NEW wheels is it worth it?

[noadapter]

Hi all

Looking for some helpful advice from the more experienced riders amongs us on upgrading wheels, i currently have a Cannondale CAAD9 with shimano RS10 and was thinking of upgrading to either Mavic Kysrium Elites or Shimano RS80.

My two questions are is this expensive upgrade worth the money for me a rider who uses my bike mainly for fitness rides and not sportives?
and would i feel the difference in speed or agility?.

 

[addictfreak]

Wheels are probably the best upgrade you can make.

I run Kysrium Elites on my winter ride, and Mavic R-sys on my addict. I mainly notice the difference on climbs.

The elites were originally on my addict, and replaced the Fulcrum 7s on my winter bike. They are far better than the fulcrums.

 

[accountantpete]

Personally I'd save up for something in the £350 bracket as they tend to have better hubs and are that bit stiffer- that way you avoid consigning them to winter use after a short time.

After the £350-£400 bracket the improvements become smaller and hard to justify for the outlay unless you are racing.

Either way the CAAD 9 will feel like a new bike with a decent set of wheels.

 

[lukesdad]

Better wheels will show up on the stopwatch. Will you notice the difference? maybe. Are they worth it ? Well thats upto you. If you realy want to improve your performance have a look at tyres first.

 

[the snail]

Hi all

My two questions are is this expensive upgrade worth the money for me a rider who uses my bike mainly for fitness rides and not sportives?

If you ride for fitness, then fancy wheels are surely a waste of money, I don't suppose they'll make you any fitter?
Don't succumb to G.A.S. just ride what you got, and buy new wheels when you have to.

 

[adscrim]

Hi all

Looking for some helpful advice from the more experienced riders amongs us on upgrading wheels, i currently have a Cannondale CAAD9 with shimano RS10 and was thinking of upgrading to either Mavic Kysrium Elites or Shimano RS80.

My two questions are is this expensive upgrade worth the money for me a rider who uses my bike mainly for fitness rides and not sportives?
and would i feel the difference in speed or agility?.

Can you afford it? If yes, then absolutely. Anything that makes it more fun for you to get on the bike is worth the money in my opinion. If no, then you need to take a longer look at what it's actually going to cost and then only you can decide.

I would upgrade the wheels, nicer wheels make every ride more of a pleasure.

 

[HLaB]

If you ride for fitness, then fancy wheels are surely a waste of money, I don't suppose they'll make you any fitter?
Don't succumb to G.A.S. just ride what you got, and buy new wheels when you have to.

If they make the experience more enjoyable they might encourage/ enable you to go further and hence will make you fitter. So I'd advise an upgrade of the wheels is a good place to start if you are looking to splash the cash :-)

 

[fossyant]

Don't forget a set of tyres make a huge difference too. Mich Pro Race/Conti GP 4000/Schwalbe Ultremos are the best !

 

[jayonabike]

I upgraded the wheels on my Secteur, I bought some Fulcrum 3's in the sales. They have made a vast improvement on the bike & i would recommend upgrading. Worth looking round the sales, still some bargains to be had.

 

[Davidc]

Better wheels will show up on the stopwatch. Will you notice the difference? maybe. Are they worth it ? Well thats upto you. If you realy want to improve your performance have a look at tyres first.

Absolutely.

 

[Rob3rt]

Whilst the CAAD9 is a very good bike and very much upgrading till your hearts content if you feel inclined to do so I'd advise buying new tyres and some lightweight inners rather than wheels as a 1st upgrade. IMO its not worth buying wheels until you can afford to splash some real cash (£300-400+ based on the specific bike) to get a nice big upgrade.

If you are riding for fitness, the only real benefit that the wheels will provide is incentive to ride IMO (and only you, the OP can decide if increased incentive to ride is worth the outlay). The OTP wheels are pretty crappy, but they are bomb proof, I've riden the front over 1200 miles (on my fixed), through the north wests pot hole riddled roads, crashed it 3 times (twice in accidents with cars) and its still true. It's not a performance wheel admittedly, but it can go the distance.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Wheels and tyres are always the best upgrade.
I exchanged CXP22s on Ultegra hubs for a (RRP £400, sale at £250) pair of Lightweight Reynolds semi-aero low spoke-count wheels and some Michelin PR2s and the difference was a revelation. This was on a 2004 TCR (Alu) and when I swap wheels the difference in speed, acceleration and overall liveliness is instantly apparent.

I think the £250 kind of mark, like Eastons SL50 would be my starting point with some PR3 tyres and lightweight tubes.