Sorry but this is a which wheel thread but i have narrowed it down.(road wheels)

Ok i have decided to replace my no name factory wheels with something at least a little better. I am down to these few options and would like to know if there is any “real world” difference between them. Budget is incredibly low so my options are currently second hand set of fulcrum quattro clinchers, new campag scirocco 35’s or new superstar pave 28.
Also they need to be relatively easy to maintain and would also like spares to be readily available. Anyone had any experience of using these?

In the spirit of STW “recomend what you have”, Shimano factory built wheels from Merlin, buy 3 pairs if you have any reservations you could get a pair of RS-31 wheels and a spare pair of R-501 for a smidge over budget!

Or 5800 hubs in open pro rims for <£100, the ultimate reliable/rebuildable wheelset.

[edit] depends on your definition of easy to maintain, I like cup and cone hubs and find them easy to work on with simple tools, and will last a lifetime with the bear minimum of TLC if done once in a while. Other people like cartrige bearings they can ignore till the wheel practicaly falls out fo the frame but then need a vice/press to fix. On the other hand easy to maintain might mean replaceable rims which rules out anyhing factory at this price.

Define ‘incredibly low.’

We can be much more helpful if we know the budget and ‘Low’ can be anything from £80 – £400 depending on who you’re dealing with.

fulcrums … my 3’s and 5’s have been flawless, bomb proof, reliable
and easy to maintain.

We can be much more helpful if we know the budget and ‘Low’ can be anything from £80 – £400 depending on who you’re dealing with.

The scirocco are ~£180, the superstars ~£200

Just to clarify, budget is the price of the superstar wheels at £195 but that really is my limit and even then i think i would only buy if they were truely the best by a considerable margin. Sciroccos are £165 new and fulcrums would be second hand value. As for maintenance i guess ones which have spokes readily available as i hear fulcrum ones can be hard to get hold of instantly at an lbs. Happy to go cup and cone as i have worked with that system many times before.

Slightly over but campag zonda at 240 from wiggle are a good buy same as fulcrum 3 as far as i know

Wiggle are currently OOS of Ultegra 6800s, but at £216.50 I’d be saving up the extra £20 while waiting for them to come back into stock

Mike P – how are the ultegras better, i cant see where that extra money is going? This brings me to my next issue and that is can you actually feel the difference in wheels or is it a placebo effect? I guess given the fact my current wheels are in the 2.5kg and more category then the weight might be something you can feel.

can you actually feel the difference in wheels or is it a placebo effect?

You should be able to tell going from those 2.5kg ones to a decentish set.

I’ve got some Campag Khamsin CXs on a winter bike and they are pretty bombproof for me. Certainly buy Campy wheels again (though I am a Campag fanboi so slightly biased). Wiggle have them for £105ish at moment and they’d knock 700g off your bike weight.

Breatheasy – whats the difference between the khamsins and the scirocco’s other than price?

I think the Quattros are the same as Scirroco 35s, IME upgrading from the nearly always awful wheels that come with bikes is about the most noticeable thing you can do. More likely you go to something like fulcrum5, Aksiums, or there deeper rim equivelent, feel the difference and wish you’d spent more.
As above I would save for another month and get some Ultegras or Zondas failing that I would go Aksiums only because I owned several sets and appear bomb proof.

Mavic Aksium are okay and will feel a lot lighter. Handbuilt Mavic Open Pros on a suitable hub are also a great wheelset. Also consider Fulcrum Racing 7.

I don’t much like the lacing pattern on the Campags.

I had a pair of these on my winter training road bike[/url]

Decent quality for the money!

Ultegras are out of my budget and i cant see why they would be better than the other recommendations given they are at £50 more.
I guess its nice to have a choice but it does make it difficult

Fulcrum = Campag without the naff triple spoke gimmick.

Other half has Racing Quattro’s (effectively the Campag Scirocco) and I am v impressed with them,wouldn’t consider my Ultegras to be a better wheel.

Why the Ultegras? Simple… Shimano make great wheels, they’re similar to my RS-80s which are excellent but almost twice as £££ yet the Ultegras weigh only a little more. And they match my groupset which, being a superficial type, makes me happy. That’s why I bought them anyway, no point over-thinking these things!

Ultegras are out of my budget and i cant see why they would be better than the other recommendations given they are at £50 more.

Lighter, and apparenlty easier to service hubs (still C&C, but done with a single allen key!).

Honestly, I’ve got some R-550 for the winter and some 1275g wheels for summer, there’s a difference but not anywhere near as noticable as comparing to the OEM wheels. I’d save the £100 and get the Shimano RS-21 or RS-31. Spend the money on some nice tyres/innertubes that suit your riding (stock STW answer, the biggest GP4000s or GP4season, although I really rate the Sport Contact as a cheap alternative tot he 4season, that’ll fit in your tyres/frame and michelin ultralight tubes).