New wheels wanted

[gbb]

Hmmm, got £300 burning a hole in my pocket
I'm not a racer, but a commuter/leisure/fitness cyclist.
Bianchi Via Nirone...all pretty standard including the wheels, Ambrosio WS23s on Miche hubs.
The wheels (ive had two Bianchi with these wheels) have been bombproof, no problems whatsoever, but i fancy a little bling and something that'll hopefully give me some more speed.

Its a bloomin nightmare trying to pick something.

Options...
Easton EA70s...£300, I fancied them, nice wheels but reading the reviews are prone to spoke breakage and a freehub that damages easily. Kinda put me off.

Mavics...i read spoke availability issues again.

Campag factory builds,. Scirroco. I dunno, i'm just not a lover of the G3 spoking pattern. Should i put that to one side. Are they going to run that much better than my standard wheels ?

Or handbuilds ?
Is a veloce hub going to run that much better than the Miche ? The rim options are endless and i'll probably consider something like Open Pros...but then, do handbuilds require moderate maintenance (trueing) .

If its not obvious, it's not really bling i'm after (although that is a factor anyway) but will i get a faster set of wheels for the money...

I'm sure everyone has a corner to shout...give me your best

 

[accountantpete]

All the Campag wheels I have had (Zonda & Eurus) have been well built and you can get little spoke repair kits with (2 of each spoke) for around £20. They do tend to run a liittle off true after a while so you would need to be handy with a spoke key.

Any pair between £300 -£400 wil be a considerable and noticeable improvement - mainly due to their lightness,stiffer rims, aero spokes and better hubs.

I'd google around about spoke breakages and freehub wear on any wheel that you are interested in.

 

[eldudino]

Fulcrums are worth a look, Racing 3's get a very good write up and can be had for £350 if you shop around.

 

[oldgreyandslow]

I have a bianchi via nirone and fitted fulcrum racing 5's great improvement with bontrager tyres but a sod to fit the tyres too though.

They're on wiggle at £207

http://www.wiggle.co...ncher-wheelset/

I got mine from merlin

http://www.merlincyc...-+Pair_1557.htm

OK they are in silver not black but for £150 I decided they would do, and they came with decent hope skewers and a cassette locking ring.

 

[pawl]

Just bought pair of Mavic Ksyrium Equip from Merlincycles Cost £ 244.95 plus a further10% discount for ordering befor this coming weekend..Ordered yestrday Thu delivered today Fri. Not had chance to try them yet. If they are as good as the Mavic Askiums which they are replacing which i have ridden for the last 4 years i will be well pleased

 

[gbb]

I have a bianchi via nirone and fitted fulcrum racing 5's great improvement with bontrager tyres but a sod to fit the tyres too though.

They're on wiggle at £207

http://www.wiggle.co...ncher-wheelset/

I got mine from merlin

http://www.merlincyc...-+Pair_1557.htm

OK they are in silver not black but for £150 I decided they would do, and they came with decent hope skewers and a cassette locking ring.

Took that on board and ordered some from merlins

ironically, i didnt want to..err compromise for want of a better word, but at £150 (normally £200 +), i'm going to fit some low friction bearings so hopefully i'll get some free'er (ooer) running wheels.
I felt between a rock and a hard place spending £300. Its maybe not quite enough to get some really good wheels, but didnt want to buy something that was maybe not much better than what i already had.
With a bearing upgrade and the cost of the wheels, i'm happy.

I did ponder how silver wheels would look, but just bit the bullet anyway.

Many thanks for everyones input

 

[gbb]

Wheels are here

Freehubs errr ...noisy, but i like that sometimes. I use it when i'm commuting. When your coming up behind someone, a nice little buzz lets them know.
Conti gators...what a nightmare to get on till i tried a different tack..Just getting the first side on seemed impossible, i've got strong hands, but couldnt get anywhere near. Put a smear of washing up liquid on the beads then use a tyre lever from the inside and slide the lever round the wheel circumference to push the tyre onto the rim. (like a machine that fits a car tyre) Its still not easy...but 100% easier than trying to use your hands.

Campag 10 speed cassette ? I seem to remember having this on my last wheels, the final sprocket (11T) doesn't really engage until you start tightening the lockring. Slide on all the sprockets and spacers, that last sprocket just seems to sit on top, the teeth dont engage in the freehub splines. Still, held it in place, tighten up the lockring, and it seems fine. Does that sound familiar ?

Silver wheels...i like it. I was worried how it'd look, but its given the whole bike a lift.

Off work tomorrow...off for a spin

 

[accountantpete]

You can quieten the freehub with a bit of grease on the hub section that the pawls sit in.

What bearings were you planning to use?

 

[gbb]

You can quieten the freehub with a bit of grease on the hub section that the pawls sit in.

What bearings were you planning to use?

TBF, spinning the wheels indoors makes tham sound REAL noisy, but once you're riding they're no noisier than the Ambrosios that were on. Even then, when i think about it, they've quietened down with age, so these may do the same. But the Fulcrums are'nt exceptionally noisy on the bike.

Bearings...the standards are 6001-2RS (i gather). When i was overhauling my FSA BB, talking to a friend in the transmission trade, he suggested -2RZ. There are basically the same bearings but with low friction seals and you can really feel the difference just spinning the bearing in your hands. They run so much more freely. Ive got some ordered...hopefully fit them in the next few days..

Despite my being worried what silver wheels would look like....i really like the look

 

[jay clock]

I have Easton Circuits which are the EA70 from 2 years back. Rock solid, no spokes broken and very true. The freehub damage issue is not in any way a problem. I emailed Easton and got a reassurring reply.

I now have 2 pairs of them (long story!). Looking to sell one. DOne about 1500 miles in the dry and very good nick. £120. PM me if interested

Jay