Sub £800 wheel set

[mark st1]

If you've got £800 to spend get a nice set of handbuilt wheels.

Stronger, lighter and most likely cheaper plus user serviceable parts and stock spokes.

Google Wheelsmith. Derek will make a set suited to you.

IMO spending that kind of money on factory wheels is a mugs game. And yes that includes me as I do own a pair of Easton wheels. My next pair will be another set of handbuilds. My handbuilt carbon clinchers only come out to play in summer.

Noted Malory thanks for the Google tip.

 

[mark st1]

And thanks for the 2 very different Easton reviews.

 

[gbs]

Campag Eurus (which came with second hand Bianchi, now deceased) have served me well for three summer seasons. Definitely faster than Mavic Kysrium. Sorry but I cannot add any technical comment - ignorance forbids!

 

[Keith Oates]

I,m another one who has had good trouble free service from the Shimano wheels I have on the TCR.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mark st1]

I,m another one who has had good trouble free service from the Shimano wheels I have on the TCR.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shimano seem very good value for money almost sound to good to be true

 

[mattobrien]

A bit of a thread resurrection but I wanted to report back on the Fulcrum Racing Zeros for @mark st1

I have now covered a couple of hundred miles on them and they are an impressive wheel set. That said they have come on my new bike, so the whole thing is a bit of un upgrade all round.

The wheels spin up nicely and the bike just begs you to go faster. As art of the whole package they work well and encourage you to go faster. Liking them.

Also it appears that Wiggle have them for under £700 here

 

[Howard]

You could say all that for a £250 pair of handbuilt A23s on Novatech hubs from Strada though.

Not that they aren't nice wheels - I have the tubular version - but most of the shallow section factory built wheels offer little real performance increase over their cheaper hand built (and factory built) counterparts.

 

[Cyclist33]

All Easton Wheels are hand built.

And Fulcrum.

 

[tigger]

Dura Ace C24 - lovely wheels which are now gracing my Ti bike as the summer 'approaches'

Yes especially the new WH 9000 version. I don't know this is the best price but I think you'd have to spend a lot more money to get anything better

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/WPSH9000C24CL/shimano_dura_ace_wh_9000_c24_cl_wheelset

 

[VamP]

It seems to me that £800 is a bit of a no man's land where wheels are concerned. You can get really nice alloy wheels for £500 and really nice carbon wheels for £1500. I'd go either of those routes rather than spend £800.

As to whether handbuilt or not, depends on the hands doing the building.

 

[BJH]

every manufacturer will be able to claim their wheels as hand built as there will be a human element.

Hand built as in you get to select the hubs, rims and spokes is pretty different to saying I have Eastons or Fulcrums and they are hand built.

Both of course make fantastic wheels that work really well as do Shimano and many others, but it's quite nice getting to choose exactly what you want.

The factory wheels have been made generically so no considerations to weight usage etc that a builder can do.

£800 can certainly buy some really good hand built wheels with really nice hubs that will last a long time, so I wouldn't dismiss this price point.

 

[amaferanga]

The real advantage of true handbuilt wheels is that you can get replacement spokes, rims and hubs easily. Replacement rims for factory 'handbuilt' wheels usually cost silly money.

 

[VamP]

The real advantage of true handbuilt wheels is that you can get replacement spokes, rims and hubs easily.

Exactly. Plus free truing, cheap repairs/fixes and rebuilds, and that personal touch like me getting a busted race wheel rebuilt on Christmas Eve because I needed it to race on Boxing Day.

 

[Rob3rt]

Hand built as in you get to select the hubs, rims and spokes is pretty different to saying I have Eastons or Fulcrums and they are hand built.

You just described the difference between custom hand-built wheels and generic hand built wheels. Both are hand built, just in one case you got to choose the spec.