Carbon wheelset advice

Hello, I am in a similar situation as you it sounds like. Although I am no expert on wheels, I am going to stick with clinchers based on the research I have done. Take a look at the Planet X, Reynolds, and Williams wheelsets. Those are on my list right now and can be had for under $1100.00 it seems. Also maybe a used set that you can physically look at before purchasing. Good luck.

I haven't been in the market for new wheels for a while so can't advise on which brand (although I have a Zipp 808 rear/404 front and love them).

In my experience of using both clincher and tubular I would go with clincher every time now (my Zipps are clincher). I found swapping tyres on a tubular really messy and far more time consuming than on a clincher. I soon got tired of having to pre-stretch the tyre, getting glue everywhere and the worry of having to do it in a race situation. Maybe I did not have the right technique but I am confident I can change a clincher much quicker than a tubular and there is very little difference in performance.

be careful of the off brands of wheels you buy I thought I was getting a good deal on one only to have the carbon melt and deform on the first real heavy down hill braking I did. Sat on the side of the road 2 hours till a replacement wheel showed up.It killed my race (had fun any way). Called the manufacturer up and was told I was braking to much and he would not replace them. I not the worth the saving if you end up broken down on the side of the road. search ebay in sept/oct/nov when every bucket lister is selling there zipps.

dont buy any carbon wheelset made from China. Knock-offs is a big market for carbon wheels.

I would go with clinchers, as well. Some will say that changing a tubular is not that big a deal, but for me that would be one more thing to learn and I'm not going to do it. The other consideration is whether you want to look at full carbon clinchers or a hybrid with aluminum rim with a carbon faring. Getting more detailed, the options there are structural carbon or not. The advantage of a aluminum rim is that you won't have to switch brake pads if you switch your wheels between a race set and training set. Full carbon rims need specific brake pads. Again, that is not a huge task, but just depends on your desired level of wrenching.

If you look around, you can find good deals on Shimano C50 wheels. Solid wheels, the new Dura Ace have the wider rims too. The Ultegra versions can be found for good value. I've heard really good things about the FLOs but you are right, you can't just decide one day and order them.

This is a good point. Changing brake pads is not difficult or particularly time consuming but if you are doing often it becomes a bit of a hassle. Of course, each set of pads is a different depth so the breaks need to be adjusted each time you switch them.

Edited by tridantri 2013-08-10 3:44 PM

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