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I'm building up an Enigma Ti frame road bike & need a set of wheels for general road riding, not racing, I live in a fairly flat area but looking to venture up into the Moors & Dales.
Budget around £300.
Options that have caught my eye;
Shimano Ultegra 6700 1652g £235
Mavic Ksyrium Equipe S WTS 1690g £300
Mavic Cosmic Elite 1900g £320
Superstar 8:16 on Stans Alpha 340 1350g £280
Any advice on above selection or any others worth considering would be greatly recieved.
I've been riding the Superstar / Stans Alpha set up for a month or so. Not quite 1350g, mine weighted 1430 out the box, but still pretty darn light for the price. Can't fault the wheels. Light, strong, not bad to look at. Definitely made the bike come alive compared to my old RS10's, and you have the option to run them tubeless (although they come with the standard Superstar rim strip). Seem popular too - I had to wait 2 weeks for mine 'due to demand'.
Have a look at the Fulcrum Racing Quatttos, I just bought a pair and they seem very nice indeed.
The RS80's are a good bit lighter than the Ultegras and very comfy. Good value but a bit over your budget.
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/WPSHRS80CA/shimano_rs80_c24_carbon_wheelset_(pair)
Otherwise handbuilts, Velocity A23 worth a look.
My open pros on hope pro III are still my favourite wheels.
I have a pair of Superstar Alpha wheels, the first rear rim lasted 200 miles, cracks appeared in the rim on every non-drive side spoke hole.
Superstar were great and replaced both rims under warranty, to the latest Alpha rims.
However I have now covered 200 miles on the new rims and I have broken 2 of the non-drive side spokes, going to speak to SS today.
And because there are only 8 spokes on the non-drive side, if one breaks, the wheel goes so far out of alignment that the wheel won't turn in the frame.
I like my stans rims though they are a little fragile.
I dunno re durabilty of SS hubs, and I doubt I'd lace those rims 16/8 - regular hubs don't need that (I went 32H for durability)
If you CBA waiting and going for tubs, build the PX carbon 20mm rims on to something - 265gm per rim. I built some up for a pal and still want some!
Rs80's but regular servicing (3000 miles) is advisable if you putting a lot of miles on them. My free hub turned to bobbins and the drive side rear bearings to rust.
Cero AR30's look a bargain to me for £350, just rarely seem to be in stock http://www.cycledivision.co.uk/product-info.php?pid133.html
Novatec 171 hubs on Velocity A23 rims. Around £250 on ebay and will come in at around 1500g for the pair.
I've just got a set of PRO 2s with Open Pros built by cycle-fast in Halifax for just over £300. Top build and an excellent price. Highly recommended. Trouble is, I've got nothing to compare them to. They look (and sound) good, though!
over budget by quite a bit, but seem to got a great review on road.cc
http://www.racewaredirect.co.uk/shop/4559567829/S2.0-Wheel-Set-(Shimano)/843592
I can't fault the Ultegras... Lovely wheel, stiff when climbing but not overly crashy over bumps...
[url= http://www.tweekscycles.com/components/road-bike-wheels/hope-technology-hoops-pro-3-rs-mono-on-mavic-open-pro ]Your new wheels[/url]
Strong, light, serviceable, future proof, clicky, lovely, £300.
You will thank me.
some good deals on Fulcrum Racing 5s at the moment (Merlin). Quite a bit under budget but I fitted a set recently to a mate's bike and they were impressive for the money.
I am running a set of Mavic Open Pro CD rims on Hope Pro III's. Great set of wheels for £308 from Wheelcraft, that included the SS freehub.
Defintiely go for some wider rims like A23's or Archetypes over the Open Pros
Thanks, lots to consider - I like the sound of the comfort factor of the Shimano RS80's form PX.
How heavy are you?
13.5 stone dressed