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WHICH WHEELS

by Paultheagle
Wed, Oct 14, 2015 15:00
15

i have always found the advice on this site useful so hopefully help me again !

I've had my kinesis tripster atr for about 2 years now and although very happy with my "one bike does it all" - i'm thinking its time to upgrade some parts, naturally the first biggie is the wheels...

i'm currently riding the standard kinesis cx crosslight disc clinchers, 28 spoke front and back, 24 mm wide 22 mm deep, hubs were kinesis own aluminium sealed bearing with standard 6 bolt mounting - weight is around 1800 g. they have been impressively smooth and have stayed true - i run conti gp 4s pretty much all year, sometimes swapping for schwalbe one's for summer months - both on 28's.

my style of riding is 80 % road - 20% gravel/dirt road, downs link/avenue verte sort of stuff, i also do a bit of light touring with tubus on (tent/sleep kit etc) and have short bike for commute.

so my goal is to get an upgrade to a lighter faster set, maybe just a bit less rolling resistance on the tarmac and easier for climbs wile still being able to cope with the light off road/trail stuff i do and to support a bit of light touring (say 20 kg max), i am also tempted to go tubeless as this seems to fit the gravel/adventure bike profile well IMO and quite fancy the new pro one tubeless...

my own research has led me to 2 sets up to and around £700 catagory:

Fulcrum - 2016 Racing 5 LG Disc Wheels - http://www.fulcrumwheels.com/en/collect ... acing-5-LG

mavic ksyrium pro disc all road, which come with Yksion Elite Allroad in 30mm tyres fitted http://www.mavic.co.uk/wheels-road-tria ... sc-allroad

any thoughts comments/experience on the above or any possible alternative suggestions much appreciated !

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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15 comments

Avatar
carytb | 9 years ago
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Have a look over on the Hunts Wheels website.

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Simon E | 9 years ago
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If you're lucky enough to have £700 spare then I'd spend it doing something fun and memorable. It will be far more valuable than some marginally lighter hoops.

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700c replied to Simon E | 9 years ago
1 like
Simon E wrote:

If you're lucky enough to have £700 spare then I'd spend it doing something fun and memorable. It will be far more valuable than some marginally lighter hoops.

How are you not bored yet of telling people on a consumer website not to spend their money on better components?!

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Simon E replied to 700c | 9 years ago
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700c wrote:

How are you not bored yet of telling people on a consumer website not to spend their money on better components?!

Ha ha, love it!  laugh

Is there only one point of view permissible nowadays?  "Whatever you choose, you MUST spend the money."

I thought cycling was more about pedalling than shopping but too many so-called 'cyclists' spend more time upgrading than riding.

Are you sure those wheels are by definition better for the OP than his existing (perfectly good) wheelset? I'm not so sure, and I could think of much better ways of using £700. A fool and his money...

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userfriendly replied to Simon E | 9 years ago
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Simon E wrote:

700c wrote:

How are you not bored yet of telling people on a consumer website not to spend their money on better components?!

Ha ha, love it!  laugh

Is there only one point of view permissible nowadays?  "Whatever you choose, you MUST spend the money."

I thought cycling was more about pedalling than shopping but too many so-called 'cyclists' spend more time upgrading than riding.

Are you sure those wheels are by definition better for the OP than his existing (perfectly good) wheelset? I'm not so sure, and I could think of much better ways of using £700. A fool and his money...

Dude ... he's asking what wheels to spend the money on. That means he's already made his mind up about whether or not to spend the money on wheels.

Some people ... angry

Paul, may I recommend Hunt wheels? Their 4 Season disc brake wheels are brilliant, I'm using them on my best bike. 1,585g, rock solid, and the best looking rims I've seen (IMHO, obvies).

Also have a look at Superstar Components. They may seem a tad under budget, but they're hand built in the UK, very sturdy, reasonably light, and rather good looking. I've used the ~1,500g Elite 24 and the ~1,600g Pave 28 so far (the latter got a glowing review here on road.cc), and I cannot fault them at all. Obviously those are rim brake wheels, but ask them to use disc brake hubs instead and they'll build them for you.

 

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Simon E replied to userfriendly | 9 years ago
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userfriendly wrote:

Some people ... angry

Guilty as charged, m'lud.

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700c replied to Simon E | 9 years ago
0 likes
Simon E wrote:

700c wrote:

How are you not bored yet of telling people on a consumer website not to spend their money on better components?!

Ha ha, love it!  laugh

Is there only one point of view permissible nowadays?  "Whatever you choose, you MUST spend the money."

I thought cycling was more about pedalling than shopping but too many so-called 'cyclists' spend more time upgrading than riding.

Are you sure those wheels are by definition better for the OP than his existing (perfectly good) wheelset? I'm not so sure, and I could think of much better ways of using £700. A fool and his money...

Sorry for late reply, just back from Zappis 115 mile cotswold sportive where my *upgraded carbon wheels* got me round very nicely thank you 3

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Simon E replied to 700c | 9 years ago
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700c wrote:

Sorry for late reply, just back from Zappis 115 mile cotswold sportive where my *upgraded carbon wheels* got me round very nicely thank you 3

Is that the Gran Fondo? 180km+ must be quite a ride in hilly terrain.

So are you saying that with these upgrade-wotsit-thingymajig wheels you don't have to pedal any more? That would be ace! All this time and it seems I've got it completely wrong. Now where did I put my credit card...

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userfriendly replied to Simon E | 9 years ago
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Simon E wrote:

Deary me, are you boring ... tell me, love, who is pissing in your porridge every morning that makes you feel the need to spread them negative waves everywhere any chance you get?

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700c replied to Simon E | 9 years ago
0 likes
Simon E wrote:

Is that the Gran Fondo? 180km+ must be quite a ride in hilly terrain.

So are you saying that with these upgrade-wotsit-thingymajig wheels you don't have to pedal any more? That would be ace! All this time and it seems I've got it completely wrong. Now where did I put my credit card...

Yes that one. Felt like a long day regardless of the wheels, but having swapped them out from the last event where I was on rs80 low profile rims, the difference is night and day. Bridging over to groups, accelerating out of junctions, standing on pedals when climbing, drafting in a bunch - all much improved and a good degree easier, despite poor conditions today and my relative lack of condition currently

Sadly I did still have to pedal though!

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Simon E replied to 700c | 9 years ago
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700c wrote:

Felt like a long day regardless of the wheels, but having swapped them out from the last event where I was on rs80 low profile rims, the difference is night and day. Bridging over to groups, accelerating out of junctions, standing on pedals when climbing, drafting in a bunch - all much improved and a good degree easier, despite poor conditions today and my relative lack of condition currently Sadly I did still have to pedal though!

Sounds impressive. What are they?

Interesting opinion at http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/disc-rims

 

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700c replied to Simon E | 9 years ago
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Simon E wrote:

Sounds impressive. What are they?

Interesting opinion at http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/disc-rims

 

46mm tubulars. A few years old now in terms of design but still usefully light, stiff and aerodynamic.

That link is interesting.. I assumed discs would mean lighter rims (without brake track) but perhaps sticking with standard rims is safer for clinchers.. and there's still an argument for tubulars here !

..and to the OP, if you wanted handbuilts, that site is probably not a bad place to start.

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AJ101 | 9 years ago
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Talking of CX wheels have you had a think about Easton EA90s? Plenty of options if you want tubeless could be a good option depending  on how much off road you want to do.

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Paultheagle | 9 years ago
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i must admit at being intrigued at the prospect of getting a set hand made (who wants to look like everybody else) - particularly if this isn't that cost restrictive, in a relative sense...

but i really wouldn't know where to start - any recommendations as to reputable wheel maker and the sort of spec i should be looking at ?

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700c | 9 years ago
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Can't help thinking that with £700 you could get something better (lighter/ more suited to your purpose), by going for a custom build, not least because there isn't too much choice among the major manufacturers yet, so I don't think the value is there in the market. For example a lot of serious CX riders use tubulars to good effect, you could get a nice pair of rims built up to your choice of hub for that budget, (perhaps even carbon), they can be run at lower pressures too.

But my observations on the two you've identified:

Your budget should stretch much further than the Fulcrum 5's, but my experience with Campag Zonda (same as fulcrum 3), is very positive - they're stiff, smooth, strong..

Mavic rim width seems very narrow to accomodate 30mm tyres at 19mm 

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