Defy Advanced Pro 3 - Disc Wheelset Upgrade

[Dan Ferris]

Morning Everyone,

I am starting to look at wheel upgrades to be purchased in the next couple of months for my Giant Defy Advanced Pro 3 as it is currently running on the standard wheels and tyres, which for this time of year is perfect.

The current spec of the wheels that are on there are:
Rims Giant SL 1 Disc WheelSystem
Hubs Giant SL 1 Disc WheelSystem
Spokes Giant SL 1 Disc WheelSystem
Tyres Giant P-SL1 front/rear specific, 700x25mm, Folding

The current spec of the cassette and brakes are:
Brakes Shimano RS785 hydraulic disc 140mm
Brake Levers Shimano R505 hydraulic disc
Cassette Shimano 105 11x32

During the winter i am using the bike for shorter sharp rides and then as the weather improves it will be used for club runs of 60 / 70 miles. The requirements for the new wheels are the same as why anybody purchases an upgrade, to remove the heavier stock wheels and tyres and improve the overall package.

On my previous entry level Giant i put a set of Campag Zondas with Schwalbe tyres on and it transformed the bike, hence the reason for me looking to upgrade on my new Defy Advanced Pro 3.

What i need some help with is trying to get the best value wheel and tyre upgrade but being a disc brake version when looking through Wiggle's website as a first port of call the options are limited.

I have a budget of around £500 which i am hoping i can get the wheel set and tyres to go with them, these seem to have a lot of good reviews and were a rival to the Campags that i bought mentioned above.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing-5-lg-disc-brake-wheelset-qr-centrelock/

So, could those with more knowledge than i put forward any suggestions so i can start saving a bit of cash to then pull the trigger in a couple of months time.

Thanks in advance.

Dan

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

I start with Mavic and go from there. There's a Ksyrium disc model in the £300 range and Kinesis for similar money

 

[Milkfloat]

I would just change the tyres to something decent and see how you get on. Don't bother with the wheels until they are knackered.

 

[Joffey]

Go aero. More gains to be had over weight. Suppose your disc rotor will impede any aero gains though so maybe go for something uber light.

 

[Dan Ferris]

I would just change the tyres to something decent and see how you get on. Don't bother with the wheels until they are knackered.

An interesting point - and after reading up a similar route that others have taken with the SL1 wheel's. Thanks for the alternative, maybe £100 on a set of tyres would leave me with £400 change plus the exact same 'performance'...?!

 

[bonsaibilly]

It's a complete waste of five hundred quid in my opinion as the giant wheels are good. Tyres you can upgrade very well for fifty notes.

For info, fulcrum r5 is one rung below zonda, at least in marketed spec.

Bb

 

[mattobrien]

I upgraded the wheels on my disc braked roadie. It came with Mavic Ksyriums. I was thinking about getting the Ksyrium Pro disc, which were around £800 at the time but ended up with some Fulcrum Quattro Carbon discs. They were around £700, which is a smudge over budget, but everyone should have some mid depth carbons - they look nice, which clearly makes you go faster.

Plus being disc braked, you're not going to wear out the rims, so another reason to go carbon

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

I upgraded the wheels on my disc braked roadie. It came with Mavic Ksyriums. I was thinking about getting the Ksyrium Pro disc, which were around £800 at the time but ended up with some Fulcrum Quattro Carbon discs. They were around £700, which is a smudge over budget, but everyone should have some mid depth carbons - they look nice, which clearly makes you go faster.

Plus being disc braked, you're not going to wear out the rims, so another reason to go carbon

They are superb wheels though, pricey but when the sunlight hits them

 

[Dan Ferris]

Thanks for your responses - i think i will save the money and spend it on some tyres and evaluate from there.

 

[jowwy]

you can never have enough sets of blingy wheels to choose from..........