What wheel set should I get?

One of the most often asked questions in the Cycling industry is Wheels!

I want something light and strong; I keep breaking spokes, what’s the best climbing wheel, Carbon or Alloy? Radially laced, 2 cross, 3 cross and on and on.

The truth is there is no one wheel that meets all the criteria. Generally people comprise, if they use the same wheel set every day. There are good choices here and bad. A good choice for a roadie is something like a Mavic Open pro with an Ultegra hub, 32 spoke, a good all round wheel, almost bullet proof and not too heavy! For a road commuter that may need something fairly robust,  Velocity have a great range of wheels including the Chucker, Dyad and some deep V rims that are heavier, take a lot of punishment and accommodate  the  larger Rider and reasonably priced.

If you buy a light wheel to ride every day and in all weather, economically it may not be a good decision, A high end wheel will be light but they attain that weight saving buy reducing materials in the wheel, they have less spokes, they could run an extremely light Hub and the rim /braking service could or will be thinner. Less material on the braking surface means the rim will wear quicker, especially if ridden in all conditions, You will have heard that noise when braking in the rain, that’s all the road grime embedded in your brake pads chewing your rims out!

I run a set of Shimano Dura Ace C24’s they have been a great all round wheel, although the braking surface on the rear is well worn & due for replacement. They would have done around 50k (including Ventoux, Tourmalet & Alpe d Huez!) and ridden in all conditions These wheels are well priced around $1200 (even cheaper from the UK). Remembering now all Shimano wheels will be provided with an 11 speed free hub. (they do provide a spacer for 10 speed)

So the solution to all this is to have two sets of wheels (or even 3!) Many roadies run a training wheel during the week and pull there nice wheels out for the Saturday Crit or the Coffee Shop thrash around the River! Nothing like turning up to the Muz with those Zipp 808’s or the latest Lightweights to really impress. It matters not that the winner did it on some Mavic Aksiums!

There are unlimited choices if you are after a nice wheel, especially if money is no object, many will have specific traits, Time Trialling, Sprinting and Climbing, Remember many of these wheels do not have longevity in mind. Wheels can make up to 30% of a bicycles weight, so saving here can reduce a bike weight significantly.

Rider weight is a significant factor; it is rare to see a weight rating for a wheel these days, they used to be published on the manufactures web site (some still do). If you are over 90kg be careful with selecting your high end wheel set! (Zipp make a Clydesdale for a larger rider) alternately a 55gk rider could probably ride any wheel all day!

There are many mid-range wheels that should suit the majority of riders (mid-range meaning weight, longevity & price) I have mentioned the C24’s, others include DT Swiss, Roval wheels are said to have a lifetime warranty? (there would have to be conditions there?) and then there’s Mavic who make a wheel for every occasion and general supplied on a lot of new bikes.

I am interested in any good stories on your favourite wheel set.