Bianchi Intenso 2015...what is a worthwhile wheelset upgrade

[mjd1988]

Longtime lurker, longtime confused person in general, first time asker....

I have a second hand bianchi intense 2015 Campagnolo with stock fulcrum racing corsa wheelset. I'm tentatively thinking of my next (i.e first) upgrade and I figure the wheel-set is a good place to start with my Bianchi, mainly through looking through what some other people have suggested.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/bianchi-intenso-veloce-10s-2015/

Assuming that this is correct; I'm a bit clueless at what sort of option to go for for it to be worthwhile. My Budget is pretty fluid (mainly because I don't know how much I should spend). It's also quite hard to get exact details of the wheelset at the moment (weight etc) in order to compare spec.

The bike is amazing and any difference is probably going to be negligible and could probably be achieved by an extra ride a week; but I'm just sort of curious about how people go about making these decisions and any recommendations or info would be greatly appreciated. Even if its just enough information to go to my local LBS and not look quite as clueless as normal

 

[gbb]

I had a Via Nirone with Ambrosio stock wheels which were brilliant, if a bit heavy. I 'upgraded' to Fulcrum Racing 5 Evos at the time £150 and.....,they 'felt' different, they were definately lighter, they're good strong wheels, I still have them now maybe 6 years later....but when I looked back at my ride stats....it made little or no difference to my say 50 mile ride times. They do feel different but not in a way you can put your finger on. I have no regrets, I didn't expect any great difference...i just wanted to 'upgrade'
Spend some decent money on good tyres first I'd say.

 

[gbb]

Oh, and hi mjd. Welcome....

 

[Velochris]

You will feel some difference with decent wheels.

I'd always advise handbuilt but I'm biased as I build myself.

Look at the likes of Justridingalong, Hunt, Strada and DCR. You should be able to get something with a modern wide rim around 1575g for sub £400. They will all be made with easily replaceable parts.

However, decent wheels need decent tyres so always buy the best you can afford.

 

[boydj]

That extra ride a week would make way more difference than a new wheelset, which at this point would seem like spending money for the sake of spending money. With winter fast approaching, any spare cash would be best spent on decent winter kit to keep you comfortable in bad weather when it's hard to get yourself out the door. Alternatively, you could buy a cheap bike capable of taking mudguards to use over the winter.

 

[Globalti]

Unless you are time-trialling or hill-climbing at the absolute limit, more aero or lighter wheels won't make any difference. However a nice set of tyres will give you a smoother ride and better grip, something like a Veloflex open Corsa in 25mm with latex inner tubes will be as close as you can get to tubulars without the hassle. They are amazing tyres but you don't hear or see much of them because they aren't generally advertised. A pair costs around £56 from Ribble Cycles.

 

[accountantpete]

Hi - with road wheels some of the things to look for are

a) Weight. A pair of sub 1500g wheels will usually feature reduced weight at the rim which is very helpful - but you also need good quality of materials, which is where the cost comes in.

b) Aero or Non Aero - non-aero are usually lighter at the rim but don't cut through the air quite as well so personally I don't think there is much in it unless you get a very expensive AND light aero rims. If you go down the aero route look for some modern wheels which are good in crosswinds (many older models were buffeted badly by crosswinds).

c) Comfort - I run a relatively heavy C50 Shimano Aero front (Carbon rim with alloy braking track) but the spokes terminate where they meet the carbon and the carbon bit absorbs road buzz - a lot better that if the carbon bit is just an aero fairing and not structural.

d) Spares - always check to see if a freehub/spokes are easily available as many of them are made of cheese in order to keep the weight down.

e) Google - have a google about any problems with wheels you are thinking of buying. For example if you search Shimano C50 problems you will find lots of horror stories about the braking surface (they actually just need careful toeing in of the brake pads).

 

[Ajax Bay]

how people go about making these decisions

My comment is more about how people might rationally go about deciding on / choosing a wheelset upgrade.
Get good tyres on (25s) as a first step. @Globalti has suggested some (but bear in mind that with latex tubes they'll need to be pumped up to pressure before every ride). There are many other threads about tyres.
You have Fulcrum Racing Corsa wheels, which are the 2013 Fulcrum's entry-level Racing 7s - well below the standard of the Intenso frame. NB Any wheels you buy must have Campagnolo freehubs.
Decide why you want to upgrade.
Cycle faster? How fast (on average) is your regular ride? If it's less than 30kph, better wheels will not make much difference. Over that and you will benefit from wheels with aero advantage.
Climb better? You could get wheels 300g (maybe even 400) lighter than the Corsas. How heavy are you? And what is 300g as a percentage of your + 8.3kg bike's weight? 0.33%? Are your pedals light? Could you get ones 100g lighter? Upgrading the FSA crankset could save you more than 200g. Carry 300ml less water?
Accelerate faster out of corners on races? See above (rotational inertia reduction), with lateral stiffness possibly a minor consideration.
More comfort? Good tyres, as wide as the frame allows (?25mm) will have far greater effect than any wheel change (from Corsas).
Look better (to you and others)? Crack on. Deep profile rims look fast. So do wheels with very few spokes, preferably bladed not round, and straight pull (elbows are so twentieth century). Rims without (stealth) or with graphics? Colour and make of hubs? Brand name very important FFWD, Cosmic, Zipp or a (mid-range) wheelset (eg Zondas) with Campagnolo on them, in keeping with the OP's Italian (designed and branded) lovely bike.
HTH

 

[mjd1988]

Wow some excellent and far ranging replies. I know that ultimately any improvement is going to come through more training, and any weight loss would most easily come from me...I weigh about 85 kg (6 foot) which is about as low as I would want to go whilst doing triathlon and weight training.

With regards to why change tyres....I like to tinker a bit with things to start with. I also feel it would improve my enjoyment to have an added boost when tackling hills; I live in Belfast so the outskirts are quite hilly in all directions out of the city (nothing too sustained or challenging but enough to zapp the energy in the early miles. I'd also like to get down south to the mournes at some point to work on hills). Appearance-wise I don't care that much aside from not wanting to totally ruin the general gorgeousness of the frame, and I think spending big bucks on aero would be superfluous given that I have plenty of improvements to make in my own ability and I haven't done many rides over 40 miles.

As a few people have said I think I will upgrade the tyres first of all as a) they could probably do with it soon given wear and b) the stock ones aren't great to begin with. Comfort isn't too much of an issue as the Bianchi is so much smoother than the MTBs of my youth but I may well try the 25mms (i'll check out the Veloflex open Corsa and some more reading up to do on rolling resistance as well!). That'll scratch the itch till spring and then i'll re-investigate wheelsets.

So basically I've learned a lot and have a lot more to learn! thanks guys!

 

[Ajax Bay]

Tyres - have a play with this site. I have compared Conti GP4000S2 v Vittoria Corsa G+ v Michelin Pro 4 End (for you). Take care your frame has sufficient clearance for the wider tyres. I think your Fulcrums have 17mm internal rim width.
https://www.bicyclerollingresistanc...rance-v2-2015-vs-vittoria-corsa-graphene-2016

 

[Velochris]

Everything is abut margins and it is correct that weight savings are tiny when considering bike + rider weight. Given that the difference between a steel and carbon frame is also tiny yet few of us ride steel now.

We don't get paid for riding but we do it for enjoyment. Time margins do not matter but if you enjoy experimenting with something different then that is part of the enjoyment for you so go for it. I never care if I see someone with all the bling but going pretty slow. If they are enjoying themselves then that is what matters.

Alternatively, try second hand stuff. You don't get hit with the same depcriciation and if you don't like something sell it on again. Your loss will be far less than a new stock. Saddles are a prime example. You never really know until you try several but this is costly if bought new.

Definitely a wise choice to just start with tyres. There are lots of reports about rolling resistance etc. but I agree the feel of Veloflex tyres seems something special to me. They arrive folded in a small packet (or at least used to) which shows how supple they are.

 

[Elybazza61]

Probably something like Campag Zondas at a minimum, but I'd be looking at some nice handbuilts from someone like these(other builders are available);

https://thecycleclinic.co.uk/collections/road-rim-brake-wheelsets

http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/wheelsets

Have a set of carbon rims(sort of Zipp dimple look-alike) built on to Hope hubs from Wheelsmith which are excellent.

 

[bpsmith]

I have Zonda’s and they were a great upgrade from the stock Fulcrum 7’s on my Bianchi Sempre Pro.

Heard good things about Wheelsmith also, but no personal experience.