Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

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Mububban
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Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby Mububban » Sat Mar 17, 2018 11:49 pm

Sadly N+1 has been put on indefinite hold due to more pressing matters. However I can still afford a modestly priced wheel upgrade.

My current wheelset weighed in at 2160g, including QR skewers, but removing the official weights for disc rotors and cassette.

I'm pretty much sold on these - $875 for c r c/Wiggle's "Prime" RP-38 carbon wheels (1584g)
http://www.this link is broken/au/e ... prod142948


But then c r c's staff recommended I also check out the alloy Campagnolo Zonda C17, which look sexy and cost $717 (1675g):
http://www.this link is broken/au/e ... prod157626


I don't know much about wheel technology. The carbon wheels are within budget, apart from cheaper price is there any reason to get the Campag wheels?

Thanks

Edit - I don't race, I commute, do group rides and like hills riding, although I am weak and slow so haven't prioritised aero due to my low speeds. I weigh 68kg.
When you are driving your car, you are not stuck IN traffic - you ARE the traffic!!!

caneye
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby caneye » Sun Mar 18, 2018 1:08 pm

how about the Prolite Revo wheelset?
500g lighter than your current ones ..

https://www.proliteaustralia.com.au/pro ... isc-wheels

Zippy7
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby Zippy7 » Sun Mar 18, 2018 1:41 pm

A few comments you may want to be aware of.

Prolites - there was a recent thread on this forum where someone with a Cell Brunswick had spoke problems. Believe his Prolites had short spokes (only discovered after one broke!).
Others seem not to have problems, but most of that would be older wheels (when the Kotavelo guy was looking after the brand), and they would likely be rim brake wheels. This one with problems was a disc brake wheel (Brunswick was a CX bike used for commuting).

Zondas - A fellow rider has these. He is a lightweight, weekend warrior and thinks they're great. Believe he paid around $450 AUD about 6 months ago. Be aware they have a different lacing pattern (I'm not convinced they are particularly strong with that pattern).

Prime wheels - believe this is c r c/Wiggle in house brand. IIRC, they were 50% off at the beginning.

For under $1k, you could also consider custom wheels from TWE. Call Greg Ryan - He quoted me ~$700/$750 for a new set. Hand built to your requirements. He is based in Sydney.

Have a shop around, your local might offer wheel building services and you may be able to get a set within your budget.
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10speedsemiracer
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby 10speedsemiracer » Sun Mar 18, 2018 2:48 pm

Zippy7 wrote:A few comments you may want to be aware of.

Prolites - there was a recent thread on this forum where someone with a Cell Brunswick had spoke problems. Believe his Prolites had short spokes (only discovered after one broke!).
Others seem not to have problems, but most of that would be older wheels (when the Kotavelo guy was looking after the brand), and they would likely be rim brake wheels. This one with problems was a disc brake wheel (Brunswick was a CX bike used for commuting).

Zondas - A fellow rider has these. He is a lightweight, weekend warrior and thinks they're great. Believe he paid around $450 AUD about 6 months ago. Be aware they have a different lacing pattern (I'm not convinced they are particularly strong with that pattern).

Prime wheels - believe this is c r c/Wiggle in house brand. IIRC, they were 50% off at the beginning.

For under $1k, you could also consider custom wheels from TWE. Call Greg Ryan - He quoted me ~$700/$750 for a new set. Hand built to your requirements. He is based in Sydney.

Have a shop around, your local might offer wheel building services and you may be able to get a set within your budget.
I was thinking this as well, although a lot of reviewers have good things to say about Vision wheels. I think some customs, say White Industries hubs and HED rims laced up with spokes of your choice would probably come in under budget, and are bespoke/custom to suit you.
Campagnolo for show, SunTour for go

slowK
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby slowK » Sun Mar 18, 2018 8:32 pm

How about c r c's Prime Pro Disc Road wheelset?

http://www.this link is broken/au/e ... prod142940

Lighter, cheaper, wider internal width of the rim (19mm) than either of the two sets you mention.

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Mububban
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby Mububban » Mon Mar 19, 2018 11:08 pm

slowK wrote:How about c r c's Prime Pro Disc Road wheelset?

http://www.this link is broken/au/e ... prod142940

Lighter, cheaper, wider internal width of the rim (19mm) than either of the two sets you mention.
1450g for $461 is pretty darn tempting, but 1584g and under $1000 isn't too bad either, and I think the carbon rims and deeper section will scratch the upgrade itch more than alloy rims will :D And I like the look of white decals flashing away as I ride, anything to make me a tiny bit more visible doesn't hurt.

I'll give TWE a call tomorrow but I think those Primes will be hard to beat.
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Zippy7
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby Zippy7 » Tue Mar 20, 2018 11:10 pm

The prime's would be machine built - TWE will be hand built to your requirements
Also, TWE will have a much better warranty.
Think about what happens if/when you break a spoke or have an issue.
My brand new Fulcrum 7 LGs popped a spoke on the second ride out, and Fulcrums are supposedly hand built
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queequeg
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby queequeg » Wed Mar 21, 2018 12:05 pm

You also have these as an option

https://www.huntbikewheels.com/collecti ... less-ready

Not carbon, but still 1585g, $545 with free shipping
'11 Lynskey Cooper CX, '00 Hillbrick Steel Racing (Total Rebuild '10), '16 Cervelo R5, '18 Mason BokekTi

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MichaelB
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby MichaelB » Wed Mar 21, 2018 12:38 pm

queequeg wrote:You also have these as an option

https://www.huntbikewheels.com/collecti ... less-ready

Not carbon, but still 1585g, $545 with free shipping
I did a review of these for BNA a while ago. One tough wheelset !!

https://www.bicycles.net.au/2015/10/rev ... -wheelset/

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queequeg
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby queequeg » Wed Mar 21, 2018 1:07 pm

MichaelB wrote:
queequeg wrote:You also have these as an option

https://www.huntbikewheels.com/collecti ... less-ready

Not carbon, but still 1585g, $545 with free shipping
I did a review of these for BNA a while ago. One tough wheelset !!

https://www.bicycles.net.au/2015/10/rev ... -wheelset/
The current price is a nice discount on the 2015 Price. They have some wheelsets in stock ready to go, which is why the price has come down I think. Normally everything is pre-order, these are an absolute steal at $545 shipped.
'11 Lynskey Cooper CX, '00 Hillbrick Steel Racing (Total Rebuild '10), '16 Cervelo R5, '18 Mason BokekTi

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Mububban
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby Mububban » Wed Mar 21, 2018 2:07 pm

Man, those Hunt wheels probably would have won, but I ordered the Prime wheels yesterday afternoon :D

With so many good options within my budget, hopefully I've made the right choice. If not I at least have a good list of alternatives! It's good to know there are so many affordable options without spending thousands.

I wanted to keep to about $1000 total spend. With 2 Ultegra rotors and a new cassette, it came to $1100 total.


Zippy7 wrote:The prime's would be machine built - TWE will be hand built to your requirements
Also, TWE will have a much better warranty.
Think about what happens if/when you break a spoke or have an issue.
My brand new Fulcrum 7 LGs popped a spoke on the second ride out, and Fulcrums are supposedly hand built
I had a chat with Greg from TWE and will definitely keep him in mind for future work, but I'm hoping to have these wheels for an upcoming event, and he needed to order parts that would have taken too long. Weight and price were within a whisker of each other, I'm sure his work is top notch but the lure of mildly aero carbon wheels (rightly or wrongly) won me over.

The Prime wheels do come with spare spokes and nipples, if something goes wrong then the LBS gets some repair business I suppose. But fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.
The RP-38 features our CC-38 rims and RD010 hubset laced together with Sapim CX-Ray spokes and finished off with Sapim Secure Lock aluminium nipples.

Features:
Prime QR skewers
Adaptor kits for QR/12mm/15mm (Front) – QR/12mm x 142mm (Rear)
Tubeless valves x 2
Tubeless tape (Installed)
Spare spokes x 3: 1 Front, 2 x Rear (1 drive side / 1 non-drive side)
Spare nipples x 3

And I know weight alone isn’t everything, but this chart is interesting.

Image
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Zippy7
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby Zippy7 » Wed Mar 21, 2018 9:20 pm

Mububban wrote:...I ordered the Prime wheels yesterday afternoon :D....
Keep us posted - I'm keen on hearing your thoughts on the wheels (and piccys).
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Mububban
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby Mububban » Thu Mar 22, 2018 1:06 pm

Zippy7 wrote: Keep us posted - I'm keen on hearing your thoughts on the wheels (and piccys).
The order's been dispatched. Another order I made 6 days ago should be delivered today, so if I get the wheels within a week, that gives me a good week to get a feel for them before my hills event.

I'll do a comparison review too :)
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Mububban
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby Mububban » Sat Mar 24, 2018 8:18 am

Well...this sucks:

Image

The wheels were AUD$874, the total order came to $1100.
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queequeg
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby queequeg » Sat Mar 24, 2018 2:46 pm

Mububban wrote:Well...this sucks:

Image

The wheels were AUD$874, the total order came to $1100.
So you ordered more than just the wheelset and went over the $1000? Yep, it happens.....which is why you need to keep your orders small enough, split across multiple suppliers and make sure they don't all arrive on the same day (though technically they can't consider these as "one shipment" if they came from completely different suppliers).

Also, with the $100 in customs processing charges, if you are only just over $1000, you have an effective tax rate of 22%. With the $1000 threshold being dropped to $0 in July, can you imagine a $5 item getting slugged with $100 in Customs Charges. That's why they are looking at the $5 parcel fee, because otherwise they will have to clear millions of extra parcels through this system.


I had recently had four parcels ordered from four different suppliers in three different countries over a period of 3 weeks, and would you believe it, they all went through Australian customs on the same day within a couple of hours each other, and got delivered together. Luckily the combined total was still under the threshold.

When I ordered my Hunt Wheels, they were an $854 purchase (inc shipping costs). They got delivered to me, on a Sunday(!), straight through customs with no issues.
'11 Lynskey Cooper CX, '00 Hillbrick Steel Racing (Total Rebuild '10), '16 Cervelo R5, '18 Mason BokekTi

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Mububban
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby Mububban » Sat Mar 24, 2018 2:54 pm

Chalk it up to a learning experience I suppose. I've never ordered anything that expensive from online before and am unlikely to again. Hopefully, these will last me on my current bike for years, and the mythical N+1 will either have wheels that don't need upgrading, or I'll probably use Greg from TWE, or a local Perth builder.
When you are driving your car, you are not stuck IN traffic - you ARE the traffic!!!

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queequeg
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby queequeg » Sat Mar 24, 2018 3:01 pm

Mububban wrote:Chalk it up to a learning experience I suppose. I've never ordered anything that expensive from online before and am unlikely to again. Hopefully, these will last me on my current bike for years, and the mythical N+1 will either have wheels that don't need upgrading, or I'll probably use Greg from TWE, or a local Perth builder.
Yep, it's not the end of the world, and from July it won't matter anyway, everyone will get slugged (though it is unclear about the Customs Processing charges for Low Value Items).
I have a Frameset coming from the UK very soon. It's way over the $1000 threshold, so the cost is just factored into the budget. I'm expecting to be hit around $700 in charges when it arrives (GST + Customs Processing)
'11 Lynskey Cooper CX, '00 Hillbrick Steel Racing (Total Rebuild '10), '16 Cervelo R5, '18 Mason BokekTi

uad782
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby uad782 » Sat Mar 24, 2018 9:30 pm

You may be lucky. I ordered a bike from Germany which cost ~ $2800 and paid no charges at all. It just showed up on the door! I believe it is a lottery.

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Mububban
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby Mububban » Tue Mar 27, 2018 10:47 pm

The wheels have arrived!!! I'll take them to the LBS tomorrow to get them built up, but according to my scales this is what I've got:

Prime RP-38:
Front - 856g (705g wheel + 115g Ultegra rotor & lock ring + 36g QR skewer)
Rear - 1291g (845g wheel + 115g Ultegra rotor & lock ring + 41g QR skewer + 290g Ultegra cassette)

Compared to stock Giant PR-2:
Front - 1095 incl disc rotor and QR skewer (239g heavier)
Rear - 1625g incl disc rotor, QR skewer and 105 cassette (334g heavier)

= 573g weight saving

Can't wait to give them their first test ride.
When you are driving your car, you are not stuck IN traffic - you ARE the traffic!!!

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Mububban
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby Mububban » Wed Mar 28, 2018 11:41 pm

Here they are on the bike. First ride (apart from the car park test which seemed to get rid of the initial new rotor squeal) will be commuting tomorrow morning.

Image
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10speedsemiracer
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby 10speedsemiracer » Thu Mar 29, 2018 12:44 am

Mububban wrote:Here they are on the bike. First ride (apart from the car park test which seemed to get rid of the initial new rotor squeal) will be commuting tomorrow morning.

Image
They're really nice.
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caneye
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby caneye » Fri Mar 30, 2018 2:23 pm

Nice! Are the "Prime" logos painted on or decals?

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Mububban
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby Mububban » Fri Mar 30, 2018 8:34 pm

Painted.

They have a stealthy dark grey logo option, but I like the look of white logos spinning around on a moving wheel. Not that I can see it when riding of course :D And if it makes me 1% more visible on the road, that doesn't hurt either.

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Defy The Odds
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby Defy The Odds » Sat Mar 31, 2018 12:44 am

How do you find the wheels mate?

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Mububban
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Re: Disc wheel upgrade <$1000

Postby Mububban » Sat Mar 31, 2018 7:33 pm

Defy The Odds wrote:How do you find the wheels mate?
I've done one commute (2 x 13km) and one short group ride this morning (40km) on fairly familiar roads. So far, they're good. Not a complete "oh my god" revelation (like the 1350g wheelset on a TCR that's also 2.5kg lighter than my bike), but definitely a noticeable and worthwhile improvement.

Basically, I'm not having to change down gears as often. I'm able to stay in a gear for longer before changing, or not need to change at all, due to them spinning far easier. My usual shift points on familiar roads have changed or been eliminated. They accelerate easier too.

I haven't gone down any familiar long climbs or descents to gauge how they roll at speed, but I think they'll definitely be a big help for the 3 Dams next Sunday.

So far so good, no buyer's remorse whatsoever about not going for a "name brand."
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