What road wheels, clincher ~£400

[PorkRind]

So, my bianchi's std wheels bearings are starting to grind and i fancy treating myself. There seems to be a number of pretty good wheels around for this budget and quite a few of last years models, mostly on wiggle. The options are:

Mavic ksyrium: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mavic-ksyrium-clincher-whe...

Shimano rs81 c35: https://www.evanscycles.com/shimano-rs81-c24-9-10-...

Shimano ultegra 6800: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-ultegra...


All getting pretty good reviews 4/5 or 80% on tests. I am half tempted in giving the carbons a go but not sure what theyre liek at this price point and, a point to note, im a whopping lardon at 17 stone...

I ride mostly for pleasure but intend on losing weight / doing some sportif's...

Your input gratefully received.

[anonymous-user]

I'll be honest I'd be looking for a greater spoke count than those offerings. I'm not saying 107 Kgs is too heavy but its unnecessary pressure on lower spoke count wheels.

Now I know that a well built wheel with fewer spokes is better than a badly built wheel with lots of spokes but personally I'd look at something like this

https://www.merlincycles.com/pair-shimano-6800-hub...

32h Open Pro rims, ultegra hubs, ACI spokes, all from a reputable wheel builder. They will still be under 1600gs too which should be a good upgrade.

Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 20th May 11:55

[pattyg]

I have the Ultegra wheels and they are sturdy enough to deal with my 16st unlike the RS 3.0s that came with the bike. They also feel much more lively than the pig iron Maddux's. However, they are a bit of a pig to get tyres on.

Edited by pattyg on Friday 20th May 21:58

[bakerstreet]

I'd go with RS81s. I ran mine when I was around 110Kg and they were ok, but obviously they will flex.

Yes, you should have a higher spoke count, but I personally don't like the appearance of lots of spokes. I like 20/24 or maybe 16/20, which is what the latest 6800s are (I think)

[richardxjr]

Change the bearings, keep for winter, and reward yourself with some whippet wheels when you hit a certain weight?

[JEA1K]

I have had some Mavic Ksyrium's although the Elite version which were a great set of wheels ... felt solid as a rock for my 13.5 stone (2 years ago) and rolled really well.

I have set of Ultegra 6800's which are my training wheels and are pretty decent ... especially when they can be had pretty cheaply. Freehub didn't last long (used through winter) and the hubs have standard bearing which should last longer but require a little more car and maintenance.

Poeple bang on about the Fulcrum Quattros ... I have never had a pair but rode a set on a hire bike in Mallorca and thought they 'felt' great, so they're certainly worth throwing in the mix.

[HardtopManual]

Zondas.

[ALawson]

HardtopManual on the Aero wheel tread you mentioned aero wheels from thecycleclinic. Any feedback on which ones you have ridden?

[HardtopManual]

ALawson said:

HardtopManual on the Aero wheel tread you mentioned aero wheels from thecycleclinic. Any feedback on which ones you have ridden?

I had a brief go on a mate's BORG38s which I *think* he had built with DA hubs. Obviously great hubs, and the wheels felt nice and stiff. Can't comment personally on durability of the rims but my mate has no complaints, and believe me he would have done if anything was amiss.

Edited by HardtopManual on Friday 20th May 16:24

[Barchettaman]

Oh man, at 107kg you've got to go handbuilt. I'd be looking at minimum 32 spokes front/rear.

If you absolutely have to go prebuilt, have a look at the DT Swiss RR585 from Rose. Comes in at about 50% of your budget inc. tyres and tubes:


https://www.rosebikes.de/artikel/rennrad-laufradsa...

[HardtopManual]

Zonda weight limit is 109kg. You'll be losing some weight anyway if you start riding more.

[bigdom]

I'd be going hand-built. I was 118kg, and destroyed the set of wheels that came with my giant in a short period of time. I had a set made, essentially the same open pro earlier in the thread. Even now I'm down to 100kg, when you look closer at most wheels, the upper limit is 95kg, so you really need to be in the 80's, if you'd like some longevity.

[ALawson]

HardtopManual said:

ALawson said:

HardtopManual on the Aero wheel tread you mentioned aero wheels from thecycleclinic. Any feedback on which ones you have ridden?

I had a brief go on a mate's BORG38s which I *think* he had built with DA hubs. Obviously great hubs, and the wheels felt nice and stiff. Can't comment personally on durability of the rims but my mate has no complaints, and believe me he would have done if anything was amiss.

Edited by HardtopManual on Friday 20th May 16:24

Cheers for that, you have a fussy mate?

I have SL23's on DA (just had the rims re-built). I know Malcolm has run his 38's or 50's for 10k miles through all weather and reckons the wear is less on Carbon.

Note sure wheter to go 38mm or 50mm. I like the look of the Knight 65mm on DCR hubs although almost double the price (but considerably less than Zipp or Enve).

[Usget]

I'm in a similar weight ballpark to you and I've had a fantastic experience with my Fulcrum Quattros - they've been absolutely bomb-proof. So I'm likely to be getting a set of Racing 3s to replace them.

[mcelliott]

I've owned and ridden all three wheels, and Zondas are definitely the best of the three, probably the best sub-£400 wheel you can buy. Next would be the RS81, really is a very very good wheel. They were giving them away not so long ago on Wiggle. I did like my Ultegras as well, however I didn't find the hubs, especially the rear, that durable but a good wheel nonetheless.

[Matt_N]

ALawson said:

Cheers for that, you have a fussy mate?

I have SL23's on DA (just had the rims re-built). I know Malcolm has run his 38's or 50's for 10k miles through all weather and reckons the wear is less on Carbon.

Note sure wheter to go 38mm or 50mm. I like the look of the Knight 65mm on DCR hubs although almost double the price (but considerably less than Zipp or Enve).

I took a looking to the 38s, even with Miche Primato hubs, which I run two pairs of so have no qualms about them, they build into a decently light pair of wheels with CX Rays for £570. Downside of the 38s is a narrow 20.5mm width and v shape.

The 50mm are 23mm wide and more rounded, I asked him on the Bikeradar hand built wheel thread if he has any plans to move to a wider 38mm deep rim but he's sticking with what he has at the mo.

[anonymous-user]

Several posters saying handmade Open pro's...thoroughly agree. I use 36 spoke open pro's on my fast tourer and they are bombproof with me and 20kg of kit (106 kg total) around Europe etc..

[944fan]

I am 107 KG, was 120 a couple of months ago. I have been riding Fulcrum Racing 5s for a couple of years, nearly 2000 miles covered and no problems at all, perfect true still. They have quite a low spoke count but have that 2:1 ratio on the rear wheel. Think they have done away with that now on the newer version.

[E65Ross]

I have RS80s and I've been happy with them and wouldn't hesitate recommending the RS81s if they're similar..... Admittedly I'm only 54kgs but never had issues with spokes etc.... And at my weight I doubt I will.

[DamienCBR]

I wouldnt bother with RS81's. I had the C24 version and they lasted 1 year. I was about 98kg at the time and they went out of true for no reason on a flat road very smooth road, they flexed and the braking surface is very thin. Based on above i would suggest Elites or Zonda or Cosmic Elites. Not that i have tried any of them.
D