Road bike upgrade help

[Zippee]

My road bike is nothing special, a 2010 Specialized Allez Elite, groupset is Tiagra, nothing to write home about but does the job for now.
The frame however, is not bad neither is the carbon fork, it’s not too racy which suits me as I suffer a dodgy back so I want to start upgrading bit by bit starting with a better set of wheels. As this isn’t my main bike (those being a carbon framed Giant XTC and a PACE RC200 - I love MTB) I don’t want to spend loads so am happy to buy some decent old or used kit from somewhere like e-bay but road bikes are not really my speciality.
As such can anyone recommend some decent wheelsets I should look out for as well as other componentry? Not fussed about absolute top end I just want to lighten her up a little and make her a slightly better ride. I’m starting with the wheels to try and decrease the rolling weight which I guess is correct?

[AmiableChimp]

have a look at the Cero wheel range on www.cycledivision.co.uk

I just changed to some CERO AR24 and rate them pretty high as an upgrade to my original wheels.

[louiebaby]

Just be a bit careful, as (I think) you may be running 9spd on that brand of Tiagra, which may limit your choices for wheels.

It may just require more / different spacer-ing, but is something to look out for.

[Zippee]

Thanks - I am indeed running 9 speed and am happy to stick with that, hence trying to find some better but more in date wheels rather than something modern

[Barchettaman]

I would start by putting some posh rubber on your existing wheelset.

Continental GP4000s Black Chili, latex tubes, 622/25 would be a good start.

Don´t worry about wheelset rotational weight, that´s a red herring pushed by the cycling industry, deluded roadies and numpty journalists. Aero is where it´s at but we can come to that later if you´re interested.

[anonymous-user]

You won't need to watch eBay long to get some campag zonda wheels or dura ace c24 wheels for instance

I prefer vittoria open corsa cx tyres, but yes a decent tyre makes a big difference to feel

[IroningMan]

I stuck some Mavic Kysrium Elites on mine - they were second hand and about as old as the frame - and then some 60mm carbon clinchers from eBay.

A Specialized Pavé seatpost improved the ride a bit, as well.

[Banana Boy]

The Fulcrum Racing 5s are a brilliant set of wheels for the money! Mine have taken an absolute beating over the last couple of years or so!

Also can't recommend Continental's GP4000sII tyres enough! I won't run anything else on my carbon bike although my commuter is on 25mm Conti 4Seasons for durability as the 4000s are a too susceptible to broken glass etc. on my commute...