What wheels for climbing?

[SR7492]

All,

Looking to upgrade my Tarmac; basically making it into a all out climbing machine and as light as possible.

So, first upgrade is getting rid of of my stock Fulcrums. These are ok for winter but are heavy and don't roll particularly well.

I don't want any deep rims as I have these on my aero bike; what do you guys recommend?

I've don't have a particular price in mind but wanted to see what is put forward, this way I can look at both the new and used market!

Thanks in advance!

[lukefreeman]

Clicky

[z4RRSchris]

https://www.huntbikewheels.com/collections/road-ri...

[okgo]

They'll make almost no difference, so once you have accepted that, buy at the level you're comfortable with knowing the return is almost nothing.

[fromage]

Fulcrum Racing 5 LG's with GP4000s, perfect for everything (apart from full blown TT'ing) and alst for ages.

[The Walrus]

okgo said:

They'll make almost no difference, so once you have accepted that, buy at the level you're comfortable with knowing the return is almost nothing.

Very harsh but fair.

[Dannbodge]

I've got mavic ksyrium elites on my tarmac.

Combined with Sworks Turbo tyres and they feel much faster than my old fulcrum/grand prix combo

[okgo]

Dannbodge said:

I've got mavic ksyrium elites on my tarmac.

Combined with Sworks Turbo tyres and they feel much faster than my old fulcrum/grand prix combo

So here we start getting into the actual interesting stuff.

The Turbo tyre vs something like a GP 4 season will feel different, rolling resistance of tyres can make a large difference (latex/butyl tubes added to that).

Tyres can and do totally change the way a bike feels, and indeed performs, but the wheels make a smaller difference, certainly spend money on good tyres/tubes. I've gone through loads of different wheels, some flash, some not. And I still reckon the best plan is to buy on just about everything BUT weight. I've got a set of Archtype wheels built onto Royce hubs, I honestly couldn't tell you what they weigh, neither do I care. But they will last forever, take normal spokes that nearly any shop can supply you with, look good, and all for about 15% of the cost of whatever the latest st Enve are pushing for £3.5k - and surprise surprise, when you push a load of watts through them, they move pretty quickly, just like the next wheel would.

[SR7492]

Thanks all; done some research the Mavic Ksyrium SLR and Fulcrum Racing Zero's seemed to be very popular and highly recommended.

Good bet on any of these?

[thiscocks]

Always wanted to know what the phrase 'Don't roll well' actually means? I presume they are round?

[gazza285]

thiscocks said:

Always wanted to know what the phrase 'Don't roll well' actually means? I presume they are round?

Must be rubbing on the brakes...

[SR7492]

thiscocks said:

Always wanted to know what the phrase 'Don't roll well' actually means? I presume they are round?

Haha - I think it is more to do with the cheap hub/bearing set up than the actual wheel but the rolling resistance is poor. If I spin the wheel hard, it literally comes to a stop after a few seconds.

I used to have some deep clinchers with Novatec hubs, they rolled supreme. I could easily spin the front wheel, go make a cup of tea and they'll still be spinning for a while. You could feel this out riding on the road too.

[Kawasicki]

fulcrum racing 3 or the Campag Zonda, as they are basically the same wheel.

Not expensive
Lightish
Precise steering
Good braking
Reliable
Good lateral stiffness
ok aero

you can spend 1000's more, but the gains are quite small.

[Teebs]

To echo the above, just get some good hubs (Hope/Ultegra), sensible spoke count and a good rim (Archetype).

Serviceable, reliable, easy to repair and they won't be junk after a few years. I run Chris King with Archetype rims for my winter bike and they're completely brilliant with 25mm tyres. Overkill, but winter can ruin cheap hubs

[mcelliott]

No such thing as climbing wheels.

[Your Dad]

Wheelsmith Aero 50's - they fly!

[gazza285]

mcelliott said:

No such thing as climbing wheels.

I just need some climbing legs and I'll be away...

[Steve vRS]

I was about to suggest one of the Wiggle Cosine wheel sets but they've all bur one set disappeared off the site. Any idea why?

[AyBee]

I just bought some ChainReaction Prime wheels as a training set but I've been very impressed so far. They come as tubeless ready so I'm using some Schwalbe Pro Ones - with a BC discount, they're a billy bargain

[964Cup]

Bit strange not giving any sense of budget.

I use these: http://www.starbike.com/en/ax-lightness-ultra-road... (I have last year's, the Ultra 24T)
with: http://www.acycles.co.uk/veloflex-record-tubular-t...
and: https://www.vanillabikes.com/products/sram-xg-1190...

Wheels are 784g the set, tubs 190g each, tape about 25g per wheel, cassette 151g. Total weight 1,365g for wheels, tyres and cassette.