wheels how much to spend for an improvement?/

[Steve T]

I'm putting together a new carbon road bike and I have all the bits to get it up and running including a brand new pair of Shimano R501 wheels which I bought very reasonably from Merlin primarily for winter trainer use.

My question is what is a reasonably priced set of wheels which would gain me an improvement over my Shimano's but would be reasonably robust for our awful surfaces? I am looking at spending around £400-500 ish and would be happy to buy second hand if they are in good condition.

Would I get any discernible benefit over my R501's at that price or would I need to spend more dosh for that? Opinions welcomed please??

 

[Kies]

Shimano 501's are good solid wheels. You will get lighter wheels for £400-£500 and a lower spoke count to boot.
For variable road quality and robustness , stick with what you have

 

[PaulSecteur]

I like r501s they roll well, reasonably tough and seem "comfy". Good wheels for the price.

For your budget I would look at mavic ksyrium elites. Very stiff and strong.

 

[accountantpete]

It depends on what you use them for.

More expensive wheels usually have 3 main benefits (ignoring aero )

a) Better hubs - slightly noticeable as regards smoothness but weight saving of little value.

b) Lighter rims and spokes - more noticeable and quicker to spin up.

c) Stiffer wheel (rim and spokes ) meaning less flex esp when out of the saddle.

The Elites would tick all three boxes compared to your current wheels.

 

[Steve T]

Ignoring aero- what do aero wheels have that others don't? excuse my ignorance!!

 

[RebornBumbler]

Ignoring aero- what do aero wheels have that others don't? excuse my ignorance!!

Less drag/turbulence (but more of a handful in a side wind!)

 

[stephec]

Ignoring aero- what do aero wheels have that others don't? excuse my ignorance!!

Bubbles in the middle.








I'll get my coat.

 

[Hacienda71]

Aero only really makes a noticeable difference at higher speeds, so the down sides of a deep section aero rim are only outweighed by the benefits if you are cruising at speeds in excess of 20 mph a lot of the time. Great in TT's not quite so good on a windy hilly ride.

 

[400bhp]

[QUOTE="PaulSecteur, post: 3042424, member: 9548"]I like r501s they roll well, reasonably tough and seem "comfy". Good wheels for the price.

For your budget I would look at mavic ksyrium elites. Very stiff and strong.[/QUOTE]

Disagree. They are good for the price as they are strong. They are easy to maintain as they have loose bearings however that is also a downside as the seals are pretty poor.

They aren't comfortable and don't roll particularly well. Sticking on Planet X Al30's is night and day.

 

[400bhp]

The simple answer is you won't be much faster but you will be less tired due (in part) to a better ride quality, less rotational mass going uphill.

Clearly the benefit diminishes the shorter the ride.

I had R501's on my bikes previously and will never go back. They belong on budget bikes and winter commuters.

 

[fossyant]

All Mavics run cartridge bearings !

All depends upon what you want out of wheels. If you are climbing and general up, down. round bends, then typical low profile alloy wheels are best.

Wheel weight is a bit of a mickey take, as the weight that's important is at the rim for acceleration etc.

Deep profile rims look great, but in the main aren't any benefit in windy conditions (unless you buy Zipp/Enve etc) for specific use.

I use hand built on my best bike (not particularly light as the old Dura Ace hubs aren't weight weenies) and Mavic Ksyrium Equipe on my training bike.

Tyres will make the most difference followed by a light inner tube (latex).... really.... It's weight at the outermost point.

 

[Hacienda71]

Good tyres and lightweight inners will also improve your ride a lot. Get some Pro4 race or GP4000S's and some latex tubes £75 ish well spent.

 

[jowwy]

Zondas seem pretty good bang for the buck on wiggle at the moment - £256 for a set of wheels that are light, strong and stiff (1555grammes)

Personally i wouldn't be wanting R501's on my carbon framed best bike - but then that's me

 

[Spoked Wheels]

I'm putting together a new carbon road bike and I have all the bits to get it up and running including a brand new pair of Shimano R501 wheels which I bought very reasonably from Merlin primarily for winter trainer use.

My question is what is a reasonably priced set of wheels which would gain me an improvement over my Shimano's but would be reasonably robust for our awful surfaces? I am looking at spending around £400-500 ish and would be happy to buy second hand if they are in good condition.

Would I get any discernible benefit over my R501's at that price or would I need to spend more dosh for that? Opinions welcomed please??

For that amount of cash I'd go for handbuilt wheels.

It depends what improvement is important to you, you can go for more aerodynamics and Hacienda71 made a very valid point which you should keep in mind. You can go for durability or perhaps go for climbing wheels. If you are a heavy rider you might go for something with more spokes or if you are a strong rider you might be interested in firm wheels.

If it was me, I would go for something that is as light as possible, durable and firm + light tyres and tubes. That would definitely be an improvement on the Shimano R501 and you might not have to pay top price. Your weight and type of riding will influence how light the wheels can be.

 

[Steve T]

Thanks for the advice people, the R501's weren't bought for this bike but because I've got them it means I don't have to buy a pair immediately to ride my new machine. I have a spesh roubaix which has alex 298 wheels which got an absolute slating in the reviews but I actually find them quite decent riding wheels hence the need for 'real world' answers rather than bike magazines trying to help sell expensive product on behalf of their advertisers!