Wheel Upgrade - recommendations?

[zoom-zoom]

Those Zipps look really nice, but are probably about double what I'd want to spend. I'm guessing I'd be looking at the $600-700 range. I really want to avoid anything with much of an aero profile, too--we get some serious wind in these parts and even my relatively low-profile Aksiums can really catch those cross-winds.

[pll]

I was afraid about the wind, too (I live in the Chicago area), but they feel better than the stock wheels and the Aksiums I had on my older bike. With Aksiums, I felt the wind on the spokes, it was sharp and sudden. The feeling with the Zipps is very different and easier to handle than the Aksiums. And (this might be a bad thing for you to know) the Zipps are used in cyclocross, too.... I got them for under $1k. A splurge, for sure, but when I get out of bed at 5AM for a morning ride during a weekday, I don't regret it a single bit. They are fun to ride and they look great (blingy, but not too much). *Love*.

[zoom-zoom]

Hmmm...they do sound really nice. Yeah, the wind certainly grabs the Aksiums. I don't like riding on days when the wind is gusty, like today. I'm not sure any wheel would make that better. I give mad props to my friends who ride and ride LONG on days like that. Friends of mine did a century, today. Yikes!

[pll]

I have to say seajay's comments in another thread about giving aero a chance persuaded me. I had been wanting new wheels and when I saw the 101s on sale, all it took was a nudge from a friend ("you won't regret it") and those wheels were mine before anyone took them. So, this experience has reinforced my impression that I really do not know what I want or need in terms of bike components ... I just need to ride many more thousands of miles and experience different components. So far, upgrading stuff has made a huge difference to me. Even the Aksiums were an upgrade on my old bike, when the stock wheels started to fail.

[murielalex]

I recently upgraded to low-profile aero wheels: 35mm front, 45mm back. I ride primarily along the ocean, and I deal with all kinds of wind, crosswinds included. I love these wheels. I've not noticed any significant problems with crosswinds, but I instantly noticed improvement, especially when riding in a group. I'd never been able to sustain 20+ speeds for more than a minute or two. I now can hang for about 10-15 miles, even with a headwind (only with the group, but can do 16-20 alone, depending on how hard it's blowing). The first day out with them, I felt like I was cheating, as if they were rolling on without me trying. I can't describe it any better. The wheels are far better than my ability. I feel almost foolish with them, since they should rightfully belong with a better rider, but I bought them for a bike (dream bike) I'm having built and will not see for about a year, so I figured I'd get this expense out of the way now. I wouldn't go deeper, but these are perfect for me, even if I am a bit of an old fool for having them. I'm a very happy old fool.

There are a lot of good wheels on sale right now if you don't want handbuilt. I've had a few friends pick some up at local shops the past month for 50% off (demos), and I've seen some deals on Clymb and Chainlove that come and go.

[indysteel]

As for not going handbuilt because you don't know what to ask for. I don't think you really need to have a clear idea of what you want. A good wheel builder will be able to guide you based on your budget, riding conditions, weight, riding style, and priorities. I'd at least talk to a builder if I was in the market for wheels and was on a budget.

[jyyanks]

I agree with indysteel. I'm having a set of custom wheels built and I had no clue what I was looking for. I contacted a person highly recommended by another forums and gave him my weight, riding style, budget and what I was looking for and he recommended a build. I wasn't sure at first if what he gave me was ok so I did a lot of research online, asked a bunch of cycling friends for opinions and made some tweaks. Now, I'm getting custom wheels built for less than what it would have cost for me to buy comparable off the shelf ones. Good Luck!