Wheel recommendations

[slb417]

I'm wondering what people's experience is with wheels. Road racing, long rides, maybe crits. Recommendations?

[ny biker]

I have these. I do long road rides, don't race. I'm very happy with them.

http://www.mavic.com/wheels-road-triathlon-ksyrium-equipe-s

If you do a search on wheels, you'll find a variety of discussion threads, including a bunch on custom-made wheels.

[pll]

Tons of choices to make regarding wheels: for longer rides, if you will be doing a lot of climbing, you want lighter wheels. If you will be doing crits and racing in general, you may want something more aero (e.g, deeper rims, which are heavier than a wheelset built for climbing... just compare Zipp 404 to their 202), wheels that hold the speed well once you get them to spin. If you really get into racing, maybe tubulars might be in the cards. For use by average riders, a nice aluminum clincher wheelset that weighs somewhere between 1500-1600g is nice.

[Velocivixen]

I know a lot of us tend towards custom wheels. A custom wheel-set can be had for a reasonable price. I'll post some recommendations others gave me if you are interested. I've never had a set made, though. My mid-range Pinarello came with Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels. I would like something a little lighter, not too light, though. I like being able to go over bumps in the road without fear of losing spokes. A lot of wheels are overbuilt for women, depending on the riders' size, they may be rated up to 200, or 220 lbs. For a 120 lb woman, they are overkill. (Doesn't mean you have to weigh 120 lbs, just an example).

Sugar Wheelworks out of Portland (http://www.bikerumor.com/2015/04/14/interview-jude-gerace-of-sugar-wheelworks/) is supposed to specialize in women, heard about them here on TE; they are supposed to do a good job of matching a wheel-type to a rider. I always thought they sounded worth checking out. (There were a few others, I'd have to look through my messages).

Yes, Jude at Sugar Wheel Works is outstanding. She's built two wheel sets for me and I just took her three day wheel building class, which was fantastic. She spends a lot of detailed time asking about specifics of your riding style, bike, where you'll be riding, weight you'll be carrying. She understands the nuances of various rims, spokes, etc. work together to give you just the ride you hope for. I highly recommend her.