learning about road bike wheels

[vanillagorilla]

I'm looking to upgrade my road bike wheels, but I know very little about them. I guess I'm just scared of all the different types out there. Is there anywhere I can go to learn more about them?

 

[richwagmn]

I'm looking to upgrade my road bike wheels, but I know very little about them. I guess I'm just scared of all the different types out there. Is there anywhere I can go to learn more about them?

What are you looking for? Climbing wheels, TT wheels, aero wheels? Budget? Use (racing, training, rough road riding).

 

[burritogirl]

Get a set of Mavic Ksyriums. Great all around wheel, bomber, but not too heavy. You can even race cross on them.
http://www.mavic.com/road/products/ksyrium-sl.107973.1.aspx

 

[Notso Swift]

I would say that Mavic Kysriums are the no thought choice of wheel...

You really need to give a bit more info, as Richwagmn said, it is also important to let us know what you weigh
I guarantee there is something that meets you needs better and is cheaper than the Mavic, they do not lead in any class, (Mind you, they do not monumentally fail in any either)

 

[cyclestationgiuseppe]

I am 5' 8" and 155 lbs. I consider myself and allrounder. I blew up my rear wheel on a set of Mavic Kysryium SL rims after about 1500 miles and replaced them with much cheaper Nuevation M28X Aeros and now have well over 3500 miles on them with minor occasional truing. It is hard to beat the cost as well. I also upgraded to ceramics and paid an addition $10 to have a 3 year warranty.

 

[forty four]

I am 5' 8" and 155 lbs. I consider myself and allrounder. I blew up my rear wheel on a set of Mavic Kysryium SL rims after about 1500 miles and replaced them with much cheaper Nuevation M28X Aeros and now have well over 3500 miles on them with minor occasional truing. It is hard to beat the cost as well. I also upgraded to ceramics and paid an addition $10 to have a 3 year warranty.

im your weight and height and a rouller(all rounder as well) work at a shop and see lots of wheels and what happens. the neuvations are cheap and a good value but i have seen them fail a few times good company though the owner is a nice guy. i like ksyriums the aksium race is the ultimate cheap heavy duty super bullet proof trainer that look good. i have some older ksyrium ssl ssc on my race bike great wheels the only weak point is the rear hub in mavic wheels i burn those out. many great wheels on the market stick with something tried and true.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

I'm looking to upgrade my road bike wheels, but I know very little about them. I guess I'm just scared of all the different types out there. Is there anywhere I can go to learn more about them?

It's not the most popular suggestion since most bike shop people only take wheels(and bicycles) out of a box and hand them to customers but look and ask around at some local bike shops and find an accomplished wheel builder who can design and build a wheelset specifically for you and your needs. shimano or Campagnolo hub(or others) are far superior to any hub(rear) found on a boxed mavic wheel. Such crappy rear hubs on $1000+ wheelsets is a mystery to me(great marketing) and specific to those wheels-rims and spokes makes maintenance difficult if not impossible(ask the same bike shops if they have the multitude of aluminum kryforme-sirium spoke..they break often).

So have a good wheelbuilder make you a wheelset that will weigh the same or less than boxed wheels, have far better hubs, use standard, everyday parts and will most likely be less expensive.

 

[Master50]

Campy wheels

Take a great hub and put great rims and even tension and you get a long lived and trouble free wheel. Campy offers a Shimano compatible freehub body too.
Once you rise in quality above the level that uses sealed bearings you get bearing quality that beats ceramic bearings in sealed bearings.
Since the mid 80s I have used Campy hubs and 1 set of DA hubs. In 24 years I had to change races, cones and balls in 1 wheel I raced over a weekend and did not regrease it for months. New parts and just like new.

 

[richwagmn]

I would say that Mavic Kysriums are the no thought choice of wheel...

You really need to give a bit more info, as Richwagmn said, it is also important to let us know what you weigh
I guarantee there is something that meets you needs better and is cheaper than the Mavic, they do not lead in any class, (Mind you, they do not monumentally fail in any either)

I don't get the attraction to ksyriums. They seem very overpriced for what you get. The parts are all unique to that wheel (so repairs are tough), the weight is nothing special and the hubs can't compare to say DA or DT240s.

You can find a local wheel builder, or look at some wheels from some of the better online shops for instance (Colorado Cyclist, Excel Sports). As others have said, get some decent quality hubs, good spokes and rims and you'll be money ahead.

You might also check out ROL, Williams Cycling or Neuvation online. I've never used them, but they seem to get good reviews and won't break the bank.

 

[Notso Swift]

There is no attraction, that is what I was saying
They are something you buy without thinking... code is that if you did think, you wouldn't. I just didn't want to be rude to someone with only half a dozen posts

 

[cyclestationgiuseppe]

agree that if you can afford to have wheels custom built, it is a great idea. It can be quite costly though unless you know how to do it yourself which is a whole other discussion.

Wheels out of a box? If the shop is not truing them prior to selling them then you need to go to a different shop.....disgraceful.

 

[richwagmn]

There is no attraction, that is what I was saying
They are something you buy without thinking... code is that if you did think, you wouldn't. I just didn't want to be rude to someone with only half a dozen posts

I was agreeing with you... ;-)

 

[vanillagorilla]

Thanks for all the replies...I am wanting to get a new bike, and didn't want to waste money on the wheels that came on whatever bike I decide on. I am 5'10" and 200 lbs. and hoping to lose another 20lbs. As one can tell by my weight, I'm not the best climber, so I would like wheels that would make it easier to climb but could withstand my weight. Thanks again for everyones imput.

 

[Steampunk]

Based on the original question, I was hoping more replies would provide hints about where someone could go to learn more about wheels.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

agree that if you can afford to have wheels custom built, it is a great idea. It can be quite costly though unless you know how to do it yourself which is a whole other discussion.

Wheels out of a box? If the shop is not truing them prior to selling them then you need to go to a different shop.....disgraceful.

STANDARD in bike shops, USA. Most can't build wheels, don't expect them to true/round/dish/tension new wheels inna box.

BTW-most hand built wheels, apples to apples, with weight, hub quality, etc being considered, are cheaper than the big decal-ed ones found inna box.

Kry-for-me-siriums are a great example.

 

[richwagmn]

Thanks for all the replies...I am wanting to get a new bike, and didn't want to waste money on the wheels that came on whatever bike I decide on. I am 5'10" and 200 lbs. and hoping to lose another 20lbs. As one can tell by my weight, I'm not the best climber, so I would like wheels that would make it easier to climb but could withstand my weight. Thanks again for everyones imput.

Depending on what you spend for your bike, those wheels may be just fine for your needs. It could be worth it to find a mechanic to go over the wheels and make sure they're tensioned and trued properly.

Also, you losing 20 lbs is of course going to make the biggest difference. Maybe, lose the weight first and then reward yourself with some lighter wheels.

As for some pre-built wheels, here's a few:

http://www.williamscycling.com/sys30x/sys30x.html

Or maybe:

http://www.excelsports.com/main.asp...el+6600+Hub&vendorCode=EXCEL&major=1&minor=24

Not trying to steer you towards anything. Just a few quick examples. Some place like Excel or a local wheel builder, will be able to build a wheel specifically for your needs.

 

[Notso Swift]

If you are keen to buy out of the box I would maybe add C-4 to the above, pretty sure they do not have a weight limit that is a problem for you. As a bonus the hubs are well regarded and you can buy spares, indeed, you can buy the parts and have a builder build them for you.
Actually they are not really out of a box wheels, that is being unfair on them, better to say pre-built. They have an excellent warranty as well

Reynolds have no issues with your weight (which is why I bought mine) 3 years old and only broken 2 spokes when I was about 105kg/230 lbs, but at least they are normal DT double butted spokes you can buy easily. They still didn't loose round and I was able to re true them myself without issues.
The hub is a modded DT 240 as well.

 

[uphillstruggle]

Anyone know anything about Dura Ace 7850 SL Wheels? I'm looking at them and the carbon laminate versions but I've been told the laminate version are a nightmare when breaking.

 

[richwagmn]

If you are keen to buy out of the box I would maybe add C-4 to the above, pretty sure they do not have a weight limit that is a problem for you. As a bonus the hubs are well regarded and you can buy spares, indeed, you can buy the parts and have a builder build them for you.

Actually they are not really out of a box wheels, that is being unfair on them, better to say pre-built. They have an excellent warranty as well

These look good too.

 

[dsut4392]

Anyone know anything about Dura Ace 7850 SL Wheels? I'm looking at them and the carbon laminate versions but I've been told the laminate version are a nightmare when breaking.

I have a pair of the 7850CL and love them (caveat - they are my first expensive wheelset). Light and stiff I wasn't surprised that they accelerate well, but I was surprised at how they corner way better than the Aksiums they replaced (though given the $$ differential it's hardly a fair comparison).

I don't have much mileage on them yet (1000km?) but no issues at all so far, still perfectly true and round as they came out of the online-order box, despite not-so-perfect roads around here. I weigh 78kg and have slammed mine into unseen potholes while chatting at the back of a bunch. I can imagine the laminate would be a nightmare of spiky carbon if broken, but haven't heard reports of unusual breakage yet. Have a look at the reviews on Wiggle for more biased opinions like mine.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

I'm usually quick to jump in on wheel talk because it's my living, so I give you my two cents a bit late in the conversation. If you're around 200 lbs the last thing you want to do is look at low profile rims with low spoke counts, even though many of them claim that a 200 pounder will be fine, and here's why.

When you're dealing with rims in and around the 20mm profile, pretty shallow, what's basically happening in low spoke count wheels is they have to be at much higher tensions, and each spoke is subjected to a lot of stress, loading and unloading. The spokes, nipples and hubs are much closer to the threshold of catastrophic failure than if you went with a hand built set of, let's say, 32 or 36 hole decent hubs, double butted spokes, brass nipples, and eyeletted box section rims. Which in the right builder's hands should out last anything out there. You couldn't even begin to fathom how many times I've said to a customer, "dude, you're too heavy for a wheelset like that, it's why your spoke, nipple, rims are broke, snapped, or cracked". Custom is NOT expensive, it's urban myth that is perpetuated on forums such as these. 500-700 clams will get you a wheel set that would out last, by years, any of these chincey minimal spoked jokes for wheels that are plastered with look-at-me-I'm-a-wannabe-racer goofy decals all over them. For less than a grand you can run the gamut of really well built customs, to all sorts of really poorly designed and built aftermarket wheels that usually fail within 3 years, then the cost goes up because of repairs to anything and everything that goes wrong with those. The rider on customs are set for a decade or more of trouble free riding. Doesn't seem like a hard decision to make, the dilemma is that in the aftermarket wheel segment of the industry there is a lot of junk out there to sift through before you find the good stuff.