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Wheelsets – the basics?!

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  • December 15, 2013 at 8:00 am #20354
    budget mamil

    I’m coming from a position of complete ignorance here, so please be patient…

    About a year ago I bought a Btwin Road 3 from Decathlon and I have had a wonderful time using it (when family commitments have allowed). I hadn’t owned a ‘proper’ bike for about 20 years so I’m very much behind with the technological developments and was amazed at how much better a ride it was than the old 531 machine my cousin helped me build as a teenager. When I first bought it various people-in-the-know said it was a great value bike but that I’d want new wheels for it. So I’m looking into that now…

    The problem is, I have no idea how the current wheels are letting me down or what to look for in new ones – I simply have no experiences of other wheels/bikes to compare them to! I obviously don’t want to spend lots of money on such a cheap bike, but I believe a good pair of wheels would enhance the ride.

    Please can you give me some advice on good low budget wheelsets, but also explain what sort of improvements I might expect from upgrading?

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  • December 15, 2013 at 9:55 pm #765959
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    racingcondor

    I suspect the Triban 3 came
    I suspect the Triban 3 came with generic wheels which are almost certainly very heavy (> 2kg). Given the use (fairly light) and total value of the bike I’d say something like a Fulcrum 5 would be an OK upgrade (probably 300g lighter and pretty good over all for the price).

    That said, I’d ride your current wheels to death before I bought anything else. The Triban 3 is a great bike for the money but I wouldn’t put £400 wheels on it.

    December 15, 2013 at 11:05 am #765957
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    Shep73

    I wouldn’t worry about aero
    I wouldn’t worry about aero unless you are doing TT’s or racing at a high level, I know many road cyclists who have sold aero wheels because they feel they don’t get on with them, especially in crosswinds. The key points are weight, build quality and what they roll like.

    Reading magazines will help you gain knowledge.

    December 15, 2013 at 10:55 am #765955
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    budget mamil

    Thanks for the wise advice
    Thanks for the wise advice guys. My problem is that without any base for comparison, I’ve no idea whether they’re too heavy, too flexible, not aero enough etc., nor what the difference would feel like to the ride! I’m not particularly bothered about what they look like.

    At the moment, I just use my bike for short (a couple of hours – all the time I can snatch) solo rides up and down the Cornish hills. So nothing ‘serious’ – I’m just trying to keep fit and enjoy the experience.

    I guess I’m asking if anyone knows about the wheels the Triban Road 3 comes with, and what are their shortfalls?

    It seems the ideal would be to join a club and get some advice from people who ride with me. If only I could make it to my local club’s runs! 🙁

    December 15, 2013 at 10:48 am #765953
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    Shep73

    I would get a better
    I would get a better frame/bike before considering buying new wheels. It’s pointless buying more expensive parts when the frame they are going on might not be the best. in terms of wheels and costs I think the 5/700 price mark is a good range which is based on my own experiences and you can get a very good set of Fulcrum wheels for around 500. I run Mavic Crossmax ST’s on the mtb which have been fantastic (great feed back, no flexing under hard corning, fast rolling, strong, very light 1590gm’s per pair and UST) and one of the best big purchases I have done.

    On the road I still use my standard Mavic Aksium’s, I have tried a set of Fulcrum 3’s but they did not roll any better than what I have and I would go as far to say they don’t even roll as quick as my mtb wheels, considering the tyres is pretty poor. So when I do change my wheels next year I will go for the same price range as my mtb wheels and go for Mavics or Fulcrum 1’s.

    A work colleague upgraded and only spent a couple of hundred and he doesn’t feel he got any noticeable improvement.
    Obviously as already stated, you need to know what it is you want them for.

    December 15, 2013 at 10:35 am #765951
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    Manchestercyclist

    Perhaps if cost is limited
    Perhaps if cost is limited just get one at a time. That’s what I did.

    I got a front wheel built for me, the difference was significant with just a new front wheel and it’s the the cheapest one to replace too.

    December 15, 2013 at 9:28 am #765949
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    paulrbarnard

    First off if you are happy
    First off if you are happy with them why change them? Just because the general view is that wheel upgrades are the first thing to do don’t jump in unless you have a reason to want to change. If you are convince you want to change then the next thing to decide is why you want to change them. Are they too heavy? too flexible? not aero enough? won’t take the right tires, or even the wrong colour then you might want to look for an alternative. Lots of factors will influence what wheel best suits you. If you are a light weight guy vs a heavy guy a different wheel will suit. If you are a climber, sprinter, tourer, TT specialist, all will point to a different ideal wheel. Of course most of us are more generalists so an all round (no pun intended) wheel will be a good choice. It’s really not as simple as someone saying this is a great wheel for me as it might be a terrible wheel for you.
    The final consideration is that at the very low cost end you generally get what you pay for but at the top end you get very diminishing returns. There is a whole spectrum opt choice in the mid range and might just come down to how well they match your paint job in the end if you can’t narrow down why you want to change the wheels.

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