Can we talk about upgrading wheels?

[indysteel]

I upgraded my Mavic Aksiums a few years back with a set of custom wheels. It's a pretty basic build: Velocity Aerohead rims with White Industries hubs. Sapim double butted spokes; 24 (I think) in the rear and 20 in the front. I love them, and my husband has a similar set. We both love them. I shied away from prebuilt wheels because many are overbuilt for someone my size. I also didn't want bladed spokes. I think you can often get more bang for your buck with handbuilts.

Ron Ruff at White Mountain Wheels built my husbands wheels. If I were in the market again, I'd call him or another reputable builder. Tell him what kind of riding I do on what kind of roads and let him recommend a build within my budget and weight.

[tzvia]

I had a similar set to what indysteel had made, Velocity Aerohead rims, White Industries hubs (love that old time chrome look although they do make black too) but I deviated in getting the Sapim cx-ray bladed spokes, a personal fave. Several pluses to such a wheelset.

1. Hand laced and if properly done, is almost always better than a mass produced wheelset.
2. You pick the parts, you choose how many spokes. You get what you want, and not what some marketing manager chose.
3. Stuff breaks. Exotic spokes and and rims may look really cool, but not so much when you have a broken spoke and the LBS does not have anything to fix it. Then you have to send the wheel off or the LBS orders parts, and they are always a lot more $$ than the trusty double butted or bladed Sapims or DT Swiss.

All that being said, I have always wanted a set of HED Ardenns. . All that aero stuff out there has a weight penalty and at my speeds the aero 'benefit' just won't be there but a nice set of climbing wheels...