New Wheels - Clinchers

[hookookadoo]

Looking to spend in the $1,000 range. New or gently used. Will go on a Look 585 Optimum(their relaxed geo bike) or similar frame. I weigh 145-150, ride flat roads, a 3 mile criterium loop and a few rolling hills. Road conditions are good and smooth. Ride mostly in the saddle. Wind not a real factor. I do minimal braking. Key factors will be a balance of 1) reliability, 2) ride quality and 3) aesthetics. Willing to do a little maintenance but not a lot. Love the higher profile look of the Edge 45(used), Hed Stinger, Reynolds Assault/Attack, etc. but from what I've read those may not be the best option for me. Hoping someone will tell me otherwise....

HooKoo

[oldpotatoe]

Looking to spend in the $1,000 range. New or gently used. Will go on a Look 585 Optimum(their relaxed geo bike) or similar frame. I weigh 145-150, ride flat roads, a 3 mile criterium loop and a few rolling hills. Road conditions are good and smooth. Ride mostly in the saddle. Wind not a real factor. I do minimal braking. Key factors will be a balance of 1) reliability, 2) ride quality and 3) aesthetics. Willing to do a little maintenance but not a lot. Love the higher profile look of the Edge 45(used), Hed Stinger, Reynolds Assault/Attack, etc. but from what I've read those may not be the best option for me. Hoping someone will tell me otherwise....

HooKoo

Got a good wheelbuilder around?
DT hubs, Velocity Aerohead rims, DT spokes, the gauge and number determined by the builder with input from you.

Reliable, ride well, cost less than $1000(about $300 less), take the remaining $ and do a bike tour or trip, see a massage therapist or bike coach, buy your significant 'other' somethin nice, like a Nook from Barnes and Noble........

[dekindy]

For good all-arounder wheel I have Shimano road tubeless clinchers, 7850-SL's, which is the current model and absolutely love them, or you could consider the Fulcrum road tubeless (not sure of price), or HED Bastongnes or Ardennes for the wider rim and resulting better riding tubed clincher tire.

Some do not see the value of road tubeless but I am convinced. My riding buddy has the Ardennes and loves them and I believe Dave Thompson says that the Bastognes he has are the most expensive wheel he has ever purchased and it was worth it.

I am not knowledgeable about the models you are considering except a buddy has Reynolds and likes them. He did have to get some Swiss Stop brake pads. For some reason the Reynolds carbon specific pads that came with the wheels were not to his liking. I had read that the Swiss Stop Yellow King pads were approved and some liked these better. He tried them and liked them the best.

There are a lot of good manufactured wheels in this price range.

[1centaur]

Don't know Hed but read good things (BruceK the expert there) but no reason to think Edge or Reynolds don't fit your criteria. They ride a little differently from traditional wheels so that's a taste question, but if you like CF frame characteristics then you should be fine with CF wheel characteristics. While I've read some people who did not have good experiences with Reynolds, most have. Until Edge came along, all you ever read was how great Reynolds wheels were while Zipps are bad. My Reynolds pre-builts have been just as good as my Reynolds handbuilts or my Edge handbuilts, just a little bit heavier.

But for that price you can get lots of standard handbuilt alu-rim wheels that will be reliable and ride well, so the question with CF clinchers is just one of aesthetics and slightly different ride feel (plus a bit of aero). If I were in your shoes I might be inclined to go with the safe choice rather than gamble on used or stretch the budget for the aesthetics, and then wait for a better moment economically to scratch the CF itch.

[BCS]

I have both Zipps and hand-built Reynolds but the most comfortable wheels that I own are Campy Neutrons. You can get these for less than 600

[thwart]

I have both Zipps and hand-built Reynolds but the most comfortable wheels that I own are Campy Neutrons. You can get these for less than 6001+

Campy's higher end wheels are good stuff, and famously durable. The only downside being the slightly larger rim circumference, which makes installing brand new tires a real pain. That said, once a tire has been 'stretched', side-of-the-road flat fixes aren't that big a deal.

You can even get them with a Shimano/SRAM freehub.

Heaven forbid.

[hookookadoo]

Don't know Hed but read good things (BruceK the expert there) but no reason to think Edge or Reynolds don't fit your criteria. They ride a little differently from traditional wheels so that's a taste question, but if you like CF frame characteristics then you should be fine with CF wheel characteristics.

I'm a newbie with CF wheels much less medium profile wheels. What is the ride difference?

[OtayBW]

1+

Campy's higher end wheels are good stuff, and famously durable. The only downside being the slightly larger rim circumference, which makes installing brand new tires a real pain. That said, once a tire has been 'stretched', side-of-the-road flat fixes aren't that big a deal.

You can even get them with a Shimano/SRAM freehub.

Heaven forbid.
I ain't no ace bike mechanic, but in >20 years of fooling around with this stuff, I sure can't remember any time that it took me 45 minutes to put on a new tire. Continental Attack on a Campy Nucleon: forty-five flippin' minutes. Unbelievable. But, yes - now that it's stretched it's no problem.

Oh, uh - and these are some of the best and most bulletproof wheels I ever rode....

[rnhood]

The Shimano 7850 24CL's, or SL's if you interested in tubless, are super nice wheels. I've been riding a pair of 24CL's for 13 months now, and have no desire to even try something else.

[1centaur]

I'm a newbie with CF wheels much less medium profile wheels. What is the ride difference?

The deeper the section, the less spoke length there is to flex slightly. So I'd imagine a deep section aluminum wheel would be very direct (some might say harsh). CF transmits vibrations with some muting vs. alum, so that offsets some of the direct feeling. Not inconsequentially, CF also sounds different, which means your brain processes a bump differently. I'd rather hear CF wheels because I like muted vibrations (which is why I like CF bikes, in part). But traditional alu rim wheels are mostly very comfortable.

Apart from aesthetics, I think mid-section carbon clinchers are about getting some aero benefit at a light weight at the expense of some braking performance. The ride differences are not so extreme as to tip the balance - just a variety thing. For most people, alu clinchers make more sense. Start riding a fair proportion of your route above 20 mph on the flats and the aero aspects get more tempting.

[dumbod]

I am seriously considering Hed wheels (see my post from yesterday).

If you want Hed wheels, World Cycling Productions (www.worldcycling.com) has the Ardennes and Bastognes on sale at a 35% discount. Use the coupon code DEC935. You can save some serious scratch.

Edit: Just saw the other post. Rats.

[BCS]

I called them. Hed wheels not eligible for 35% off despite what it shows on home page and in the shopping cart. Another thread here indicated that you might get 20% off. Call first.