Allez elite wheels
- Thread starter Blowfish
- Start date
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amaferanga
Veteran
- Location
- Bolton
The wheels are fine. Use them until they wear out then buy another set. You'd probably have to spend >£300 to get wheels that made any appreciable difference.
No commuting
11.5 stone
Dont race (yet!)
I do ride a lot of hills
Yes always 30+ miles
11.5 stone
Dont race (yet!)
I do ride a lot of hills
Yes always 30+ miles
RecordAceFromNew
Swinging Member
- Location
- West London
According to Spesh this is the bike's spec. Fwiw here are my 2 cents:
It seems to have Mavic CXP22 rims, ok a mite heavy at 510g or so each (while a typical light, quality rim weighs around 400g), and not high profile enough to be aerodynamic. But since you don't race the latter hardly matters. Even if you do race, the most aero wheels are only going to give you ~1% speed advantage IF you manage to ride at the same average speed as they do in Tour de France, and less if you don't.
The second thing is tyres. The spec doesn't specifically say so but they might be Spesh's All Condition Sport 700x23c, and if so they weigh 320g a piece, which is again about 100g heavier than a light race tyre. Light tyres are usually more prone to wear and attacks by the p******e fairy however.
So in terms of weight that matters (i.e. at the rims not at the hubs), you are carrying around 200g a wheel more than a typical light set of race wheels, but that is not uncommon for typical touring/commuting wheels. What kills a new wheel is uneven and/or inadequate spoke tension, or badly adjusted/lubricated hubs. If you have any doubt about that, it is worth asking a competent shop to check and perhaps re-tension/re-true your spokes/wheels, and ensure bearings are correctly preloaded and greased. It shouldn't cost much, and if your wheels are still in good condition and are going to be well maintained, I don't see why wouldn't they last.
If you are currently running your tyres at say ~80 psi, increasing the tyre pressure to their limit (~110 psi) will likely deliver noticeable reduction in rolling resistance on nice flat surface, but it will be at the expense of comfort (from pneumatic suspension) on rougher grounds. There is unfortunately no free lunch.
If you end up getting a pair of light (south of 1600g a pair excluding skewers) wheels and light (~200g each) tyres, and ensure tyre pressure remains high, you will likely notice some slight improvements in the bike's responsiveness when you accelerate and climb, but only when you accelerate and climb, hence improvement in average speed will still be limited. Because strong, light wheels aren't cheap, it is worth trying light tyres first if you are interested.
It seems to have Mavic CXP22 rims, ok a mite heavy at 510g or so each (while a typical light, quality rim weighs around 400g), and not high profile enough to be aerodynamic. But since you don't race the latter hardly matters. Even if you do race, the most aero wheels are only going to give you ~1% speed advantage IF you manage to ride at the same average speed as they do in Tour de France, and less if you don't.
The second thing is tyres. The spec doesn't specifically say so but they might be Spesh's All Condition Sport 700x23c, and if so they weigh 320g a piece, which is again about 100g heavier than a light race tyre. Light tyres are usually more prone to wear and attacks by the p******e fairy however.
So in terms of weight that matters (i.e. at the rims not at the hubs), you are carrying around 200g a wheel more than a typical light set of race wheels, but that is not uncommon for typical touring/commuting wheels. What kills a new wheel is uneven and/or inadequate spoke tension, or badly adjusted/lubricated hubs. If you have any doubt about that, it is worth asking a competent shop to check and perhaps re-tension/re-true your spokes/wheels, and ensure bearings are correctly preloaded and greased. It shouldn't cost much, and if your wheels are still in good condition and are going to be well maintained, I don't see why wouldn't they last.
If you are currently running your tyres at say ~80 psi, increasing the tyre pressure to their limit (~110 psi) will likely deliver noticeable reduction in rolling resistance on nice flat surface, but it will be at the expense of comfort (from pneumatic suspension) on rougher grounds. There is unfortunately no free lunch.
If you end up getting a pair of light (south of 1600g a pair excluding skewers) wheels and light (~200g each) tyres, and ensure tyre pressure remains high, you will likely notice some slight improvements in the bike's responsiveness when you accelerate and climb, but only when you accelerate and climb, hence improvement in average speed will still be limited. Because strong, light wheels aren't cheap, it is worth trying light tyres first if you are interested.
doctornige
Well-Known Member
I have the same bike and am looking at wheels. I am in the Peak, so climbing figures a lot. I am considering Fulcrum Racing 5s with folding Gatorskins.
doctornige
Well-Known Member
Oh, re. poster above, I inflate to 120psi and that is pretty lively.
