# Upgrade wheels on £1k road bike



## 2pies (19 Dec 2012)

As every review seems to day, bikes in this price range tend to be let down by poor wheels. Therefore, I thought I might get some upgrades for mine sometime soon. Any suggestions or how much to spend and what to look out for? Being very tall makes me quite a heavy rider, about 85kg, so I'd want something fairly robust. Weight of the wheels themselves will be less of an issue, though I'm sure they will be lighter than the stock wheels currently on my bike that are well over 2kg for the pair.

I've looked at the Mavic and Fulcrum wheels in the £150 to £300 pound range. Fulcrum Racing 5's seem like good value. Are Mavic Aksiums comparable or are the Ksyriums significantly better?


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## Psyclist (19 Dec 2012)

2pies said:


> As every review seems to day, bikes in this price range tend to be let down by poor wheels. Therefore, I thought I might get some upgrades for mine sometime soon. Any suggestions or how much to spend and what to look out for? Being very tall makes me quite a heavy rider, about 85kg, so I'd want something fairly robust. Weight of the wheels themselves will be less of an issue, though I'm sure they will be lighter than the stock wheels currently on my bike that are well over 2kg for the pair.
> 
> I've looked at the Mavic and Fulcrum wheels in the £150 to £300 pound range. Fulcrum Racing 5's seem like good value. Are Mavic Aksiums comparable or are the Ksyriums significantly better?


 
Good call, can't go wrong with Fulcrum or Mavic. I'd assume that Ksyriums are better and stiffer, and have straight spokes which are presumably stronger. I know they're a little lighter too.

Other option is to get hand built wheels custom made. They may build some wheels specified to your weight.
Wheelsmith is a good site, you can choose your build, or even ask them which combo would suit you.

http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/road-wheels-prices


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## black'n'yellow (19 Dec 2012)

2pies said:


> As every review seems to day, bikes in this price range tend to be let down by poor wheels. Therefore, I thought I might get some upgrades for mine sometime soon. Any suggestions or how much to spend and what to look out for? Being very tall makes me quite a heavy rider, about 85kg, so I'd want something fairly robust. Weight of the wheels themselves will be less of an issue, though I'm sure they will be lighter than the stock wheels currently on my bike that are well over 2kg for the pair.
> 
> I've looked at the Mavic and Fulcrum wheels in the £150 to £300 pound range. Fulcrum Racing 5's seem like good value. Are Mavic Aksiums comparable or are the Ksyriums significantly better?


 
you haven't actually said what wheels you already have...?


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## Cletus Van Damme (19 Dec 2012)

I was looking at Fulcrum 5's or Mavic Aksium's. I went with the Aksium's, they have been great so far. The stock wheels on my bike (Alexrims) were always going out of true so that is why I changed. The Mavic's have never went out of true and look great with the flat spokes.


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## 2pies (19 Dec 2012)

black'n'yellow said:


> you haven't actually said what wheels you already have...?


 
Sure.They are branded as Concept SL, which is Focus' own label. However, I believe they are actually made by a french company and rebadged.


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## black'n'yellow (19 Dec 2012)

Not sure what you are expecting from such an upgrade, but I honestly don't think you will notice any difference, especially if weight is not a consideration - and there's no reason to expect that a £300 wheelset will be significantly better than what you already have. You may see more of a benefit from changing tyres, depending on what is already fitted.


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## amaferanga (19 Dec 2012)

Handbuilts. Spend £300 on factory built wheels and after a year or two when the rims are worn out you have to bin them. With some good handbuilts you can just replace the rims.


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## 400bhp (19 Dec 2012)

I'd started a thread about this a month or 2 back. Dig it out. Good replies in there.

See B&Y's reply directly above. You need to be specific as to why you want them? (commute/general road/odd TT/race)...


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## Pauln (19 Dec 2012)

You might want to look at Pro-Lite Bracciano's, around £300 1.5KG in wieght. Not sure what load weight they are rated to though.


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## 2pies (19 Dec 2012)

black'n'yellow said:


> Not sure what you are expecting from such an upgrade, but I honestly don't think you will notice any difference, especially if weight is not a consideration - and there's no reason to expect that a £300 wheelset will be significantly better than what you already have. You may see more of a benefit from changing tyres, depending on what is already fitted.


 
So you don't think there's much difference between a £100 wheel-set and a £200 or £300 set?

The front wheel is already moving around, laterally, so a friend had suggested it needs a trip to an LBS for some work. That's after just 1000 miles or so, which doesn't give me great confidence in the quality of the hub.


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## fossyant (19 Dec 2012)

Depends upon use. If it's on a daily use bike, I'd say handbuilt due to wear - my wheels on my commuter were about £300. Just buy rims and cartridge bearings as needed now, and re-build them myself.

If it's weekend bike, then higher end handbuilts or Factory. Aksiums are pretty good, and the Ksyrium Equipe is the base Ksyrium, but lighter than the Aksium, and stiffer. Then starts the expensive versions. I've got various handbuilts, Aksiums and Ksyrium Equipes plus a set of deep section Carbons. Use the various handbuilts most.


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## black'n'yellow (19 Dec 2012)

2pies said:


> So you don't think there's much difference between a £100 wheel-set and a £200 or £300 set?


 
No, not really. What differences would you be expecting?


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## Robeh (19 Dec 2012)

have a look at the site below......

http://shop.kinetic-two.co.uk/kinetic-one-aero-wheels-1-c.asp

i have kineticK1 wheels on my cube


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## FreeFlow Bikes (19 Dec 2012)

I have the Fulcrum 5's and have had no problems so far with them. I upgraded from the Fulcrum 7's as I had damaged the wheel.


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## amaferanga (19 Dec 2012)

Robeh said:


> have a look at the site below......
> 
> http://shop.kinetic-two.co.uk/kinetic-one-aero-wheels-1-c.asp
> 
> i have kineticK1 wheels on my cube


 
Heavy and over-priced IMO.


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## Robeh (19 Dec 2012)

Not the lightest agreed,but the price is very competitive and wheels run very well...................


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## 2pies (19 Dec 2012)

black'n'yellow said:


> No, not really. What differences would you be expecting?


 
More durable, smoother riding, stiffer etc. I'm not naive enough to think I'll notice any difference to the speed I'm riding at, but generally you get what you pay for in some shape or form.


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## Psyclist (19 Dec 2012)

You get better hubs, they stay true for longer, they're stiffer. Rotational weight makes a big difference too. Not sure of all the cons, but spending big on wheels, then your pads eating through the rims (even though that's over thousands of miles'ish) is a bugger. Just depends on the warranty though.


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## black'n'yellow (19 Dec 2012)

2pies said:


> More durable, smoother riding, stiffer etc. I'm not naive enough to think I'll notice any difference to the speed I'm riding at, but generally you get what you pay for in some shape or form.


 
'Smoother riding' depends more on tyres & pressure, rather than wheels. Durability is neither here nor there really.



Robeh said:


> Not the lightest agreed,but the price is very competitive and wheels run very well...................


 
The wheels are certainly not the lightest at that price. So, in what way are they 'competitive'..??


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## Rob3rt (19 Dec 2012)

black'n'yellow said:


> No, not really. What differences would you be expecting?


 
About 200 grams or a couple of inconsequential mm in rim depth. Maybe even a bit of both 

On a serious note. Saving of ~300g maybe! Jumping Fulcrum 7 to Fulcrum 3 (£100 or £350) you save >300g I seem to recall.



black'n'yellow said:


> The wheels are certainly not the lightest at that price.* So, in what way are they 'competitive'..??*


 
With decals removed, they look about as PRO as you are going to get in that price range (<£250)


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## fossyant (19 Dec 2012)

black'n'yellow said:


> No, not really. What differences would you be expecting?


 
I think B&Y is trying to ask the OP "What do you want out of a wheel set, and why do you think there is any advantage of one over another?"

He's just being 'blunt' to spark some conversation.


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## fossyant (19 Dec 2012)

A good set of climbing wheels will be different from some others. With climbing wheels, you want minimum weight out at the rims, so a quality reasonably light rim, but it needs to be coupled with a quality light tyre and tube. You can save loads of weight in hubs, but that may not make the hubs super reliable. Overall weight isn't that important. A 900g front wheel may have a 450g rim with a similar weight hub/spokes, but you can drop 200g from the hubs (with lots of £££s), BUT it won't make the wheel much faster. You can't drop that much weight from the rims ! You can, however, make a big difference in tyre choice, and it's easy to drop 200g from tyre and tubes.


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## zizou (19 Dec 2012)

Up to £300 (and a little bit more) then handbuilts are the way to go - they can be built lighter and stronger as well as being easier to repair than the factory alternatives in that price range.


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## black'n'yellow (19 Dec 2012)

fossyant said:


> I think B&Y is trying to ask the OP "What do you want out of a wheel set, and why do you think there is any advantage of one over another?"
> 
> He's just being 'blunt' to spark some conversation.


 
Appreciated (  ), but all I am really trying to say is that there is no point 'upgrading' from one 'low end' wheelset, to another 'slightly' less low end wheelset. If you want to see a difference, then splash the cash on a good set of tyres - which will not only cost less, but will probably make more of a noticable difference out on the road in handling, grip and maybe speed.


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## WychwoodTrev (19 Dec 2012)

black'n'yellow said:


> No, not really. What differences would you be expecting?


 
I say YES
You would get a better wheelset for £200 - £300
Better rims
Better spokes
Better hubs with better bearings
The Alex rims on my spesh are crap first time I used the bike I got to a hill and the wheels started twisting so much the brake blocks started rubbing on the rim as soon as I crested the hill all good again. Most bikes in the £1000 - £2000 price range come with wheels I can get from my local shop for £87

My outher bike has Mavic Aksiums cost me £150 from performance cycles 18 months ago these are fantastic wheels for the price.
These can have the rims replaced when worn Rims cost £35 each.

When I upgrade I will be going to 50mm carbon with alloy clincher rim somthing like the Token C50 which I can get for £475

these will be used for Time trials and crits


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## MattHB (19 Dec 2012)

last year I put on a set of RS80's which cost me £299 from CRC and they are simply amazing compared to the stock wheels (mavic CPX22) that I had on there before. Light (even lighter than wheels costing 3x the amount), stiff, great looking.

you can get huge gains for £300 depending on what you already have.

black'n'yellow I swear youd argue that the sun was triangular just to be awkward!


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## black'n'yellow (19 Dec 2012)

MattHB said:


> last year I put on a set of RS80's which cost me £299 from CRC and they are simply amazing compared to the stock wheels (mavic CPX22) that I had on there before. Light (even lighter than wheels costing 3x the amount), stiff, great looking.
> 
> you can get huge gains for £300 depending on what you already have.
> 
> black'n'yellow I swear youd argue that the sun was triangular just to be awkward!


 
To be fair, it only 'looks' round to us....

Let's remind ourselves what the OP said. He is not after performance. He has formed the opinion that his stock wheels are of low quality, because a few reviews of similar bikes seem to suggest this. There is no actual evidence that his stock wheels are indeed 'poor', which is why I suggested that he hang on to them. I agree that RS80s are excellent wheels and are within his budget if they can be had at that price. But, as far as I can see, there is no compelling reason or justification for him to buy new wheels at all.


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## Andrew_P (19 Dec 2012)

b'n'y blunt approach has grown on me, and for the record I hated my RS80's and love my Fulcrum 3's so really it is all about personal choice. I do think I had a duff set, kept blowing drive side spokes and buckling, not touched the 3's in 4000 miles but the hubs are strating to sound like they need a service.

Agree about the tyres I went from a tough work horse armidillo 25mm to 23mm Conti GP4000s, I defintely felt the difference, downside is they do tend to cut up alot.


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## screenman (19 Dec 2012)

These would do the job, mind you my youngest son is the seller so I would say that.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2013-Mavi...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item337e937ce6


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## fossyant (19 Dec 2012)

black'n'yellow said:


> Appreciated (  ), but all I am really trying to say is that there is no point 'upgrading' from one 'low end' wheelset, to another 'slightly' less low end wheelset. If you want to see a difference, then splash the cash on a good set of tyres - which will not only cost less, but will probably make more of a noticable difference out on the road in handling, grip and maybe speed.



Correct. Tyres make a huge difference.


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## gbb (19 Dec 2012)

WychwoodTrev said:


> I say YES
> You would get a better wheelset for £200 - £300
> Better rims
> Better spokes
> ...


Almost anythings an upgrade on spesh wheels 
I've said before, when you read the amount of people that have problems with their wheels...how in the hell do they get away with it.
I rejected out of hand buying a Specialized, simply because of their wheels.
I got a Bianchi, which relatively budget wheels, they were stiff, true and strong for three years.
They're ripping people off IMO, which is a shame because barring the wheelsets, there's no doubt its a good bike,


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## 2Loose (19 Dec 2012)

Amerferanga:
"With some good handbuilts you can just replace the rims."

WychwoodTrev:
"These can have the rims replaced when worn Rims cost £35 each."


Surely you can have the rims replaced and the wheel rebuilt on ANY wheel if the hub is ok?? I thought that most of the reasons that cheaper factory built wheels go out of true and aren't so robust is because the factory build is rubbish, spokes uneven tension etc. Robots are crap at building wheels, therefore quality control must be tighter, but isn't on cheaper wheels. Simples? Or is it not so?


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## Rob3rt (19 Dec 2012)

2Loose said:


> Amerferanga:
> "With some good handbuilts you can just replace the rims."
> 
> WychwoodTrev:
> ...


 
Not if the particular rim is not available as rim only.


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## HLaB (19 Dec 2012)

I went for Planet X Model B's slightly cheaper and lighter than the competitor Fulcrums (I forget the number) and the Aksiums and I've found them a good reliable upgrade to my previous stock wheels (Quasar). I'm not a heavy rider however my brother is about the OP's weight and also had no problem with his Model B's; they are now on his winter bike.


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## 2Loose (19 Dec 2012)

Rob3rt said:


> Not if the particular rim is not available as rim only.


By 'rim replaced', I meant another new rim, not necessarily the same model.


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## Rob3rt (19 Dec 2012)

2Loose said:


> By 'rim replaced', I meant another new rim, not necessarily the same model.


 
Then you no longer have the same wheelset, you have something else, a makeshift wheel which is no longer the wheel you set out to have.


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## mark st1 (20 Dec 2012)

black'n'yellow said:


> If you want to see a difference, then splash the cash on a good set of tyres - which will not only cost less, but will probably make more of a noticable difference out on the road in handling, grip and maybe speed.


 
Any suggestions on tyres that will do as you describe ?


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## black'n'yellow (20 Dec 2012)

mark st1 said:


> Any suggestions on tyres that will do as you describe ?


 
Something like Conti's GP4000S would probably do the job - width & pressure to be determined by the type of riding he does...


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## amaferanga (20 Dec 2012)

2Loose said:


> By 'rim replaced', I meant another new rim, not necessarily the same model.


 
New rim + new spokes then. Expensiver. And as pointed out already, you then have a different wheel anyway.


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## montage (20 Dec 2012)

If you opt for new wheels, my advice would be to check out the pro-lite range - never heard anyone fault those wheelsets and they are very well reviewed. I'd also say stay away from planet x wheels, whilst the deep section carbon wheels seem popular, the "normal" wheels are complained about a fair bit, and I have had some dire personal experiences with them (though good customer service, and there are also many good reviews out there).

If you can afford it, go for it, a good pair of wheels such as RS80s/pro-lite gavias/kysirium elites (double check all of their prices..) will transform your ride. But so will some pro race 3 tyres.


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## black'n'yellow (20 Dec 2012)

The only complaints I've heard regarding the PX Model Bs (presumably those are the ones you are referring to) relate to bearing life on the rear hub and freehub damage. The bearings are cartridge type and can be swapped out easily enough and the freehub issue is actually no different to any other hub with an aluminium freehub body.


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## Cletus Van Damme (20 Dec 2012)

gbb said:


> Almost anythings an upgrade on spesh wheels
> I've said before, when you read the amount of people that have problems with their wheels...how in the hell do they get away with it.
> I rejected out of hand buying a Specialized, simply because of their wheels.


 
I agree the Alexrims on my Secteur were shockingly bad. A guy at work got a later model basic Secteur model and that Mavic CXP22's on, which I believe are much better basic wheels. Really pleased with Mavic Aksium's for around £150 though.


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## mark st1 (20 Dec 2012)

black'n'yellow said:


> Something like Conti's GP4000S would probably do the job - width & pressure to be determined by the type of riding he does...


 
Are these generally regarded as a good set of tyres then ? i See they have mainly good reviews on Wiggle do you/ have you used these or would you say they are only useful for road racing etc?


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## Rob3rt (20 Dec 2012)

mark st1 said:


> Are these generally regarded as a good set of tyres then ? i See they have mainly good reviews on Wiggle do you/ have you used these or would you say they are only useful for road racing etc?


 
GP4000s are very good tyres, they do lean toward the race end of the spectrum but they are not super lightweight race only tyres, they make good every day fast training tyres, great for general riding IMO. Attack and Force are Conti's full on race tyres.


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## black'n'yellow (20 Dec 2012)

mark st1 said:


> Are these generally regarded as a good set of tyres then ? i See they have mainly good reviews on Wiggle do you/ have you used these or would you say they are only useful for road racing etc?


 
They are 'race quality' tyres, to be fair. I have a set on a pair of wheels which I use mainly for spring/summer/autumn training/general riding and also a handful of races on 'open' roads (as opposed to circuits, where I use different wheels anyway). I know lots of people that use them year-round with no issues. I have yet to puncture on my set and the rear is about to be replaced as it is squaring-off slightly.


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## mark st1 (20 Dec 2012)

Thanks gents appreciate the feedback


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## montage (21 Dec 2012)

black'n'yellow said:


> The only complaints I've heard regarding the PX Model Bs (presumably those are the ones you are referring to) relate to bearing life on the rear hub and freehub damage. The bearings are cartridge type and can be swapped out easily enough and the freehub issue is actually no different to any other hub with an aluminium freehub body.


 
nah not tried those, I'm talking about the A57s or something like that, might not even be in production anymore. Not heard negative stuff about the model Bs


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## Psyclist (22 Dec 2012)

mark st1 said:


> Are these generally regarded as a good set of tyres then ? i See they have mainly good reviews on Wiggle do you/ have you used these or would you say they are only useful for road racing etc?


 
No doubt, as said above, or you could go with Open Corsa tyres (Vittoria) best tyres out there IMO, but costly at £50 per tyre. Wiggle are doing them at under £40 at the moment.


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## mark st1 (22 Dec 2012)

Thanks mate just took delivery of my new rubber (well apparently they were delivered alot earlier but i was nursing a xmas party headache  lol ) so hope to try them out asap


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