Can anybody recommend me a set of decent road wheels. Nothing silly light - but a wheel that offers good weight. I`m looking for a good reliable set of wheels with sealed bearings for easy maintenance. Something comparable to a Hope Pro2 in the roadie world.
Budget is £300ish for f&b?
Thanks in advance.
Hope Pro 3 on Open Pros?
Some will say Open Pro's on whatever hub fits your budget for ease of maintenance and replacement parts.... others will advocate factory wheelsets from any of the usual crowd but you accept they are a bit lighter/parts may be a bugger to get hold of. 'Tis up to you.
Personally, I like my Ksryiums as all-rounders, but you could equally you could go for one of the Fulcrum's in whatever flavour fits your budget.
Hope do RS Mono wheels.
What Bristolbiker says
(And I like My Ksyrium Elites too)
What Bristolbiker says
+1
Unless you're paying big money, hand built wheels are almost always lighter for the same money - factory builds tend to look nicer though. Plus handbuilts are a lot easier to sort if you have any problems.
Factory wheels do look good though 
(this is obviously based on normal prices, you may well find really good deals on factory built wheels which tips the balance the other way)
Ive got mavics on my roadie work well stay round.
As Macavity, I'm pretty sure Hope Hoops have a road set. I think may be DT rims. Not sure there is the same rim choose as the mtb Hoops as yet.
I love my Mavic Cosmic Elites. They are heavy but have proved absolutely indestructible.
I got Ultegra factorys on mine, but mainly because I got a good price. Suppose they do look good (certainly get comments from non-cyclists on low spoke count/bladed spokes ect) but I did break a spoke on a rough road and because of the low spoke count the resultant bend in the wheel was nearly too much to get home with.
On balance if I had the choice again I'd go for handmades - prob Open Pros on Dura Ace hubs. I may yet get some and sell the (repaired) Ultegras.
planet x model b's on offer at 99 reasonable weight llok nice
planet x a57 i think about 127 32 spoke strong wheels go a very good write up ina test by cycling plus a couple of years ago then they were about 169 a pair, think they won the test
over on bikeradr lots of folk seem to tuse the model b's to train on
I'd avoid Hope hubs on a road bike given the amount of freewheeling you do, especially if you ride with others.
I've had a few factory wheelsets in the recent past but my next set of training wheels will be Open Pro's on Ultegra, it's just so much easier to fix and get spares for.
Not Campag Khamsins. Had mine about 5 months and the bearings are shot front and rear!
Same as glenp. Got factory Ultegras and had the same resultant problem when a spoke went.
In the process of going back to handbuilt, probably Open Pros on Ultegra and quality spokes.
Considering the beating I've given mtb wheels with just regular Mavic 717s and DT Rev spokes I would def choose DT Rev with confidence for a road wheel.
Try to ignore the bling looking rims (usually just flashy stickers), fictional advertised weights and low spoke counts of factory wheels and buy some handbuilts from a decent wheelbuilder e g wheelsmith uk and others. You will get a far better wheel which wil last a lot longer and far easier to maintain.
Thanks all. Can anybody recommend a good on-line wheelbuilder? maybe a good idea to look at their prices.
I was looking at the ultegra sl recently - there does seem to be good deals out there on those wheels. But, I dont want sealed bearings for ease of maintenance.
The Hope hoops look pretty good choice. If they are as good as pro2 on my mtb I`d be well happy.
Other choices so far look to be the EA70 wheelset or the more expensive fulcrum racing3 clincher wheelset .. the last choice meaning a bit more saving up.
mavic, fulcrum (the shimano versions of campag wheels), mavic, pic a budget and then the wheel you like the look of most. Weight weenies will have the actual weights if it bothers you that much.
FWIW the handbuilt wheels I had were heavier so slower accelerating, and too stiff to be comfortable for 2+hours on anything but billiard smooth a-roads.
Factory wheels were lighter and so accelerate faster (especialy shimano who spend the money in lighter rims to compensate for their heavy hub designs), less spokes = more comfort with no apreciable difference in stiffness once I'd added a half turn to the rear spokes as im larger than average and at the time had legs to match also less aero drag, the factory wheels rolled noticably better.
I'd always go factory when buying wheels, the £5/spoke is irellavent, I can't remember the last time I snapped one on a ride!
I go with fulcrums, really good
On the other hand, thisisnotaspoon, the only spoke I have ever broken on the road was on a factory wheel. Plus, decent handmades would not be heavier than, for example, Ultegras. The low spoke count does make them faster (aerodynamics) but does also necessitate a stiffer rim which isn't such a good thing if you ride on rough roads.
YGM
just advertised some Hope Hoops road wheels if interested.
FWIW the handbuilt wheels I had were heavier so slower accelerating, and too stiff to be comfortable for 2+hours on anything but billiard smooth a-roads.Factory wheels were lighter and so accelerate faster (especialy shimano who spend the money in lighter rims to compensate for their heavy hub designs)
Like I said, unless you but the top of the range factory wheels that just isn't normally the case. You may have had heavy handbuilts but typically for the same money they're lighter. I've checked this numerous times now so unless something's suddenly changed...
less spokes = more comfort with no apreciable difference in stiffness once I'd added a half turn to the rear spokes as im larger than average and at the time had legs to match also less aero drag, the factory wheels rolled noticably better.
Just don't agree with this at all. Yes, fewer spokes make a more flexible wheel which is more comfortable but to retain stiffness with fewer spokes (so you don't flatspot them), the rims are usually stiffer and heavier.
I'd always go factory when buying wheels, the £5/spoke is irellavent, I can't remember the last time I snapped one on a ride!
I bent an Aksium rim on a pot hole - it was a right pain getting a replacement...
er ...... less spokes equals a stiffer rim to make up for the enourmous unsupported area in the rim otherwise the wheel would be as flexible as wet toilet roll ! Wheels atren't magic - if you take something out then you have to add it in else where! on the cheaper wheels that means you may still be able to have a light weight wheel but all of your weight then moves to the outside of the rim!
There are however some very good factory wheels knocking around but they are not as durable and once a factory wheel goes out of true it is never the same again in my experience, unless trued up by an absolute guru of wheel truing.
Ambrosio hubs are supposed to be excellent for the money and Ambrosio rims are definitely very good. The IRD rims that wheelsmith.co.uk do also look very good
Ambrosio did do some pre built conventional wheels that were for sale for silly cheap a little while ago.
I've had several sets of both and to be honest for £300 notes and a nice set of wheels to use all the time I would go for handbuilts every time.
More cash and for "sunny day wheels" I'd probably go for a factory set on the basis they would be light but I would not be putting the mileage into them to worry too much about rim wear and getting them trued too often
Bum! double post !
i'm running a set of shimano rs80's on my nice bike and they are ace.
well worth a look
I've run the Pro3 hubs and the clicky freehub did my head in, on the road.
I'd go for handbuilts - Open Pros or Ambrosio Excellights on the best hubs your budget can stretch to - Ultegra, DA, Ambrosio, Royce, PMP... the list (and price) goes on.
Paul Hewiit builds all mine and always will.
Maybe its beacue I only ever buy budget stuff.
Shimano R-550 wheels for £100, compared to the the mavic CXP/basic shimano hubs they replaced there's no comparison, especialy as I got them for a bargain £35 posted!
They'r my one and only wheels, never let me down, bearings greased once a year. And anyone who has ridden in the peaks (I'm thinking decending form Crookes down Manchester road to ladybower) will know the benifit of comfortable wheels at 25mph, its a horrific surface! They've even taken a beeting on the odd excursion off-road on smooth singletrack whilst touring.
An open pro rim and 32 spokes costs almost as much as a budget factory wheel, and at/over £300 you'r just throwing money at the hub, at least factory wheels shed some weight form the rim/spokes where it arguably makes more difference.
If I wanted £150 traing wheels I'd look at hand built, otherwise budget factory ones are cheeper, or expensive factory ones are lighter.
OP specified budget of £300 max for set. If I were spending up to that on road wheels I'd def get handmade, for all the reasons mentioned.
At £100 (or £35!!) then whatever you can find is great.
I'm not arguing one way or another,as I have various sets of handbuilt and factory wheels , but something to remember with any of the low-spoke count factory wheels is; if you snap even one spoke, you're probably going to be walking home.
Ring derek at wheelsmith.uk tell him what you want your budget and Im certain he will sort you out. Certain they will be lighter and better quality than any equivilant rrp £300 wheels.
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