Recommended Wheelsets?

Campy Eurus. you willl not be dissapointed. Best wheels i have ridden for the money. Between $650 to $750.00. they will last forever. i am 190 lbs and i abuse my wheels. I have ridden mavics Sl's and they are excellent wheels too. but the campys are more comfortable. Also, i like the looks of the campy set better. just my 2 cents.

HyperPhreak said:

Im currently riding on Bontrager Selects. Im looking into upgrading my wheelset and im not sure which i should get. I dont really know much about the pro's and con's of wheels because i havent been riding that long. Im looking into Bontrager X lite aero, Bontrager x lite Aero Carbon or MAVIC KSYRIUM SSC SL. Which of the 3 do you all think are the best? Or is there another wheelset that is better that i should be considering also?

Thanks

Why??? Some specific need? Bling? or just have some money that needs spent? Try riding longer.Maybe the focus will get better.

boudreaux said:

Why??? Some specific need? Bling? or just have some money that needs spent? Try riding longer.Maybe the focus will get better.

Look at the big brain on boudreaux.

HyperPhreak said:

Im currently riding on Bontrager Selects. Im looking into upgrading my wheelset and im not sure which i should get. I dont really know much about the pro's and con's of wheels because i havent been riding that long. Im looking into Bontrager X lite aero, Bontrager x lite Aero Carbon or MAVIC KSYRIUM SSC SL. Which of the 3 do you all think are the best? Or is there another wheelset that is better that i should be considering also?

Thanks

I'm certainly no expert on wheelsets but I've read several good things about Mavic Open Pro rims for durability, low weight and reasonable cost. They aren't aero and don't rank high on bling factor but at 45 years of age I don't rank too high for aero or bling either :o

A couple of days ago Nashbar had a 20% off coupon if you added 5 items to your shopping cart. I added a pair of Mavic Open Pro rims laced to 9-speed 105 hubs to the cart along with a couple of tubes and a couple of other doo dads to get up to 5 items. Then I used an additional 10% off coupon on top of the 20% coupon.

Ended up paying $125.96 for the wheelset and $15 total in shipping for the wheelset and doo dads, which is a pretty good price for just the parts. I'll probably have to true them up after a few rides as I understand Nashbar wheelsets aren't the best built sets going but for that low price I can't complain.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=131&subcategory=1197&brand=&sku=13628&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

veloci said:

Campy Eurus. you willl not be dissapointed. Best wheels i have ridden for the money. Between $650 to $750.00. they will last forever. i am 190 lbs and i abuse my wheels. I have ridden mavics Sl's and they are excellent wheels too. but the campys are more comfortable. Also, i like the looks of the campy set better. just my 2 cents.

I'll second the Eurus. I love mine. I have never ridden the Mavic SL's, but I have ridden the Mavic Elites and the Eurus are much stiffer and more responsive when cornering then the Elites were.

HyperPhreak said:

Look at the big brain on boudreaux.

Reality bites doesn't it?

Doctor Morbius said:

I'm certainly no expert on wheelsets but I've read several good things about Mavic Open Pro rims for durability, low weight and reasonable cost. They aren't aero and don't rank high on bling factor but at 45 years of age I don't rank too high for aero or bling either :o

A couple of days ago Nashbar had a 20% off coupon if you added 5 items to your shopping cart. I added a pair of Mavic Open Pro rims laced to 9-speed 105 hubs to the cart along with a couple of tubes and a couple of other doo dads to get up to 5 items. Then I used an additional 10% off coupon on top of the 20% coupon.

Ended up paying $125.96 for the wheelset and $15 total in shipping for the wheelset and doo dads, which is a pretty good price for just the parts. I'll probably have to true them up after a few rides as I understand Nashbar wheelsets aren't the best built sets going but for that low price I can't complain.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=131&subcategory=1197&brand=&sku=13628&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

Damn you got hooked up. Ive also heard that the mavic open pros are pretty good. as far as me going for the aero carbons, im basically going for the weight, personally i dont care what they look like.

boudreaux said:

Reality bites doesn't it?

lol you're such a tool. I ask for peoples opinions and you act like you know me. What does it matter why I want a new wheelset? Thats right, it doesnt. Get a life and quit trying to act so cool on a message board. you suck at life.

for everyone else, thanks for the help Im definately gonna look into campy's. thanks

HyperPhreak said:

for everyone else, thanks for the help Im definately gonna look into campy's. thanks

Bling and poseur' points....priceless.

HyperPhreak said:

I dont really know much about the pro's and con's of wheels because i havent been riding that long.

Well you said you didn't know the pros and cons of wheels and you haven't been riding long.

If you have money to spend I'd go with the Eurus. (better designed wheel than the kysrium SSC SL IMO)

If you want Aero carbon I'd go with the Reynolds Stratus DV (best carbon wheelset on the market)

53-11 said:

If you have money to spend I'd go with the Eurus. (better designed wheel than the kysrium SSC SL IMO)

If you want Aero carbon I'd go with the Reynolds Stratus DV (best carbon wheelset on the market)

And you have actual experience with either?

boudreaux said:

And you have actual experience with either?

No, because I would never spend that much money on a wheelset to make a tiny incremental gain in performance.

It just sounds like he has money to burn and wants to be pointed in the right direction.

Boudreaux, we all know that saving a few hundred grams only decreases the effort of climbing by less than 1 watt (actually more like half a watt) but sometimes people want to spend the money anyway.

53-11 said:

No, because I would never spend that much money on a wheelset to make a tiny incremental gain in performance.

It just sounds like he has money to burn and wants to be pointed in the right direction.

Boudreaux, we all know that saving a few hundred grams only decreases the effort of climbing by less than 1 watt (actually more like half a watt) but sometimes people want to spend the money anyway.

So having a lighter wheelset isnt all its cracked up to be?

Doctor Morbius said:

I'm certainly no expert on wheelsets but I've read several good things about Mavic Open Pro rims for durability, low weight and reasonable cost. They aren't aero and don't rank high on bling factor but at 45 years of age I don't rank too high for aero or bling either :o

A couple of days ago Nashbar had a 20% off coupon if you added 5 items to your shopping cart. I added a pair of Mavic Open Pro rims laced to 9-speed 105 hubs to the cart along with a couple of tubes and a couple of other doo dads to get up to 5 items. Then I used an additional 10% off coupon on top of the 20% coupon.

Ended up paying $125.96 for the wheelset and $15 total in shipping for the wheelset and doo dads, which is a pretty good price for just the parts. I'll probably have to true them up after a few rides as I understand Nashbar wheelsets aren't the best built sets going but for that low price I can't complain.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=131&subcategory=1197&brand=&sku=13628&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

Doctor!

Let me know how those Open Pro's work for you - I just blew a spoke on my Supergo Store Brands (Korsos) and I hear they are not at all the greatest, especially for someone of my weight (215 lbs) hence I am in the market for something more sturdy. The tech at Supergo recommended the Mavics but of course they were not in stock.

HyperPhreak said:

So having a lighter wheelset isnt all its cracked up to be?

That's what boudreaux was trying to say to you. Seriously, Unless you are racing in a high stakes event and every tiny bit counts you won't notice the difference.

For instance comparing Kysrium Elites to Kysrium SSC SL, we did the math around here one time at www.analyticcycling.com and the SSC SL wheels (twice the cost ) were only .005 mph faster on a 8% grade.

If buying the wheels makes you feel better and your bike looks better, that's probably a more valid reason to buy them than anything else.

HyperPhreak said:

So having a lighter wheelset isnt all its cracked up to be?

Especially not if you are dragging around extra Big Macs, donuts and beer, don't eat your spinach,and don't train hard enough.The old geezer on the lugged steel with 6 on the downtube and heavy wheels will still make you look like a granny lady on a hybrid dragging an oxyogen bottle....But if all your are lookng for is bling or poseur points.... 🙄

I tend to agree - if you're really interested in climbing better, you need more muscle and less dead weight on the engine. Wheels won't make much difference. Check out the TDF climbs on DVD - look at what they're riding. Fairly plain wheels, no aero rims. Arguably, tubulars might help a bit, as you can pump them to higher pressures. Bit of a pain to repair punctures, but it's like climbing - you have to welcome pain to get better.

However, if you just want better wheels and can spend the bucks, here are the four I have had personal experience with:

Rolf Vector Pro. Fairly cheap on the market these days ($200-300 on ebay). About the performance equivalent of Kysrium SL's, without the big name. Very low spoke count, medium aero rim. Stiff as all get out. Takes a trained mechanic to true them, but in two years of riding, mine never needed truing. Tough wheels. Fast on the downhills and flats. Drawback - harsh ride.

Campy Zonda G3. Moderate aero rim. Similar to the Rolfs in aero, but smoother ride, due to less radical spoking. I paid $350 for mine at cbike.com, they put the Zondas on sale every so often. These are pretty much the Eurus wheels without the Record hubs. The Zondas are my normal riding wheel these days. Good looking wheels, too - black rims with silver lettering. If you get them, get on ebay and find a set of used Rolf titanium skewers - the stock Campy skewers weigh a ton.

Zipp 404. Bought mine used last fall on ebay, when the other bidders fell asleep and I got them (relatively) cheap. What can I say - deep carbon aero rim, moderate spoking. Very light, very aero, I'm averaging 1-2mph faster on the downhills than the Rolfs. Very smooth ride. Downside - the rims can be a bit fragile, so you don't want to riding over railroad tracks on them. And, Zipps are sinfully expensive. $1000-1400 a set if you buy them new. Don't buy them in clincher - it defeats the purpose of shelling out all that money.

Campy Nuovo Record hubs/Arc-en-Ciel rims. On my 70's racer. Hubs still smooth after 30 years. Wonderful ride, they really soak up the road vibration. Pump the tubulars up to 140, and they're great climbing wheels.

If I had to recommend a set, I'd say the Zondas, or if you got the dough, Eurus. Or if you really have the dough, Campy Boras. A mere pittance, at around $3k for a set.

JohnO said:

I tend to agree - if you're really interested in climbing better, you need more muscle and less dead weight on the engine. Wheels won't make much difference. Check out the TDF climbs on DVD - look at what they're riding. Fairly plain wheels, no aero rims. Arguably, tubulars might help a bit, as you can pump them to higher pressures. Bit of a pain to repair punctures, but it's like climbing - you have to welcome pain to get better.

However, if you just want better wheels and can spend the bucks, here are the four I have had personal experience with:

Rolf Vector Pro. Fairly cheap on the market these days ($200-300 on ebay). About the performance equivalent of Kysrium SL's, without the big name. Very low spoke count, medium aero rim. Stiff as all get out. Takes a trained mechanic to true them, but in two years of riding, mine never needed truing. Tough wheels. Fast on the downhills and flats. Drawback - harsh ride.

Campy Zonda G3. Moderate aero rim. Similar to the Rolfs in aero, but smoother ride, due to less radical spoking. I paid $350 for mine at cbike.com, they put the Zondas on sale every so often. These are pretty much the Eurus wheels without the Record hubs. The Zondas are my normal riding wheel these days. Good looking wheels, too - black rims with silver lettering. If you get them, get on ebay and find a set of used Rolf titanium skewers - the stock Campy skewers weigh a ton.

Zipp 404. Bought mine used last fall on ebay, when the other bidders fell asleep and I got them (relatively) cheap. What can I say - deep carbon aero rim, moderate spoking. Very light, very aero, I'm averaging 1-2mph faster on the downhills than the Rolfs. Very smooth ride. Downside - the rims can be a bit fragile, so you don't want to riding over railroad tracks on them. And, Zipps are sinfully expensive. $1000-1400 a set if you buy them new. Don't buy them in clincher - it defeats the purpose of shelling out all that money.

Campy Nuovo Record hubs/Arc-en-Ciel rims. On my 70's racer. Hubs still smooth after 30 years. Wonderful ride, they really soak up the road vibration. Pump the tubulars up to 140, and they're great climbing wheels.

If I had to recommend a set, I'd say the Zondas, or if you got the dough, Eurus. Or if you really have the dough, Campy Boras. A mere pittance, at around $3k for a set.

If I wanted a nice "bling style" wheel I'd definitely consider those Zondas. ($375 is really good price for those wheels)

The Scirroccos are another good wheel, but they have group of three on the front too. It makes no sense to have it on the front. The rear G3 pattern has a purpose (to even out spoke tensions). Put group of three on front wheel and it's strictly for show.

HyperPhreak said:

Im currently riding on Bontrager Selects. Im looking into upgrading my wheelset and im not sure which i should get. I dont really know much about the pro's and con's of wheels because i havent been riding that long. Im looking into Bontrager X lite aero, Bontrager x lite Aero Carbon or MAVIC KSYRIUM SSC SL. Which of the 3 do you all think are the best? Or is there another wheelset that is better that i should be considering also?

Thanks

I am currently riding on a set of Campy Proton's and they are a fantastic value (I paid $389 for the set). They are stiffer and lighter than my Ksyrium Elites, not to mention much cheaper. I'm a big guy (225 lbs) and so far they are perfectly true after my first 1,200 miles on some pretty gnarly post New England winter roads. I understand the Neutron is a lighter version with a Record-quality hub that is in the $700-750 price range. Campy offers some fine wheelsets at prices that you may find fairly reasonable.