Wheelset Upgrade

CXR94Di2 wrote:

Buy some Ebay deep rim carbon wheels.  A set of 80mm deep will cost around £300-350. They weigh virtually the same as standard wheels, make you go faster on average and if you damage them just buy another wheel or pair. 

In concept I agree with this (I bought some Planet X R50s tubulars many years ago for around £400; they weighed <1400g the pair and have been outstanding; clearly these are well selected Chinese wheels with PX branding*).

However, given that wheels are a pretty critical interface between bike and road and somewhat vital in keeping you alive, surely it would make sense to buy cheap ebay wheels from a well regarded Chinese manufacturer, rather than any old totally random cheap Chinese carbon wheels?  Or is it now generally accepted that all carbon wheels coming out of Asian factories and sold on ebay are of a sufficient quality to be properly safe?

Quick google of chinese carbon wheels provides suggestions of some particularly well regarded manufacturers.

[* Happy to be corrected if this assertion is incorrect, but for the price, it is hard to see how I could be far wrong]

R2_B2 wrote:

Hey thanks for the replies.

I did some googling and have found some contenders.

Cero AR30 EVO, the Hunt Race Aero Wide and Mavic Ksyrium Elite UST or the Mavic Open Pro UST after the suggestion above.

Does anyone have any experience using any of these?

Would there be a noticable improvment over the PR2's?

Friend of mine has the Hunts and hate to admit it, but the aero benefit he gained is more noticeable than I gained from getting light weight Shimano wheels. However, after 2 years his rims are showing way more wear than mine. Given that he is lighter, have similar maintenance and we ride the same routes together makes me feel that they must be less robust. Notwithstanding that, my next set of wheels will be aero.

R2_B2 wrote:

Hey thanks for the replies.

I did some googling and have found some contenders.

Cero AR30 EVO, the Hunt Race Aero Wide and Mavic Ksyrium Elite UST or the Mavic Open Pro UST after the suggestion above.

Does anyone have any experience using any of these?

Would there be a noticable improvment over the PR2's?

Depends on where you ride and what your current average speed is. Faster you go the more that aero benefits you because drag squares with speed. Unless you're a decent club racer or you're currently riding on a set of 3kg wheels new wheels in the sub-£500 bracket aren't going to make much of an improvement. Remember the difference between the PR2s and a lightweight wheelset is the weight of a half full bidon. Aero is more noticeable, but you need to be averaging up in high teens/low 20mph bracket to really benefit. You'll go faster cheaper by working on your position and losing some weight.

Having said all that you do have the shiny new toys factor to consider. Anything new shaves 5% off your times