The freehub is 'loud and proud' rather than 'Silent and deadly' (my preference) - but I have to say that is bothered me a lot less than I thought it would. I think that having the noise behind you is rather better then infront.

I've had a pair of Fulcrum Quattros for a couple of years. They've been reliable and stayed true. Fairly noisy freehub but I quite like that. Can't really feel an aero effect (over, say, Aksiums or Fulcrum 5s) but they're probably not deep enough for that. I also have a pair of Intrepid RC24s that Cycle Division used to sell - much the same spec as the Cero AR24s at around 1500g. Now I really *can* feel the difference with those (lightish) wheels - they spin up much faster and I feel I do get some benefit on climbs. IMHO, it depends on the type of riding you do - mainly cruising on the flat, go for Quattros. If it's hills and changes of pace, go for the Cero AR24s or similar.

Having the same dilemma myself.
Looking at:

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/pave-28-ultra-11speed-wheelset-202...
and
http://www.cycledivision.co.uk/product-info.php?Cero_AR24_Alloy_Clincher...

Have code for 15% off the first and the second come with tyres.

Decisions, decisions.

Having the same dilemma myself.
Looking at:

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/pave-28-ultra-11speed-wheelset-202...
and
http://www.cycledivision.co.uk/product-info.php?Cero_AR24_Alloy_Clincher...

Have code for 15% off the first and the second come with tyres.

Decisions, decisions.

Quattros are an option and certainly look good.

I went for these, and have been highly impressed;
http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/elite-30-ultra-11speed-wheelset-20...

For price, the weight and aero profile seems crazy, but so far I have yet to find any drawbacks.

You should be able to get a pair of Fulcrum Quattros for under £200 - I did, and they're great!