[Ade1882]

Hi all, 

I’m new to cycling. I commute 12 miles ( each way) a day and plan to do a few triathlons and etapes.

can anyone tell me if changing the fulcrum s4 wheels on my specialized comp for ultegra wheels is a good/sensible upgrade? Nearly all the other components are ultegra. 

i know this subject has been done a million times almost too many to look through. 

 

Cheers for any help. 

Topic

[OmuGuy]

I think you are tad too

I think you are tad too sensitive.  
The collars and cuffs metaphor was quite good.
Since you are commuting and also thinking of competing, you are going to want two sets of wheels, anyway, aren’t you? The ones you’ve got are probably good enough for everyday use. You don’t have to hurry to spend another thousand quid or so on wheels. 
It takes a while to understand all the ins and outs, the compromises between strength and weight, of the various bits of bikes. Download a spokemaker’s catalogue and you will see how arcane even such a basic component is.

Without experience, it’s probably best to start by finding out the specified weight of your wheels and work out, by looking at other wheel specs, how much weight you can realistically save. You could also find a wheelbuilder near you and chat about the options. At the higher end, independent wheelbuilders are cost competitive and do as good a job as the big name manufacturers.

[Ade1882]

Woldsman wrote:

What – apart from matching collars and cuffs – do you hope to achieve by ‘upgrading’ to an Ultegra wheelset? 

As I understand it the Fulcrum S4 wheels are made up of bits of S5 & S3.  They are similar in weight to Ultegra and well regarded, it seems.  From what I can gather the only possible advantage of the 6800 wheelset – if you are so inclined – is that they are tubless ready and all that, whereas the S4 are not.  My humble opinion – stick with what you have until the rims are worn down then get the 6800 (or 6900 by that time?).  

am I a touch sensitive or are you being unnecessarily sarcastic? Thanks for your help anyway. I’ll not bother with them if they’re no better but I do intend to upgrade so I guess it’s back to the drawing board. 

[Woldsman]

What – apart from matching

What – apart from matching collars and cuffs – do you hope to achieve by ‘upgrading’ to an Ultegra wheelset? 

As I understand it the Fulcrum S4 wheels are made up of bits of S5 & S3.  They are similar in weight to Ultegra and well regarded, it seems.  From what I can gather the only possible advantage of the 6800 wheelset – if you are so inclined – is that they are tubless ready and all that, whereas the S4 are not.  My humble opinion – stick with what you have until the rims are worn down then get the 6800 (or 6900 by that time?).  

[Author]

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