Having entered the Etape du Tour I am now thinking of getting a good set of road bike wheels for my planet X
What would the collective expertise of STW recommend in the £600 range
That said, I see Easton EA 90 SL's on special at CRC totday for £250. How much better a set would the extra £350 get me.
None really, those Easton are good, especially at that price. The only others I'd look at are the Shimano Dura Ace cl7850 I think, carbon laminate rim or Ksyrium SL premium but nearer the top end of your budget.
ive tried all manner of factory wheels but overall more happy with my current dura ace on open pro. Dunno what they cost tho not as zippy or light as the ksyrium es that they replace but certainly more user friendly and you can fix em yourself whilst on a ride 
At £250 I would grab the Easton's quick but they have non in stock in the Shimano fit and the Campag ones are £499.
Just ordered the Easton's. Even though they are out of stock I think I can wait given I have a broken collarbone and teh Etape is not until July.
At that price they have got to be worth a punt!
As mick said, why not get a custom build? A decent hand built wheel set can transform your ride.
Hope Pro3, Mavic open pro, DT D/B spokes and alloy nipples. If you got the 28 hole rim it could be quite a light wheel set. Easy to service and quite a bit cheaper, which will leave you money for some decent tyres and tubes.
Your money, your choice. Sure there will be others along with more ideas how to spend your money shortly.
Edit - Looks like you had your mind made up anyway! 
Google Pete Matthews the wheel builder.
He will build you an awesome set for that amount of money tailored to you.
These Mavic R-Sys wheels are good value at Merlin at the moment;
So good I bought a pair earlier this year.
Sits back and waits for the Mavic hate mail to arrive.
May still look at other options. Those Easton may still become my day to day wheels
Will have a look at Pete Mathews
Thanks
No Mavic hate here I love them, road and mountain.
But
The R-Sys was subject to a recall so make sure those are the up to date ones.
another vote for dura ace 7850 cl..superb wheels..sold on a whim when i fell out of love with road riding..kicking myself since..back into road riding again but now can't stretch to dura ace again so plumped for rs 80 wheels..same rims as dura ace just cheaper finished hubs(ultegra level) not much heavier and also superb and look the mutts..paid £320 at ribble for mine..
Mavic Ksyrium all the way. Had mine for 4 years and never touched them. 07 version going for good price at Merlin cycles
I've also been using Shimano Dura Ace 7850 carbon laminate clinchers (WH7850 CL) and they have been fantastic. Light and stiff and still running true.
Also consider American Classic Hurricanes which are cheaper. Got these on my training bike and they have held up really well to riding pot hole infested roads in the West Midlands. Decent weight too.
£600,I wouldn't even consider factory wheels. Your money would be far better spent on a set of hand built wheels. These wheels will have been built for you knowing your weight and riding needs. They will be lighter, stiffer better quality and essentially easier to repair. Break a spoke with many of the wheels mentioned just before your etape and you aint taking them! Ring Derek at wheelsmith.co.uk and explain what you want and you will get a far better set of wheels probably less than £600.
just make sure you have some spare time when you call derek as he'll talk your ears off
I have the Easton EA90SLX's and have done a couple of Marmottes and plenty of races on them, they are certainly light enough at 1500 g ish, and have been super relaible, but possible the Shimano carbon laminates are just as strong and lighter and marginally stiffer, but those Easton R4 hubs....wow, smooth as butter
Go tubular, it's worth it!
Thanks all
Definitely going to explore the handbuilt options
I've had 3 sets of Ksyrium SL's from the first type out and not had too many problems - well not compated to before when I bust "lots" of handbuilt wheels road racing. I guess the problem with handbuilt compared to Ksyriums is who builds them. I had a set of chorus on open pro with Sapim CXrays (best spokes bar none) and would possibly get another set like that but getting the right builder is the difficult bit. I've seen two sets of Sys-R spokes go (one on a 8st lady rider front wheel). Until they get a good reputation again, steer clear.
i ride a cervelo r3 with fulcrum racing ones, cant fault them,
hand built every time
had some speedcific hubs with niobium rims and sapim cx ray spokes biult up from a bloke in usa Mike Garcia, think he's gone bust now, but these were pretty cheap they are about 1350 grams and have been absolute crackers never skipped a beat, best wheels ive ever had and ive been down the old fucrum, kysrium, campag route
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