I have Mavic Ksyrium Equipe fitted to my litespeed and I am looking for a new set of wheels. I like the deep rim look but it's not that important to me, lite, strong and blingy. So pimp my ride from the wheels below.
American Classic 420 aero
American Classic Victory 30
Easton EA90 - Aero
Fulcrum Racing 3
Mavic Cosmic Elite
Mavic Ksyrium Elite
If you dont want the aero advantage just get some nice hubs built up onto some nice rims, like record on ambriso, or tune on.. etc. Much better than turing up to your next sportive with a bike identical to several other people (ie. a litespeed with money thrown at it ;0)
Talk to Harry Rowland and get some handbuilts. Lighter, more serviceable and repairable.
Depends on your budget, but at that price, you are looking at Ambrosio Excellite rims, Sapim Lasers and some decent sealed cartridge hubs (maybe DT, PMP, Dura Ace or Ambrosio but probably your budget won't stretch to Tune judging from your other options)
Plus, Harry can match the build to your needs.
http://www.harryrowland.co.uk/
I'm not on commission, but he is the best. Don't worry about distance, he doesn't charge much for postage and they come in his own designed boxes which ensure that they arrive in good nick.
[url= http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/category/nahbs ]Rolf Prima Wheels[/url] look kinda cool.
Personally I would be buying some carbon rims and having a go at building my own. Or looking at the planet X pro Carbon 50s.
None of the above....
Dura Ace wh-7850 CL is my wheel of choice for around that budget (just got some brand new for £400 on the bay for mrs BS) Either that or a nice handbuilt set, I have Hope Pro3 on Stans Alpha 340 rims. they're really nice wheels.
Don't bother with deep rims at that price, they'll weigh a ton.
Bit of a thread resurrection and hijack.
I'm looking at similar wheels. I was considering the hope hoops (open pro/pro111 but then saw the Alpha rim. I have 355/pro2 on my mtb and really like the wheels so thought the same might be good for the road.
Just out of interest does the hope freehub annoy you (and others), it's really loud on my mountainbike and I guess even worse on the road where there is less background noise.
Is there a comparable hub to the hope in terms of price and weight? I hear a lot about ambrosio when you google hand built wheels.
Finally, spoke counts and stiffness. Currently riding with aksiums and when I stand up on hills I notice the wheels flex as the rims hit the brake blocks. I imagine the same is true in a sprint but I'm focussed on other things.
A higher spoke count will equal more weight but also stonger with less flex? What's a good starting point front and rear for a 80kg rider? I assume 32 is too many as I get away with that off road. 24 rear 20 front or 28rear 24 front?
Campagnolo Bora - should be pimpy enough for anyone.
Dura Ace wh-7850 CL is my wheel of choice for around that budget
+1 - got mine for Xmas/money and love them - stiff, forgiving and light and good uptake 🙂
Reynolds Solitude.
Right on the money weight-wise, same price range as your suggestions, and I can personally vouch for their strength: I'm roughly 88kg so not the most svelte of riders in the first place. On a recent ride I hit a pothole at some speed and burst both tyres. The sound made as each wheel connected with the hole had me cursing and thinking about the cost of new wheels but there isn't a scratch on them. No marks, dents or creases on the rims, no popped spokes, no buckling, nothing. I'm very impressed.
Currently riding with aksiums and when I stand up on hills I notice the wheels flex as the rims hit the brake blocks. I imagine the same is true in a sprint but I'm focussed on other things.
I can recommend Fulcrum Racing 1. Stiffer than a stiff thing. No trace of flex when giving it some out of the saddle. Only 16 spokes in front and 21 at the rear but they aren't your normal spokes. BTW I'm 78kg.
However you don't need expensive wheels for them to be stiff. Fulcrum Racing 7 are stiff enough not to touch the brake pads also.
I've just sent some Reynolds Shadows back under warranty with spoke and freehub problems- not impressed with Reynolds at all.
Another vote for Dura Ace 7850cl's or for around the same money Shimano Rs-80 C50's,same rim as Dura Ace C50's but Ultegra level hubs and not much heavier than the DA's.I run a C50 on the back and a C24 on the front currently but will probably get a C50 front aswell for crits and flatter stuff.
Personally I can't get away from my thought that high end Mavic hubs/bearings roll really well. R SYS - light, strong, fast + bling
+1 on the Racing 1's, I have some and love them. I don't have much to compare them to mind as this is my first expensive road bike.
Handbuilt every time. I just had open pro CDs, DT rev spokes and Ambrosio Zenith hubs put together for less than £250. Light, strong, and user repairable.
Another builder worth looking at is [url= http://www.stradawheels.co.uk ]Stradawheels[/url].
They built me some lovely wheels on A23 Velocity rims, CX-Rays & their own hubs - 1450gms inc QRs & they spin just beautifully at super low pressures due to the slightly wider (23mm) rim.