Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Upgrade the stock wheels on my Canondale

Hi guys!

Well, last night my chain jumped into my spokes when climbing and ruined my back wheel - 3 torn spokes, few more bent and the hub is not rotating freely anymore. Totally my fault for not properly adjusting the derailleur...  7
What would be a sensible upgrade to the Maddux RS 3.0 wheels that came stock with the Caad8?
I'm trying to keep it in the £120-150 mark and I was eyeing the Shimano RS21 wheels, but in the same ballpark are Mavic Aksiums, Fulcrum 7, numerous unknown to me other wheels, some custom eBay wheels on 105 hubs, etc...
I'd rather get a set than just replace the rear wheel and I'll fix the stock wheels myself in the future so I'll have a spare set.
I don't care much about weight, I'm not doing any racing nor planning to. Durability is my main concern, I will probably use my 28 Gatorskins again for the winter.
I'm about 85-90kg and I ride about 12-15 miles a day 4-5 days a week in London. Plenty of potholes  1

Thanks in advance!

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

Add new comment

24 comments

Avatar
Welsh boy | 8 years ago
0 likes

Cosine wheels from Wiggle, I have 2 pairs now, the 32mm version on my best bike were so good I bought a pair of the 24mm for my work bike when my Aksium's needed replacing.  Much better than the old Mavics, I am very impressed with them.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cosine-24mm-alloy-clincher-road-wheelset/

Avatar
Danno | 8 years ago
0 likes

Superstar paves.

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/zeal-pave28-racebuild.htm

use the sale code and they are well within budget.

Avatar
steviemarco | 8 years ago
0 likes

Stretch your budget and get a set of Ksyrium's you won't be disappointed. I have Aksium's on my CAAD12 and hate them but can't stretch to a set of Ksyrium Pro's which I really want.

Avatar
Topcat | 8 years ago
0 likes

I have a CAAD 8 that came with RS 3.0 wheels. The freehubs in those formula wheels are very poorly sealed and its easier to ruin a hub from water ingress.

I upgraded to Shimano Ultegra wheels and they've been very reliable despite my 90-95kg weight and doing a few lightly loaded long rides as weel as commuting.

I would have thought that and wheelset with a decent hub would make a considerable upgrade.

Avatar
dottigirl | 8 years ago
0 likes

Have just bought the CAAD8 and am rebuilding it with Ultegra and EDCO Optima Roches. 

However, the Roches have a rim width of 24mm. Does anyone know if there will be clearance for a pair of 28mm Conti 4000s II? Specs do say there 'should' be clearance for 28mm tyres, but I had mixed messages from the supplier when I enquired.

Avatar
Topcat replied to dottigirl | 8 years ago
0 likes

dottigirl wrote:

Have just bought the CAAD8 and am rebuilding it with Ultegra and EDCO Optima Roches. 

However, the Roches have a rim width of 24mm. Does anyone know if there will be clearance for a pair of 28mm Conti 4000s II? Specs do say there 'should' be clearance for 28mm tyres, but I had mixed messages from the supplier when I enquired.

 

I found Micheline Lithion IIs in 25mm were really close to the caliper. Sometimes leaves or mud would cause rub with the tyre. With Continental GP4000s II or Grand Prix GT in 25mm there is reasonable clearance but I think 28mm would be pushing it.

Avatar
Stef Marazzi | 8 years ago
0 likes

I would steer clear of anything less than 28 spokes in a wheel, if you want reliability. I'm 90 Kilos, and can still break spokes on a 28 spoke wheel. Some of these recommendations are for 24 spoke wheels.

Avatar
Dinkumpoop | 8 years ago
0 likes

Maddux R3.0's are a great cheap wheel. They're super strong. They're lightish - 519g rim - but they're badly built. Lack of de-tensioning aside, their spoke holes are straight drilled, as opposed to angle drilled, which requires a rounded nipple, so it can follow the spokeline. Alas, they don't come with rounded nipples, they come with flat nipples, which seats itself at a virtual right angle, and kinks the spoke, and creates a weak spot. They come with 1.8mm plain gauge spokes, which I'd probably replace with 2mm plain gauges or double butteds, but I'd definitely replace the nips with DT Swiss Pro-Heads or equivalent. So, in conclusion, great cheap wheel not living up to its potential. It's practically a fable.

Avatar
73degrees | 10 years ago
0 likes

With your emphasis on reliability, and you say you are commuting so I am assuming you may be carrying extra weight on the bike as well as yourself, I would look at shimano 105 hubs and mavic open pro rims and go for 36 spoke at least in the rear possibly 32 in the front. This will make a lovely serviceable wheelset that you can re rim in the future if needs be, and reliable hubs that you can service at home.
Factory built wheels are great until you wear the rim out or brake a spoke and cant get the parts and all tend to be lower spoke counts so as to get within certain weights.
I can built you the wheels for around £220 with sapim spokes if you contact me in the shop. Regards Jim @ www.73degreesbicycles.com

Avatar
LinusLarrabee | 10 years ago
1 like

The spokes in the RS 3.0s that came with my CAAD8 started failing in my rear wheel after around 1,500 km. But I was a heavy guy at the time - around 240 lbs. I'd get the spokes replaced and then another one would go a week or two later. I switched to Mavic Aksiums and didn't have any problems with those - I've still got them as a spare set after selling my CAAD8 earlier this year.

Avatar
King_Louis replied to LinusLarrabee | 8 years ago
0 likes

LinusLarrabee wrote:

The spokes in the RS 3.0s that came with my CAAD8 started failing in my rear wheel after around 1,500 km. But I was a heavy guy at the time - around 240 lbs. I'd get the spokes replaced and then another one would go a week or two later. I switched to Mavic Aksiums and didn't have any problems with those - I've still got them as a spare set after selling my CAAD8 earlier this year.

 

I've had the same problem, I'm going with the Aksiums but have managed to get a free upgrade.

Avatar
CRadoslavov | 10 years ago
0 likes

I've decided to go with the R501 after all. I was thinking about getting Mavic Aksiums, but see many biased opinions about these wheels, so I've changed my mind.
I've decided to save some money and complete the 105 kit on my bike by ordering a new 105 cassette. Also the notorious BB30 creaking started last week and I'll convert to 105 crank in the future as well, so money are limited for wheels at the moment.
Cheers for all the help!

Avatar
Mombee | 10 years ago
0 likes

I put Shimano RS30 on my Cannondale R700 a year ago, and they look as indestructible as the original Shimano R501's… certainly no problems to date… http://mombee.com/2014/shimano-rs30-budget-deep-rim-wheel-set/
The newer version, RS31, are £130 at Merlin cycles… http://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-rs31-wheels-pair-62845.html

Avatar
DrJDog | 10 years ago
0 likes

I've had Fulcrum 5s on my year round commuter bike, have been roughly 90kg for two years of that and they have been pain free. Had Fulcrum 7s before that, but I gave them to my brother after 6 months, so I can't say anything about them, really.

Avatar
jamtartman | 10 years ago
0 likes

I weigh 84 kilos and commute all year round approx 18 miles a day. I had rs10s originally, but they kept breaking spokes at the nipple end. rs21s dont look much better constructed, if at all. I changed to ksyrium elites last year and they have been bullet proof and needed no maintenance. Not sure what that says about Aksiums specifically, but I would favour Mavic based on my experience.

Avatar
Must be Mad | 10 years ago
0 likes

Aksiums are OK, but horrible in a crosswind.
They have stood up to the rough and agricultural roads down here in the South west reasonably well (Potholes in London? You should see the roads down here!). After 18 months or so, they are no longer true, but not so far off they are a concern.

Personally, I would go for Fulcrum Quattros

Avatar
Chris James | 10 years ago
0 likes

I've had some RS30s for a few years, they appear indestructible and usually attract positive comments. I weigh about 75 kg but a mate who is an ex rugby player also has a pair on his winter bike and has had no problems.

Avatar
Chris James | 10 years ago
0 likes

I've had some RS30s for a few years, they appear indestructible and usually attract positive comments. I weigh about 75 kg but a mate who is an ex rugby player also has a pair on his winter bike and has had no problems.

Avatar
JamesE279 | 10 years ago
0 likes

I don't know the other options, but I bought a set of RS21 and am pretty happy.

The standards RS3.0 rear wheel started 'losing' spokes after ~1,000 miles, they'd go at the bend, so I'm expecting that the straight-pull spokes of the RS21s will overcome this issue.

They are noticeably stiffer and spin easier at high speeds than the standard wheels, and so far have proved durable. I'm about 90Kg, and have ridden a few hundred miles on them over the usual mix of city road surfaces this spring-summer, with no problems.

The pair are a bit under £120 from wiggle, only a bit more than buying a single rear wheel.

J

Avatar
dafyddp | 10 years ago
0 likes

I've just upgraded the cheap wheel that came on my Forme winter bike to slightly less cheap Shimano RS11s, which were £90 from Merlin Cycles. The RS11s have a low spoke count, so if rider-weight is an issue, an alternative might be the even cheaper R501s which are on sale for £75/pair. They're not the lightest wheels around, but if you just want dependability, they're a bargain IMO

Avatar
DanTe | 10 years ago
0 likes

I would steer clear of Aksiums. I Was around the same weight as you and had lots of issues commuting and riding them.
They can't take a big hit from a bigger rider and can be a bugger for going out of true.
I think I would go something like Ultegra hubs, open Pro and plenty of spokes.
Get a decent local bike shop/wheel builder to sort it out.
At the lower price end I would take a bigger weight penalty in a durability comfy trade off.
Then if all goes well you can then start spending 4-500 which will get you into the decent, lighter, 'summer' wheel territory.
I hate that term 'bomb proof', should be banned from forums. I have two sets of bombproof wheels, Aksiums and Ksyrium Elites and both are a long way from being bombproof..

Avatar
Nixster replied to DanTe | 10 years ago
0 likes

Can you let me know the name of the LBS or wheel builder who will sell me a pair of Open Pro on Ultegra hubs for £120-£150 please? Seems like a good investment opportunity to me as they generally cost about twice that.

I retract 'bombproof' and substitute 'have a generally good reputation for reliability and performance considering their price' and accept that for every generalisation there is a contradictory anecdote.

Oh, and Aksiums don't have a weight limit either, which information may be of use to the OP, in the context of his original request.

Avatar
Simon E replied to DanTe | 8 years ago
0 likes

DanTe wrote:

I would steer clear of Aksiums. I Was around the same weight as you and had lots of issues commuting and riding them.

I was told recently by LBS mechanic that Aksiums were not built with durability in mind.

Fulcrum 7 CX may suit your purpose. The CX designation means they have better seals and 23mm rim width, which is good if using wider tyres (28mm and up). Fulcrum blurb here.

I like wheels with cup-and-cone bearings so would suggest Shimano R501 (or RS010 if you have or intend to go to 11 speed). Spending more doesn't bring any real benefit so I I'd discount the RS11 and RS21. Also, both these have only 16 & 20 spokes f&r. Weight difference is often in the hub and TBH saving 200-300g makes sod-all difference in the real world, even when climbing hills. Use the money saved to buy some nicer tyres for when the weather improves.

Before you buy I'd recommend searching on ebay for someone local selling OE wheels because they upgraded - sort by nearest first.

Avatar
Nixster | 10 years ago
0 likes

Aksiums were what I fitted as an upgrade on my Synapse - loads available on Ebay second hand or 'nearly new'. With some decent tyres they were a big step up from the Maddux rims it came with. For factory wheels they're fairly bomb proof too and decent hand-builts are a bit more than you budget really. I found the Fulcrums harder to find and generally more expensive than the Mavics.

Latest Comments