I've got a pile of redeemable gift certificates from work (for cycling purposes, they are redeemable at REI or Amazon). I'm considering using them to upgrade my wheels.
Max price I'd be looking to spend is ~$400. In that range, it seems like the Mavic Aksium or Easton EA50 Aeros would be the best options? I know people on here have touted LBS custom wheels ... but I couldn't redeem my gift cards that way.
Anyway, Mavic Aksiums seem to be standard equipment for many of the ~$2k, carbon frame, Shimano 105-level bikes, so they seemed like a good place for me to start. However, I've read many reviews about the spokes breaking, crashes resulting from spoke failure, and difficulty in maintaining the wheels due to proprietary spokes.
The Eastons are more expensive ($400 vs. $250 for the mavics), but I haven't found any bad reviews. The prior version EA50s were criticized in one review for being very difficult to perform tire changes. Not sure if that would be the case with the new Aeros.
Any thoughts? I've really like the great feedback people on here provide.
I love climbing hills in Albuquerque, and I've read that new wheels will really help. I currently have a GT GTR Series 4 with Alex R500 rims (no idea on hubs, skewers, etc.)
Thanks!
Max price I'd be looking to spend is ~$400. In that range, it seems like the Mavic Aksium or Easton EA50 Aeros would be the best options? I know people on here have touted LBS custom wheels ... but I couldn't redeem my gift cards that way.
Anyway, Mavic Aksiums seem to be standard equipment for many of the ~$2k, carbon frame, Shimano 105-level bikes, so they seemed like a good place for me to start. However, I've read many reviews about the spokes breaking, crashes resulting from spoke failure, and difficulty in maintaining the wheels due to proprietary spokes.
The Eastons are more expensive ($400 vs. $250 for the mavics), but I haven't found any bad reviews. The prior version EA50s were criticized in one review for being very difficult to perform tire changes. Not sure if that would be the case with the new Aeros.
Any thoughts? I've really like the great feedback people on here provide.
I love climbing hills in Albuquerque, and I've read that new wheels will really help. I currently have a GT GTR Series 4 with Alex R500 rims (no idea on hubs, skewers, etc.)
Thanks!