What Wheels to buy? Help!

[SeNone]

Hello, this is my first year riding a road bike and now I'm hooked. I weigh 210lbs and I'm trying to figure out what would be the best wheels I can purchase without spending crazy money. I don't know if I deserve new wheels yet but I figure I'll be purchasing a wheelset that's definitely under $500. I figure I can use these for training eventually. My friends who has been riding for years told me I'm a very strong rider so I want wheels that can take my punishment. I do take care of my equipment so I'm not going to beating the **** out of these wheels too much but at the same time I want solid strong wheels. I enjoying climbing hills, accelerating, sprinting, and just enjoy riding period. I've been putting in a lot of miles and I do live in the city so please give me some pointer. Thanks...I've been looking at the typical wheels like mavic aksium, fulcrum racing 7, and I found shimano rs30 for a real good price.

 

[maydog]

Why do you need new wheels? This being you first year out, I bet your biggest gains will be in fitness.

I own 2 of the three wheelsets you listed. None of which would probably be in the recommended list for a heavier rider. I responded to a wheel question in the Clydesdale area with my feedback. On sale, the akisums and the RS 30's may be OK but don't expect them to last forever.

 

[SeNone]

Yeah, I'm sure your right. I should wait to drop some weight , then get them. The reason I was looking into it was because it's time for me to get new tires and I found those with tires on them brand new for a great price on cl. I definitely don't feel like I earned them but I've heard wheels make the biggest difference on the bike. Everyone tells me my wheels are crappy and super heavy. Thanks for the quick reply I appreciate your 2cents...And my back wheels not true anymore and I feel like it's gonna get bent again

 

[alienator]

Yeah, I'm sure your right. I should wait to drop some weight , then get them. The reason I was looking into it was because it's time for me to get new tires and I found those with tires on them brand new for a great price on cl. I definitely don't feel like I earned them but I've heard wheels make the biggest difference on the bike. Everyone tells me my wheels are crappy and super heavy. Thanks for the quick reply I appreciate your 2cents...And my back wheels not true anymore and I feel like it's gonna get bent again

The thing that makes the biggest difference on the bike is losing body weight and becoming a more fit, stronger rider. With that said, you're likely better off riding your current wheels into the ground. When the time comes that you absolutely can wait no longer to buy new wheels, I'd recommend having a custom set of wheels built. Doing as such will allow you to work with the wheel builder to get a set of wheels best suited for your body and the way you ride. You can choose the rim, the spokes, and the hubs as you and the builder see fit, and you can with not much effort end up with such a wheel set that costs $500 or less. You can search this forum to find the names and contacts for loads of custom wheel builders. It's also possible that you can get wheels built at some bike shops in your area. Don't be fooled, however, into thinking that wheels have some hugely transformative effect on your bike and your on-bike performance. Non-aero wheels' biggest impact is in weight, and weight is only a real factor on climbs and when sprinting, and then the effect is not huge. Aero wheels are more influential at higher speeds (and on climbs less than 8% or so in grade), and then the effect is still not huge. The best aero wheels can in the ballpark of 0.5mph to your speed when you're going 25mph. Wheels can, however, have a big psychological impact. FWIW, what wheels do you have now?