Give me a good reason why I shouldn't buy these...

[ChrisMCoupe]

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing-1-clincher-...

Or at least suggest some nice alternatives...

I'm feeling like now is a good time to upgrade from my Aksiums and have a budget of around £500-£600. I'd like a fit and forget kind of wheel, I don't commute, so just do around 100km's a week recreationally. Ideally want something as light as possible that spins up noticeably better than my current wheelset, but also something that can cope with 85kg's sat on top of it

Edited by ChrisMCoupe on Wednesday 22 August 21:35

[yellowjack]

I can think of no reason why you shouldn't buy them, but these
http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/a32967/ksyrium-sr...
if you are not averse to buying mail order from abroad, are much cheaper than any of the UK outlets, who are showing prices on Google between £790 and £900. A further option might be to contact a good LBS or specialist wheelbuilder, and get some custom wheels built to match your requirements and budget exactly. I was drooling over a handbuilt set of Mavic Open Pro rims, with ceramic braking surfaces, built onto really pretty Dura-Ace hubs in Cycles Dauphin near Box Hill yesterday. £540 for a set.

[Steve vRS]

Can I be first to say crikey they are expensive! What is the law of diminishing returns like on bike wheels?

Steve

[yellowjack]

Time for a sharp intake of breath, re: UK prices compared to Europe

http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/a43026/racing-1-f...

Looks like it would come at out <£500 even with the shipping cost, for the same set of wheels. What could you spend that spare £140 on? Or you could buy them from UK, and still save yourself £40

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/45676/Fu...

Edited by yellowjack on Wednesday 22 August 22:58

[ChrisMCoupe]

Thanks yellowjack. Love the idea of Ksyriums, but a little more than I wanted to spend. Have you ordered via that website before?

[Jimbo.]

Campagnolo under a different, marketing-friendly (read: Shimano compatible ) name.
Nice wheels (supposedly VERY stiff!) but getting spares for them can be a PITA.

If I had to have factory wheels, then Mavic or Shimano (marginally easier to get spares, and Mavic at-event support is FANTASTIC. Bust your wheel? Here sir, use this one for the remainder of the event and we'll have it fixed at the finish line...for free). Else, get on the 'phone to a good wheel builder (Wheelsmith, Harry Rowland, Paul Hewitt etc), discuss what you need/want, and get something bespoke.

[yellowjack]

Haven't ordered from them myself, but it's been mentioned several times in forums and conversations as a source of savings. To be honest, I'm a bit of an 'old fart' when it comes to t'interweb. Up till recently I'd only used Wiggle, and my last purchase (Uvex helmet) was the first time I really got out of my comfort zone and used Amazon. Still, I'd probably do a bit of research, then go for it, if it sounded kosher. Credit card gives some protection if you take sensible precautions.

[itsnotarace]

Have ordered several bits from bike-discount.de and they have been very good to deal with. However save yourself some money and buy the Dura Ace 7900 c24's, you honestly won't find a better all round (aero, lightweight, great rim, non-flexy, awesome hubs) factory built wheel for less than a grand

[okgo]

I'd buy some deep runs with your budget. Some second hand zipps, dura ace 50 mm etc. Much more interesting

[option click]

I have a set of Racing 1s. Brilliant wheels, and as someone already mentioned, very stiff.

I'd recommend them, but do also consider that for the same price you could go for some nice deep rimmed wheels e.g Cosmic Carbones

[anonymous-user]

i've used bike-discount before, service is top notch and the orders arrive as quick as UK stuff. i cant see any reason not to get the Racing 1s to be honest but if you are tempted tot up the budget, I'd have a look at HED Ardennes CLs before Ksyriums.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/hed-ardennes-cl-clincher-w...

[TonyHetherington]

http://www.probikekit.com/uk/catalogsearch/result/...

They're cheaper at ProBike Kit this week.

I've used ProBike Kit before and they were good

[Rocksteadyeddie]

itsnotarace said:

Have ordered several bits from bike-discount.de and they have been very good to deal with. However save yourself some money and buy the Dura Ace 7900 c24's, you honestly won't find a better all round (aero, lightweight, great rim, non-flexy, awesome hubs) factory built wheel for less than a grand

I have the 7850 and they're a great wheel. Better than the Ksyriums by some margin IMO (I have a set of those too). However, for the majority of people a set of handbuilts on Open Pro are going to be far the better solution most of the time. A decent set of handbuilts will be bullet proof, and much easier to rebuild in the event that anything does go wrong, even if they look a bit less bling.

[stongle]

As a direct comparison, I also went from the Aksiums to these only a few weeks ago. They're only use is commuting (it's now 18miles each way with a big f**k-off hill on it), so yes they are very stiff; but they made a instant difference on climbs (although I'm probably also getting fitter). I also notice that you can freewheel a lot easier than on the Aksiums; much to the chagrin of other cyclists emptying themselves out as you free wheel past them between trafficlights....

I got advice here and also considered deep dish Carbon Rims, but when shopping around you needed to spend a lot of dough to get to a similar weight (I was also put of that the Mavic Cosmic are just a shroud at a similar price level). Oh, and BS or not I subscribed to the rotational mass theory. In fact my original budget was higher, but the LBS talked me into these wheels (not from stock either) and better / lighter weight Carbon soled shoes, so I got me some Sidi Ergo 2's (which are lovely).

I got mine for 700 from Bespoke in Farringdon, so dearer than the net; but I like to support my local (to work) LBS and they fitted them & tyres etc (which takes me frikkin hours); FYI they needed some special spacer thingy. I run them with the Conti Grand Prix 4000, which seem to offer a good balance of puncture protection, tackiness (word?) and weight; but you need to add a good 70 quid on top for these.

I'll post a pic if I knew how to get one off my IPhone, they look nice too; but perhaps not as flashy as a set of deep dish Carbon rims (which I wonder might make me a mark on the commute - not that I get overtaken ofetn but you never know if people are trying or not).

[ChrisMCoupe]

Thanks for the suggestions chaps. The Dura Ace wheels wheels are lovely, but they are over £700 for the pair, which is/was out my budget

I would love some deep rims, but prices seem to be nearer a grand than £600. Hadn't considered second hand, where is the best place to look for these?

Stongle, yes I also support the rotational mass theory, and feel that if spending a nice wedge on wheels, I want to save as much weight as possible from the aksiums, ideally a set of rims around the 1500g range.

I also like to support my LBS, and they will price match with wiggle etc and offer good warranty on wheels. I don't think they stock Fulcrum, just Mavic and Shimano last time I looked.

Edited by ChrisMCoupe on Thursday 23 August 10:21

[option click]

ChrisMCoupe said:

I would love some deep rims, but prices seem to be nearer a grand than £600. Hadn't considered second hand, where is the best place to look for these?

For second hand, you should look at the classifieds area over on BikeRadar.

Don't discount brand new though - you can get Cosmic Carbones for only a few pounds above your £600 budget.
I bought mine from Jedi Sports in Germany:
http://jedi-sports.de/Wheelsets/Wheelsets-Road/Mav... - approx £604, plus £30-ish delivery. Still way cheaper than buying in the UK.

However, if weight saving is your goal, CCs can't compete with the likes of Racing 1s, Ksyriums etc...

[okgo]

Ebay/bikeradar/time trial forum for 2nd hand stuff

[okgo]

Forget about the weight (within reason) aero wheels are quicker most of the time, look better, sound better etc etc.

[TonyHetherington]

Forgive my ignorance, but why would you buy heavier carbon rimmed wheels versus light aluminium wheels (for the same price)?

[TonyHetherington]

That's weird. You answered my question before I asked it.

Your time travel machine will work great yesterday.