wheels upgrade......another one

[cityfan247]

Hi,
i know there are loads of threads on this topic but having read quite a few i still need some advice. handbuilts v factory etc etc all gets a bit confusing.

some background
i have a mid range alum frame Spesh Secteur Elite around £1k, i weigh around 100kg, cycling is fun/keep fit i dont 'race' as such.
i am looking to upgrade the stock cpx 22's. These are very solid wheels if not the lightest and i am looking for wheels a bit lighter, more responsive and any help up hills would be greatly appreciated.

with all this in mind i could not justify spending £500 or more on some Ksyrium Elites or something (even if i had that sort of cash). I would limit my budget to around £300 (hopefully less)

instead i had been looking at maybe Fulcrum 5 or even 3's (can pick 3's up at just over £300 if you shop around) or the Mavic Ksyrium Equipes (slightly more). I think both have been given decent reviews and i would hope i would see a noticeable difference over my CPX22.

Now a friend of a friend has offered me a pair of brand new Mavic Open Pro with Shimano 105 hub for under £100. no idea on the spokes however. Seems a good deal to me- how do they compare with the Fulcrums or Equipes? Would they be noticeably better than the cpx 22's and maybe be better value or should i still go for the others or something else?

cheers

 

[Rob3rt]

Ride your current wheels into the ground.

 

[BSRU]

I do not take part in any competitive cycling and have no plans to, I cycle for fun.
I have a set of Mavic Ksyrium Equipes and the Specialized Secteur stock set of CPX22 for my road bike, the Mavics are better in a placebo way.
If you have the money burning a whole in your pocket then buy some more expensive wheels but don't expect a significant difference.

It's always handy to have at spare set of ready to go wheels, buy the pair of wheels of your mate and save your money.

 

[jay clock]

I tend to agree, stick with what you have. I have spent a lot on wheels (I am no lightweight) and convinced that losing 10kg in weight by being less porky is far more benefit than spending hundreds on new wheels.

To give an example I have been to Lanzarote a few times. One year I took my Trek 1.2 with cheap wheels. And 11k climb took about 49 mins. Year 2, new BMW bike, Easton wheels, a lot of weight saved and I was 10 secs faster. Not sure of the exactly like for like conditions, but tbh I wasn't going up there much faster!

having said that I have Dura Ace wheels with RRP of £1300 that look great and make me feel great!

 

[Cyclist33]

Open pro on 105 hubs brand new 100 quid... bite your mate's hand off.

Stu

 

[cityfan247]

thanks for the replies so far.
i am a bit surprised that no-one has recommended the wheel upgrade. i thought a wheels upgrade over the stock ones on most bikes was THE one upgrade most people would go for it terms of improvement -certainly more so than groupsets etc.

Given my bike isnt a top of the range superlight carbon £2-£3k one and i am not built like a whippet i am not expecting some new wheels to be some magic wand to make me go 5mph quicker and fly up climbs with ease but better wheels would perhaps be some help- or aren't Mavic CPX22 all that terrible? I know losing some body weight is the real way to see significant improvement in performance. I lost some weight last summer and saw a marked improvement in my cycling by the end of the season as a result.

Anyway i have decided to save my money- i already knew getting some £800 wheelset was not going to be a worthwhile investment for me , it appears a £300 set isnt much better value either.

So i shall take up the offer of the Open Pros from my mate's friend for £90. No point in throwing money away so thank you for the advice. With the money i have potentially saved i might start looking at getting another (cheaper) bike for next winter.