used carbon wheelsets

[rgmerk]

I'm considering spending some money on bike bling - specifically, a set of Zipp 404s tubulars or something very similar (HED Stinger 6s?)

Yes, I know I should be riding around on Mavic Open Pros with 32 round spokes...and I promise to do so when not racing

Seriously, though, deep-dish wheels cost a fortune, even more so in Australia.

So the options seem to be:

a) Sell future firstborn to Satan and buy new.
b) Buy something cheaper.
c) Buy new Zipp rims, and get them built up. Should be a bit cheaper, will only need to sell half of firstborn child.
d) Buy second-hand.

Has anyone tried option d)? Am I just asking for trouble, or do I stand a decent chance of getting a reliable wheelset at a big saving?

If not d), what? And no quoting Eddy Merckx, please!

 

[Bustedknuckle]

I'm considering spending some money on bike bling - specifically, a set of Zipp 404s tubulars or something very similar (HED Stinger 6s?)

Yes, I know I should be riding around on Mavic Open Pros with 32 round spokes...and I promise to do so when not racing

Seriously, though, deep-dish wheels cost a fortune, even more so in Australia.

So the options seem to be:

a) Sell future firstborn to Satan and buy new.
b) Buy something cheaper.
c) Buy new Zipp rims, and get them built up. Should be a bit cheaper, will only need to sell half of firstborn child.
d) Buy second-hand.

Has anyone tried option d)? Am I just asking for trouble, or do I stand a decent chance of getting a reliable wheelset at a big saving?

If not d), what? And no quoting Eddy Merckx, please!

Buy new Edge or Reynolds(limited drillings tho) rims(not Zipp), a set of matching hubs and have them built for you. Stay away from preowned carbon racing wheels.

 

[runninboy]

Buy new Edge or Reynolds(limited drillings tho) rims(not Zipp), a set of matching hubs and have them built for you. Stay away from preowned carbon racing wheels.

+1

I have 3 pair of used carbon wheels which i love, HOWEVER they are an older vintage when the company felt durability was more important than light weight AND i knew the source personally(my team spares)
But i would still buy a new set of Edge rims if i had to do over again.

 

[egtalbot]

I have had the following used wheels - Zipp 404 non-dimpled, Zipp 404 dimpled, HED 3 aluminum and HED 3C. All worked out great. I paid roughly 35-40% of what I would have paid new. Even with road legal wheels like the 404, I'd recommend looking for wheels used by a triathlete as opposed to a road racer - less chance of crashes, generally fewer miles.

That said, you can get a set of new Planet X or EdgeElite wheels for less than half of the Zipp 404s. I thought the Reynolds someone mentioned were more expensive, but those are good too. And if you are willing to pay a bit more but still far less than Zipp, the Easton EC90 Aero wheels are great and you can get them brand new for $1200 on Ebay. Probably (and it depends on who you believe) non-Zipp 58mm wheels are slightly slower than the latest Zipps in a wind-tunnel test. But it can't be by much and if you're using them in mass start races, the difference would be even less. And Velomax (the wheelmaker Easton bought to get their wheel line) quality is generally excellent.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Used carbon is generally not a good idea. I've sold some of my used carbon wheels before to private parties, but they trust me because of my reputation as a wheel builder. It would help to know the details of the wheel set you're considering, mileage, usage (race, train), ever crashed?. The biggest downfall of carbon rims is the lifespan of the braking surface. Even the best brake pads will not save the rim from eventually becoming garbage.

Suggestion: I wouldn't buy used, unless they had under 1000 miles on 'em and were taken good care of. If you decide to go the 'new' route, go local with Bouwmeester in Victoria, AU. www.bouwmeesterwheels.com From what I gather, they can do custom builds too if you have your own hubs.