best wheel for the buck? help a newbie

i am looking to upgrade my wheel set for my 07 allez elite , what is a good light wheel set for under 1k. I was thinking these.. http://www.performancebike.com/bikes..._400002_400222 what you guys think?

For well under the cost of those wheels you can get a custom wheelbuilder that will build a set with better hubs and spokes and that will be stronger.

Mavic hubs aren't the best hubs around.

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Find a good wheelbuilder, talk to him/her. If they are any good they will talk about Campagnolo or shimano hubs(far better than any Mavic hub, particularly the rear), DT, Velocity or Mavic rims, DT or Sapim spokes, designed for you and your riding needs. In the $400-$800 range for the wheelSET.

I agree with both of the above posters. Those Mavic wheels are generally considered not a very good value for the money. They look fancy, but performance (quality of hubs, drag, weight) is mediocre at best. Any good bicycle store can build you a much better wheel for that kind of price.

thanks all good info so now i ask can anybody refer me to a good bike shop in mid michigan, or heck i could even drive.

Here's what I'm looking to build.

Dura-ace 7900 hubs
Mavic Open Pro rims
DT revolution spokes

Total weight 1503g (excluding rim tape, skewers, nipples).

Total cost for parts A$750 (less than US$600 at current exchange rate).

that sounds sweet i am really hoping to get under 1300g though

Whoah, now that's different. Getting below 1300 with a clincher is possible, but it's not that easy, and it's going to cost you. Certainly those Mavic wheels you mentioned before would have been nowhere near that number... To give you an idea, this set of Bontragers would fit yor bill, just barely.

You also have to ask yourself how much performance you could gain by saving 200grams in a set of wheels, and whether or not that's worth the price.

Oh, and of course this becomes a lot easier to do if you go to tubulars.

You did say "good" light wheelset? I presume "good" included durability? At under 1300g I'd be questioning how durable these wheels would be. To shave at least 200g where it really matters (rotating mass, so rims and spokes) will mean a less reliable wheel.

OK but I would suggest 14/15 spokes on the drive side rear instead of Revs. Slightly heavier but a better choice for right side rear, IMO.

Under 1300 grams means carbon and that means lots more dough. 200 grams on your 80,000 or so gram package means little. But if you kill a wheel and get stranded, that means a lot.

What they said: anything under 1300 g is a lot more expensive, and 1300 g seems to be the line after which prices go up. You can get 1350-1400 g wheels for $500-600 or so, and end up with a wheel that is nice and durable.

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for example

I have a set of 25mm Kinlin rims, laced to White Industries H1 hubs with CX-Rays spokes, 24 2x front, 28 2x rear, that cost with shipping $550. 1380 g measured by me and the wheelbuilder, and the set wasn't built to be a weight weenie set. It was built for everyday use.

Lighter wheels can be built with other rims--Velocity rims, Kinlin's other rims--and with a wide range of hubs: DT, WI, Ligero, Alchemy, as well as others. Ligero and Alchemy hubs also have the advantage of having wider flange spacing for better bracing angles and larger bearings. My wheels were built with relatively expensive spokes. Again, cheaper spokes can be used with little gain in weight.

Ligero, Alchemy, Mike Garcia, FWB, Eric Gottesman, and a lot of others can build lightweight, strong wheels that exceed Ksryium SL's in everyway.

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Mine are not quite as light because I went with the semi-aero rim and PT hub on the rear wheel, but even with a higher spoke count mine are still very light compared Rolf's, Ksyriums and AC's and the price as you say can be a lot less sometimes than some of the boutique wheels.

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