Hi there folks, I need a bit of an honest advice please.

My daughter has been riding in the junior cycle club, racing crits in summer and CX in a winter season. Finally the time came to move her to 700c wheels, and I got hold of an Islabike Luath – second hand but in great condition.

This bike is very popular in the junior races and seems to be a solid choice as both CX and Crit racing bike.

The only thing I consider doing is replacing the standard wheels with a set more suitable for racing. This is exactly where I need your recommendation for the best choice.

I gather that a good set of racing wheels will last years and move on from one bike frame to another. Hence I’m willing to invest a bit more and my budget is within £500-600. That should enable me to afford a nice set from Mavic or Campagnolo, I just need to figure out which exact set to go for.

Your kind advice would be much appreciated.

Regards

600 quid wheels for an Islabike! 😯 Tyred Jr better not see this!

The stock wheels are fairly hefty, but a half decent lighter set can be had for way less than your budget.

Just be aware that BC introduced a new rule last year to try and limit the kids’ bike arms race – max permitted rim depth is now 35mm for all categories younger than youth A (under 16) so no deep sections.

She won’t be able to use any low spoke-count or deep section wheels during youth races under BC rules so there’s limited benefit from spending a fortune tbh.
I’d be looking at something with a fairly wide rim, perhaps tubeless compatible and run tubeless for CX and tubeless or latex tubes for road. The lighter the better within the rules.
My daughter’s Luath runs the standard wheels for road and some Bontrager TLR for CX which I picked up dirt cheap and set up with tubeless tyres.

Spend any remaining cash on the clothing she grows out of rapidly!

2tyred – as I said in the original post, I expect this set of wheels to travel once we move to the small-sized adult frame. I don’t have extra cash burning a hole in my pocket, by I wouldn’t want to spend on another set after a few years either.

Thanks for bringing up the BC rule – that’s exactly the type of guidance I’m looking for.

All in all, I don’t have extra cash burning a hole in my pocket, so would happily spend as much as 200-300 (or even less)

I wouldn’t go for a factory wheelset. Bearing in mind she’s probably pretty light, you could get a couple of pairs of quality hand builts with low spoke counts for that money. Or maybe 1 pair, carbon forks? Run the stock for cx where the weight isn’t as noticeable?

I have H Plus Son Archetypes on Novatech hubs with 24 spokes and they are pretty light and cost around half your top end budget – but I bought those as the rims have a tough reputation for their weight, so probably lighter options out there.

Isn’t the Luath Shimano? I’m sure you can get a Shimano freehub for Campy wheels but I’m not sure I would 🙂 – seems extra hassle unless you were getting a real deal.

I don’t think rim braked wheels do go on from bike to bike. I think the rims wear out due to braking. This is more of an issue for factory built wheels as rebuilds are going to be done by the LBS

You’ve also got to be confident that she isn’t going to move onto a disc braked bike, for the wheels to go on and on