wheels

[violette]

OK, I want to upgrade my bike. I love it, Specialized roubaix but someone said the best upgrade is wheels. I have about $500 to spend. Which ones would you suggest?

[alpinerabbit]

I'm partial to my Mavic Ksyrium SLs but they are about twice what you want to spend. I've found the 07 Ksyrium Elite wheelset at bikeradar.com for 624.

They also have some DT swiss E 2200 wheels for 590 which are snazzy looking, and I know DT Swiss are excellent wheels.

[ilima]

I also have the Ksyrium SLs and they are bombproof. If you shop carefully, you can probably find a set of Elites for $500.

I have also been coveting Shimano's tubeless (not tubular) wheelset, which you can also use as a clincher wheel. Last year's model WH-7801-SL can be found on ebay for about your budget. The drawback is that the hub is 10-speed only, so if you're running a 9-speed set up these won't work.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NIB-SHIMANO-WH-7801-Wheelset-Dura-Ace-10-Speed-700c_W0QQitemZ250312711381QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCycling_Parts_Accessories?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

Neuvation advertises a lot on roadbikereview. Their spiel is that they sell direct, so the wheels are cheaper. I've never seen someone complain about them and the reviews are good.
http://www.neuvationcycling.com/
http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/wheels/wheelsets/PLS_2490_780crx.aspx

[WindingRoad]

Go with DT's... great product and reasonable price. I have the DT RR1850's and they are awesome. They are very cool looking too... so you get style points too ;)

[aicabsolut]

What wheels do you have?

Ksyrium Elites would be no better than what came stock on my Roubaix. Maybe the '09s are a bit lighter than previous years, but I wouldn't buy them, personally.

What are you looking for in the upgrade? Losing weight? Aero rim? Stiffness? Easy acceleration? Durability?

[ehirsch83]

I would look at WilliamsCycling.com They have great wheels at great prices and he is so friendly!! Call and he will help any way he can and answer all questions you could possibly have.

[violette]

I have a leftover 2005 Roubaix that I bought last year. It has Shimano 105, Ultegra shifter, Carbon frame, Carbon Crank. It's a VERY nice bike. But the wheels are Alexis ? rims. I had those on my cheap Giant road bike. The bike is very light, but someone told me wheels are the best upgrade to make. it will be lighter and roll better. ??? I don't know if it's worth $500. And I'm doing a Duathlon in June, anything to help.

[alpinerabbit]

Wheels are a really good upgrade you can make and it seems the ALX-290s you probably have are probably worth about 150$. (try to find out)

Ask your LBS if they think you would feel the difference, maybe they'll let you test ride some new wheels.

OTOH, you will survive your duathlon without new wheels.

[tzvia]

One place online I would suggest is:
http://www.bicyclewheelwarehouse.com/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=9
Look at the first item, a good set of wheels, Mavic Open Pro, Dura ace, and on sale for $399 is a fair deal. It's a good quality solid set of wheels. They also have wheelsets with DTSWISS hubs but for over your limit.

I bought a Ruby about 7 months ago and the wheels were crappy; heavy and dead feeling. So I looked for something a bit lighter and higher quality and ended up at http://www.prowheelbuilder.com/. I got picky with the spokes I wanted, and went over my budget (which was also around $500). Built a wheelset with Velocity Aerohead rims, Sapim Race spokes, alu nipples, White Industries hubs, and USE TI Spinstick skewers. Ended up at about $780 and went that route. The wheelset weighs under 1500 grams for the pair including the skewers, which is about 550 grams less than the boat anchors that came with my Ruby.

And yea, I feel a BIG difference. It feels like a different bike.

[aicabsolut]

You can probably build up sub 1500g wheels for under $700, maybe closer to $500-600, but it will hard to get significant performance improvements over what you have for less than $500.

[smurfalicious]

Reynolds makes a set of semi-aero wheels called Solitudes that can be had I believe in that price range. I almost bought a set but then everyone convinced me my bike was too heavy. Boo.

[aicabsolut]

There are some affordable Easton wheels too that are pretty light. Those and the cheaper Reynolds wheels don't seem to have the best reputation for durability, but if you don't run over a lot of stuff and are pretty light, they are fine. I think chainlove used to have good deals on Eastons often. Maybe bonktown will now.