Just wanted to update everyone on what I did, and why, following everyone's fantastic advice.
With it being winter, I do a lot of my training on an indoor turbo trainer. I've got a sportive coming up at the start of march, and then an olympic distance triathlon in May, so for me, the most essential thing was having a set of tyres and tubes that are fast and more puncture proof than what I currently have. (As discussed, the quality of my current kit is pretty poor relative to modern road bike standards).
I looked around and Continental tyres seemed like the best shout. It was then a case of choosing between the indestructible Gatorskin tyre, or the fast GP 4000s II tyre. I was leaning more towards gatorskins in terms of reliability, but considering I'm going to be using the tyres to race, the GP's seemed like the better all-round option. My decision was made for me when I was able to buy a PAIR of 25mm GP's for £60 through
Evans cycles, whereas these tyres usually retail at £60 each. I also picked up a couple of suitable Bontrager inner tubes for another £11. And that was that, so I thought.
But having saved myself £60, I looked around to see what I could get in terms of wheels for that money. The obvious answer is not a lot, but I then stumbled upon a pair of Rodi Airline 5's from
Ribble, which had been reduced more than 50% from £130 to £60. It seemed a bit too good to be true, but the reviews were plentiful and generally very positive, with the only real criticism from a couple of buyer's was that the rim tape was weak and had caused punctures.
I weighed up whether getting these wheels would be worth it, and in the end, the pros outweighed the cons. While they were a cheap set and I wouldn't get much more in terms of performance out of the wheels compared to what I currently have, they were lighter and had a lower spoke count than my current set, and looked considerably nicer due to shallow rims and black spokes. The biggest advantage though, would be to have a set of training wheels and race wheels, or rather an indoor and outdoor set, both pre-set up with tubes and tyres. I wouldn't have to faff about changing the rear tyre every time I hooked my bike up to the trainer, and that in itself, to me, is well worth £60.
Of course, that wasn't the only cost, as I then needed to invest in a new 7 speed cassette, due to my indoor wheels being freewheel and my new outdoor wheels being a proper cassette freehub. I also needed to buy the right spacer so that the wheel could accommodate the narrower 7 speed, and I need to buy a shimano lockring tool along with a chain whip, so that I could fit and remove the cassette if need be, respectively.
All in all, with everything tallied, I've managed to get a fully working set of wheels, setup included, for the cost of £170.
Will this bike retain that sort of value if sold on with these wheels? Probably not, but then again, I won't need to sell them. If I do upgrade to a better bike in a couple of years time, when I'm no longer a student and have more expendable income, then I can sell my current bike with the wheels it was purchased with. If the new bike I buy then has better wheels than my current setup, then my new wheels could then become my indoor set, the only cost being a different rear cassette to match the number of gears my new bike has. Regardless, having a second set of fully functional wheels seems like the way to go.
I understand that for most people on here, money isn't as tight as it is for me, but I feel like I wanted to share all this to demonstrate that it doesn't have to cost a fortune to get into road cycling. I bought my Carrera Zelos for £210 new, and over the last couple of years I've upgraded the saddle and seatpost to make it more comfy, as well as replacing the handlebar tape from white to black in order to make it look smarter and less grubby.
For less than £500, I've been able to buy a complete bike, along with a spare set of wheels that can be used on future bikes, AND I've been able to customise it how I've wanted to.
Again, thank you to everyone on here for your advice, I personally feel like I've got a lot for my money and done well to find various deals on cheap equipment, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter!
I'm aware of the availability of 7 speed cassettes, but they require a 7 speed hub to pair with. These are, for all intents and purposes, unavailable - so given the OP has already said that their bike has a 7 speed freewheel - I was trying to keep things simple as any new 7 speed wheels will almost certainly be freewheel based.
