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Worthy wheelset upgrade for my bike?
Hey,
I currently have a Bianchi Aria 105 Disc and I am looking forward to getting either the Campagnolo Bora WTO45 or the Campagnolo Bora One. I am in huge dilemma with myself whether this is a worthy upgrade having in mind that I have a "mid-range" frame with "lower-end" groupset and spending around 2k on wheels? The pros are that I can use the wheels on further bikes/frames and that I have zero issues with the 105 gearing so far. What are your thoughts on this ? Also some other factors are that there's nothing in between and I can get the campys with some local discount in a local shop, whereas for other wheels would pay maybe 300-400 less but would have to order them and pay taxes and all shipping so the price might get equal.
Also bonus question, if anyone have ridden one of those wheels or better both would love to hear your opinions/comparison 
Thanks
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28 comments
I have the Bora One 50 C17 clinchers and they're utterly brilliant. Very stiff and responsive, and yet somehow don't beat you up. Very classy and look the dogs bollocks on an Italian frame. One day you can convert your Aria to Campag and go the whole way
I bought mine second hand in immaculate condition for £550 off one of the forums. Get the wheels you really want, not what people say you want.
Thanks, already ordered the wto and cant wait them to arrive. Going campy on the groupset could be an option in some time as well
If you're pushing 25mph aero should be your major consideration so - https://www.swissside.com/collections/hadron-classic-front-wheels/produc...
rim Brake version reviewed on this site, with 23mm conti 4000s/5000s tyres.
https://www.hambini.com/images/aerotest/power50kmh.png
Unfortunatelly not available to be ordered here but will consider them!
Have a look at the other wheels on the graph, gives a good indication of what's fast and way isn't (they are all rim brake though, but should be similar to disc brake versions)
and get a 23mm conti 4000s/5000s on the front, good aero and good rolling resistance, with a latex tube.
bearing friction is small compared to aero so don't think you need to get the cult bearings
tip to get good wheels for cheap is find good wheels that are on a bike which people swap for aftermarket zipp etc wheels when they won't give them much gain.
Aham, nice. Thats some cool input and my bad for not being able to spot the 2nd link with the graph.. Also what are those Mavic UST wheels ? Can you use normal tyres on those wheels or you need some kind of special ones ?
I could probably get one of these for a tad cheaper then the campys
DT Swiss ARC 1400 DICUT DB 48 12/142
Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon UST Disc
Vision Metron 55 SL Disc
which would you recommend ? i guess i ordered them top to bottom performance wise?
Either of the top 2 would be great, the bottom one has some mixed reviews, you'll have to make the final decision as I don't know price etc. Said side work with dtswiss to do their aerodynamics and Mavic make good aero choices too (though I haven't looked at those wheels in detail) Mavic tyres aren't great so I'd swap them to conti 4000/5000 23 front and 23or 25 rear.
Yes you should buy the Campagnolo wheels. Buying some cheap wheels off wiggle is like wanting to buy a BMW 3 series but then buying a Dacia Sandero because somebody on the Internet said you should. There is an excellent thread on WeightWeenies about these wheels.
https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=151324
Interestingly, Reynolds wheels come out of this thread pretty well too. They would feature prominently in my choice of wheel - I've been a fan for a while and have an old set of Attacks - but on an Italian bike the Campags will always look better, I guess - and have CULT bearings.
And you're right, if you're settled on something, it is much better to just get what you want...The residual value of Campags will be higher than some obscure handmade Chinese / Taiwanese rim too - whoever made them - f you ever want to trade them in on eBay....
The correct answer is Lightweight Meilensteins.
thats why out of my budget
Speak to David at DCR wheels - he will build you a set of custom wheels to your specs.
any more information regarding that? feedbacks, etc. ? im not sure I wanna ride a custom carbon underneath me
David builds with Enve, Knight and Alto carbon rims in addition to his own - lifetime build guarantee - I have two sets of his wheels and internet feedback very good.
Buy the wheels if you can afford them. They will have a far greater impact on the performance of your bike than a group-set upgrade (105 to Ultegra is not a big jump), or indeed a new frame.
I"d struggle to put Taiwanese wheels on a celeste Bianchi. There should be a rule against it. Shamals might be a cheaper alternative. I have some Shamals on my Colnago C50 and they are great wheels. But I have not ridden Boras. My bikes are rim-braked, and as an all weather rider carbon wheels and rim brakes don't go too well together.
What alternatives to the Bora's you would recommend then ? Looking for something in the 45-55mm deep range
Be careful what you wish for. Deep rims look nice, they are horrendous in a gusty crosswind. Up to about 55mm it's not that bad, go deeper, and you'll wish you hadn't if you're not riding in flat calm.
Reading up on your bike and the difference between the Bora Ones and the WTOs - and taking into account the 'grabbiness' of crosswinds on deep-sectioned wheels, I'd go for the WTO45s and wouldn't give it a second thought. I like the look of Campag wheels and have had good experience with the CULT bearings (on my Shamals).
If you do have second thoughts then the universe of carbon wheels at this price point in pretty wide, especially hand-built ones - and there are lots of good wheel builders around who'll be delighted to help you...I'd always start with some decent hubs (DT Swiss 240s) and go from there....
One potential advantage hand-built wheels will have over Campags is that they require fewer specialist tools to repair, but I'm straight to a specialist if my wheels need tuning - and at 24/24 spokes and a deep sectioned rim it is hard to think of what could go wrong with the WTO45s.
It does seem a bit unbalanced to be spending that much on wheels without showing the same love to the rest of the bike. I'm with Bobbinogs and you should grab some cheaper Prime wheels (I love mine) and see how you get on with them.
which Primes you have? the blackeditions or the rrv2/v3? also what depth ?
A pair of disk brake RP50s which are pre-black edition. 50mm depth in case that's not obvious.
Concur...
Love my Prime's and cant really fault them!
The only issue I've had is needing to replace the bearings, but then I've been riding them through winters (and deep puddles on occasion) so that's not unexpected.
Personally, I wouldn't try to apply much reasoning to an illogical purchase. Let's face it, logic would dictate a purchase of Prime 50s costing around £500 with no discernible loss in performance or any other worthwhile metric. Justify the purchase only in terms of 'because you're worth it' and get the ones you like the look of. Failing that, get something similar from Hunt/Prime, etc. and put the savings towards a nice break in the Alps, when conditions permit.
yeah but the Primes are out of availability and ordering to my country is like space science
Hi Viktorapo
I am considering buying a Bianchi Aria Ultegra Disc and upgarding the Wheels, to Hunt 50, although the WTO45 do have good reviews and if you can get a good discount, could be a good deal, and will look nice too.
What is your opinion of the Aria, do you consider it to be a good, fast Aero Bike with reasonable comfort ?
Thanks
It's my first bike and I am fairly new when it comes to road cycling (about 10 months in) but with big swimming and running experience. Wanted to do triathlons and it was the best deal I got. Comfort wise I cannot speak since I havent ridden any other road bike but speed wise hell yeah it goes, been riding straigth segments of 15-20km lenght at 40kmh alone which is fast for me
Loving the look and the responsiveness that I get from the bike when climbing and sprinting though