How much difference does a new wheelset make?

[crazycanuck]

Limewave, i'm not sure if JetBlack wheels are the price range you're looking at but perhaps ask your lovely LBS?? http://www.jetblackproducts.com/categories/B/B01

I've no clue if JetBlack stuff is well known in the US???

[Seajay]

Me either.




$400-$500 for a set.

Oooo. That's tough.
Road bike?
Well, Best low cost option I can think of is a bit higher in the price range...
SRAM S30 Sprint @ $750
Other good options
Mavic Ksyrium Equipe @ $449
(I sent you a PM also)

[Cataboo]

YOu could treat it like a scavenger hunt and watch bonktown. They ocassionally have 50% off wheels. Easton EC90's have been up for $500 or less and my FSA wheels were like 60% off.

They'll be improvements over your stock wheels.

[limewave]

I've been watching Bonktown. I saw two wheelsets come up over the last week, but they were still out of my price range.

Would it be totally weird to just buy one new wheel? I was thinking maybe I should just get a new rear wheel.

[redrhodie]

You should read Peter White's page on wheels (especially his rant). I love this guy. He cracks me up.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/wheels.asp

[Seajay]

Nothing wrong with getting one wheel.

[jobob]

You should read Peter White's page on wheels (especially his rant). I love this guy. He cracks me up.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/wheels.asp

Very good call, redrhodie! Peter White's a grumpy old guy but he speaks the truth and makes a whole lot of sense.

Those of you who are convinced you cannot afford custom built wheels, take a moment and look at the prices he's quoting, you might be in for a bit of a surprise.

Yes, I know, these prices are circa 2007-2008 and will no doubt be higher now (how much higher, I have absolutely no idea -- that's where you contact Peter White).

At the very least, it should give those of you contemplating new wheels (including the OP) a starting point.

PW builds mtn bike wheels too, and has (outdated) quotes on the page for those as well. Again, its a good starting point.

One could always approach other wheel builders (or heck, write to Peter White) and ask how much they would charge today for one of those builds. Doesn't hurt to ask.

Seriously, email a few good wheel builders (if you want any suggestions, ask here) and tell them what you are looking for, even if it's just along the lines of :

• "I have xxx bike, it takes (700c? 650b? 26"?) wheels and I usually ride xx width tires, and I'm looking to upgrade the wheelset because (why are you looking to upgrade the wheelset, btw?). It would also help to specify what your current wheelset is, at least what is the brand name written on the hub and on the rims.
• I weigh xxx.
• I ride xxx (frequency, terrain).
• I was wondering what wheels you would suggest, in the $$$ price range.

That's what I did a few years back and I was pleasantly surprised.

You might be pleasantly surprised as well.

At the very least, it might give you a better idea of what you should be looking for.

[indysteel]

Very good call, redrhodie! Peter White's a grumpy old guy but he speaks the truth and makes a whole lot of sense.

Those of you who are convinced you cannot afford custom built wheels, take a moment and look at the prices he's quoting, you might be in for a bit of a surprise.

Yes, I know, these prices are circa 2007-2008 and will no doubt be higher now (how much higher, I have absolutely no idea -- that's where you contact Peter White).

At the very least, it should give those of you contemplating new wheels (including the OP) a starting point.

PW builds mtn bike wheels too, and has (outdated) quotes on the page for those as well. Again, its a good starting point.

One could always approach other wheel builders (or heck, write to Peter White) and ask how much they would charge today for one of those builds. Doesn't hurt to ask.

Seriously, email a few good wheel builders (if you want any suggestions, ask here) and tell them what you are looking for, even if it's just along the lines of :

• "I have xxx bike, it takes (700c? 650b? 26"?) wheels and I usually ride xx width tires, and I'm looking to upgrade the wheelset because (why are you looking to upgrade the wheelset, btw?). It would also help to specify what your current wheelset is, at least what is the brand name written on the hub and on the rims.
• I weigh xxx.
• I ride xxx (frequency, terrain).
• I was wondering what wheels you would suggest, in the $$$ price range.

That's what I did a few years back and I was pleasantly surprised.

You might be pleasantly surprised as well.

At the very least, it might give you a better idea of what you should be looking for.

That's about how my conversation with my fitter went. I'd note--although I'm not necessarily trying to push a particular build--that my DH has a lovely pair of 2009 handbuilt wheels by Ron Ruff that cost $600. I know that's above your price range, but with some tweaking to the build, he or another builder could potentially build you something in your price range. Whether they'll be a big enough improvement to your stock wheels to justify the expense, I don't know. I would suggest figuring out first what your current wheelset weighs--not (as Peter White indicates) that weight is everything.

[Veronica]

This thread revived Thom's interest in new wheels for my bike. I LOVE having a guy who likes to do research. After tons of reading, he ordered me some Easton EA90s from Colorado Cyclist today.

I have no idea - and I really don't care- why he picked those. He got me a fabulous new bike last year, so I trust his judgement.

They would (just barely) fit into your price range.

Veronica

[pll]

What will the Eastons replace? Please do tell what differences you feel in the ride!

[Veronica]

What will the Eastons replace? Please do tell what differences you feel in the ride!

Fulcrum 7s. New wheels won't be here for a week. But I will be sure to give some feedback.


Veronica

[limewave]

I definitely want to hear your opinion of the difference too!

I gave up on a new wheelset when I couldn't find anything in my price range that I thought would make a big enough difference to justify the cost. And then my darn LBS just handed me over a 29er to demo for awhile. Now I've listed my full suspension mntn bike and am slowly adding to my bike-fund in hopes of getting my own 29er!!!

[itself]

When I had my Litespeed Blueridge, I had a custom set of Canecreek wheels with titanium hubs put on her. Absolutely the best upgrade ever. I noticed a huge difference.

[jobob]

I always wonder, when people go out and test-ride different bikes, if the differences they perceive have more to do with the wheelsets that happen to be on those particular bikes rather than, say, the frame materials.

Not that it would be practical to bring your own wheelset to test ride a bike ...

[Jiffer]

The right wheels could lighten your bike considerably. There are wheels design to help you climb better (which is why DH chose mine for me) and wheels designed to help you go better on the flat (which is why DH chose his), etc. The right wheel can make a big difference, depending on what you are going from and to. You need to figure out your goals and see if you can find a wheel that helps with that and is within your budget. It's a good way to upgrade your bike without replacing it.

You can always upgrade other parts as well a little at a time, including your frame. This is a great way to get a sweet bike without a big one time expense. DH got my Cannondale SuperSix frame super cheap on ebay, cause it has a small blemish, which I can't even find ... not that I'm really looking! I told him not to tell me. It took him and his friend a long time to find it too. My bike was an evolution, which started with my husband's first bike. He started with a lower end used Cannondale and slowly bought parts to upgrade it. He found deals and saved a lot of money and was able to spread out the expense over time. Eventually he had a really nice bike with DuraAce components and an upgraded frame. It was a completely different bike from the one he started with. When I was ready to transition from the tandem we rode to my own bike, he was also dying to get an even better bike. So, he bought an already built new bike, bought me a frame and put all his parts from his previous bike on it. Nice parts, like DuraAce components, so I got to start out with a pretty nice bike from the get go. Eventually, some of those parts were changed out to better suit me (handlebars for my smaller hands and crank set for better climbing) and then he surprised me one day. I had been dying to get the new Cannondale SuperSix frame, which he beat me to cause he crashed and bent his frame. I was SO frustrated. However, little did I know that he had, over a period of several months secretly bought me a SupeSix frame, SRAM Red components and something else I can't remember. He told me he was taking our bikes to his friend's house to take them apart, clean them really good and put them back together. I was in bed when he came back. He turned on the light in the bedroom and I squinted in the light to see him holding up my newly evolved SuperSix bike all put together! He had redeemed himself.

His riding buddy very patiently bought parts for his dream MTB on ebay just recently. He bid over and over again on parts he wanted, but wouldn't budge on his low price. He lost tons of bids, but won some here and there and, with patience, he got all the parts for his dream bike and is now riding it. He saved a ton of money.

So there's some food for thought. You might want to start with wheels and move on to other components a little at a time to get your dream bike.