Another wheel Q..

[Jace]

As per my previous post on the carbon wheel sets I thought I'd also consider some cheaper options but I honestly know very little about wheels. Its something I completely overlooked on my first bike and paid little attention to the second time around.

I currently have Fulcrum CEX 6.5s, no idea if they are any good or not?

I also have some Shimano R500s from my old bike that I am led to believe are total crap.

Would something like the Campy Zondas or something be a worthwhile upgrade? Is there anything I could pick up for $200-$400 thats better than what I already have?

Thanks!

[open roader]

I currently have Fulcrum CEX 6.5s, no idea if they are any good or not?

I also have some Shimano R500s from my old bike that I am led to believe are total crap.

With all due respect, it is for you to find out if these wheels are good / bad / crap, nobody else can answer this for you.

If you have no idea if your current wheels are any good then you will have no idea why brand X,Y or Z will be better for your requirements let alone someboby else.

I suggest you define your requirements for yourself, ride your current wheels extensively and work out if/when they fall short of those requirements.

If you want to simply upgrade for the sake of upgrading (and there is nothing wrong with that) then yes, Campagnolo Zonda is a solid and reliable wheelset.

[Jace]

With all due respect, it is for you to find out if these wheels are good / bad / crap, nobody else can answer this for you.

If you have no idea if your current wheels are any good then you will have no idea why brand X,Y or Z will be better for your requirements let alone someboby else.

I suggest you define your requirements for yourself, ride your current wheels extensively and work out if/when they fall short of those requirements.

If you want to simply upgrade for the sake of upgrading (and there is nothing wrong with that) then yes, Campagnolo Zonda is a solid and reliable wheelset.

Thats perfectly reasonable, the problem I have is that both sets of wheels I currently own have served me perfectly well but I don't really know any better. I don't have any experience with anything of a higher quality so I really don't know whether purchasing something like the Zonda's is of any value.

[CKinnard]

Jace, in your previously mentioned thread, you gave no feedback to the many people who took the time to respond.

Wheel suitability for purpose depends on bodyweight, what surfaces you ride on, how hard you ride.
There's nothing wrong with the wheels you currently own. They have their purpose and are more likely to be running true and reliably in 5-10 years.

As was said on the other thread, if you are not sub 10% bodyfat, then forget about buying lighter wheels and think about a thinner waist.
That will do a lot more to improve your top speed, recovery, hill climbing, enjoyment, injury avoidance.

[Jace]

Jace, in your previously mentioned thread, you gave no feedback to the many people who took the time to respond.

Wheel suitability for purpose depends on bodyweight, what surfaces you ride on, how hard you ride.
There's nothing wrong with the wheels you currently own. They have their purpose and are more likely to be running true and reliably in 5-10 years.

As was said on the other thread, if you are not sub 10% bodyfat, then forget about buying lighter wheels and think about a thinner waist.
That will do a lot more to improve your top speed, recovery, hill climbing, enjoyment, injury avoidance.

Fair point, I did go back and read through the other thread but must admit that most of what I had read seemed to have been hijacked and gone off on another tangent but I will def go back and reread it again.

As for their suitability, basically I'm 80kg ride on the road, generally pretty good road and looking to get into some more racing. RE: Body fat, not sub 10% but I wouldn't really want to drop any more than another kg or two from my frame.

[Dirty32]

Again, its a subjective question based on personal opinion... Only you can say whether anything represents good value or is worth paying for, over what you've already got.

Nevertheless, if you are just wanting to upgrade something, at the ~$400 pricepoint id be looking at the Zonda's, Prolite Bracciano, Shimano Ultegra and possibly the Fulcrum Quattro, but it depends what you feature you want. Eg - many people report good experience on the Zonda. Most say its the best value Campy wheelset for the money. A good allrounder. The Prolite seems reliable and light weight for the money. The Ultegra will probably have the best hub out of that lot, but is a few 100 grams heavier than the Prolite. The Fulcrum Quattro is probably not that far removed from what you've already got as far as spec, but it'll be pretty bulletproof and will offer a minor aero benefit (think its a 35mm rim, more than all of the others listed).

Or - do you spend a bit more and look into the Dura-Ace C24, or a bit more again and go for the Swiss-Side Hadron, a full aero wheelset. Only you can make that choice.

[biker jk]

If you want to buy new wheels for the sake of it then go ahead. However, the wheels you own are fine and are not holding back your performance in any meaningful way.

[Jace]

Again, its a subjective question based on personal opinion... Only you can say whether anything represents good value or is worth paying for, over what you've already got.

Nevertheless, if you are just wanting to upgrade something, at the ~$400 pricepoint id be looking at the Zonda's, Prolite Bracciano, Shimano Ultegra and possibly the Fulcrum Quattro, but it depends what you feature you want. Eg - many people report good experience on the Zonda. Most say its the best value Campy wheelset for the money. A good allrounder. The Prolite seems reliable and light weight for the money. The Ultegra will probably have the best hub out of that lot, but is a few 100 grams heavier than the Prolite. The Fulcrum Quattro is probably not that far removed from what you've already got as far as spec, but it'll be pretty bulletproof and will offer a minor aero benefit (think its a 35mm rim, more than all of the others listed).

Or - do you spend a bit more and look into the Dura-Ace C24, or a bit more again and go for the Swiss-Side Hadron, a full aero wheelset. Only you can make that choice.

Yeah this is true. I suppose it's one of those things where I'm looking for any little thing that will help performance and enjoyment on the bike and everything I read talks about wheels being the best value upgrade available. Given that I'm running wheels worth about $200 I just Assumed that there would be something better out there. It's hard because I can't find any reviews on what I have where as the Campys or Prolites seem to be very popular wheelsets.

[Jace]

If you want to buy new wheels for the sake of it then go ahead. However, the wheels you own are fine and are not holding back your performance in any meaningful way.

Well no, I don't want to buy something for the sake of it. Haha. If I were to spend say $400 Id be wanting some kind of improvement!

[sogood]

Well no, I don't want to buy something for the sake of it. Haha. If I were to spend say $400 Id be wanting some kind of improvement!

So define the improvement/s you are seeking!

There'll obviously be improvements with each extra $300 on a wheelset in the market place. Given what you have disclosed so far, bling bling factor would likely be where your 'bang for the buck' will be. If that's not what you are looking for, keep riding your present until you know and want other specifics.

[Jace]

There'll obviously be improvements with each extra $300 on a wheelset in the market place. Given what you have disclosed so far, bling bling factor would likely be where your 'bang for the buck' will be. If that's not what you are looking for, keep riding your present until you know and want other specifics.

To be honest I'm not super worried about bling although some of them look great. I guess I would like the same thing everyone wants....to go faster! good acceleration, decent for climbing, generally something that's a good all rounder.

[sogood]

To be honest I'm not super worried about bling although some of them look great. I guess I would like the same thing everyone wants....to go faster! good acceleration, decent for climbing, generally something that's a good all rounder.

Faster and performance? That's marketing speak. You'll get far more by riding more and drop your body weight. Until you can break your wheelset, riding more is what'll get you faster. Until you are up in the mid 30 to 40+km/h average, those deep rim bling bling CF wheels won't do much for you.

[Jace]

Faster and performance? That's marketing speak. You'll get far more by riding more and drop your body weight. Until you can break your wheelset, riding more is what'll get you faster. Until you are up in the mid 30 to 40+km/h average, those deep rim bling bling CF wheels won't do much for you.

Point taken. Although I feel dropping much more weight would be counter productive for my build and I can ride mid 30s to 40kph resonably comfortably depending on the terrain.

[sogood]

If you are averaging in the mid-30s and above on s long ride, then maybe deep rim CF is for you. It'll make you faster over a significant distance, by seconds.