How do I go about picking out a wheel?

[staceysue]

My LBS guy got my rear wheel bent back as best he could and said it will do for now but that I'm definitely going to be needing a new one. He said it will be hard to find a match for the one I have (Bontrager something (SSR? SSX? 55R? 55X? it's hard to read). He told me to research it and let him know what I want to order.

How do I know what kind of wheel I want? I have no clue.

[nscrbug]

My LBS guy got my rear wheel bent back as best he could and said it will do for now but that I'm definitely going to be needing a new one. He said it will be hard to find a match for the one I have (Bontrager something (SSR? SSX? 55R? 55X? it's hard to read). He told me to research it and let him know what I want to order.

How do I know what kind of wheel I want? I have no clue.

Is it a stock wheel that came on the bike when you bought it? If so...you can go to bikepedia.com and look up your bike (by model year) and it will give all the stock specs for the bike, including wheels. If the wheel is no longer made, then I'm sure Bontrager has a comparable replacement for it. You can always check their website.

[staceysue]

The person I bought it from replaced the stock wheels with racing wheels. I went on Bontrager's website and looked at similar-appearing racing wheels, but the cheapest one is around $200.

I don't mind spending $200 if it's worth it -but is one wheel that much better than another? How do I know by reading the description if a wheel is good or not? My LBS guy was saying you can get wheels of comparable quality for less $, but I don't know how to tell the quality of a wheel by reading the description.

What's the difference between a good wheel and a not-so-good wheel?

[nscrbug]

Well, from my understanding (and I'm no expert)...the primary difference between an "expensive" wheel and a more "reasonably-priced" wheel is weight and/or hubs. Cheaper wheels (usually dubbed training wheels) will generally be heavier and more durable (more spokes), usually made of alloy, and the hubs are usually lower quality. Pricey wheels are lighter, have less spokes, are often made of carbon, and have high-quality hubs (some with ceramic bearings). I hate to say this, but...for a new wheel, $200 is relatively cheap...especially if that was for the rear wheel (rear wheels will always be more expensive than the front). If you're looking for a "cheap" replacement, you might be better off searching Craigslists or Ebay for a used one. I'm assuming that the wheel you saw on the Bontrager site, was the "Classic"? If I'm not mistaken, the Classic has replaced the Bontrager Select wheelset, which is the stock wheelset that used to come on entry-level Trek roadbikes.

ETA - Just looked at the Bontrager site, and it looks like the cheapest wheel is the "Race", not the Classic like I had assumed. My apologies.

[oz rider]

+1 to nscrbug - rims, hubs, spoke count and type. It's largely about weight, and preferably weight on the hub rather than rotating weight on the rim, but you want a nice balanced package for whatever you want the wheels to do. Manufacturer's websites and the likes of Wiggle/Chain Reaction can give you a guide to the pricepoints. If you trust your LBS man, maybe ask him for some recommendations as a shortlist you can research.

[staceysue]

Thanks, Oz & NCR. I've been away from the computer for a few days.

So . . . $200 is cheap, eh? This cycling hobby is getting expensive! First the bike then the clothes then the clipless pedals and shoes . . .

Okeedokee! On to ebay!