Wheel upgrade for Giant

Hi folks

In the quest for a bit more speed, and cos the original wheels have taken lots of abuse and I've broken a few spokes in the 2 years I've had it. I'm looking at upgrading the wheels on my Giant SCR2. As usual this is all to be done on a low-ish budget.

Someone has recommended Planet X Model B - which are going for £100 a pair. Sounds great to me.

So being the numpty I am, do I just purchase the Shimano version and the relevant cassette (shimano Tiagra 9 speed) ?

I'd also be interested in any opinions of wheel alternatives. I only have the one bike to train on, turbo on and race on, so the wheels need to cover all of these, although I could keep the old wheels for turboing.

thanks popsider, I thought you'd help out.

JD - could go a bit higher if needs be, depends if I gain anything or not. How much difference does increasingly more expensive wheels make  ?

i don't really know.  lighter wheels are a bit easier to get up to full speed, i think that's about it.  people with  really expensive wheels will tell you they don't make much difference

Agree with JD - they spin up to speed more easily but if you are in a tri you only need to spin them up to speed once and then hold it so not worth paying for light rims.     Even for hilly courses I don't think they make a huge difference.   

Aerodynamics are a bit more important than weight - but it's hard to know how aerodynamic one set of wheels is compared to another in that kind of price range.     Deep section wheels definitely help - but you are looking at £500 plus for them.    If you could stretch to a second hand deep section front wheel that would probably be a noticeable upgrade.

More expensive wheels may have better hubs, better bearings etc and may be a bit less drag - again how you can tell other than personal recommendation I don't know.   

popsider wrote (see)

Someone that uses Shimano can correct me if I'm wrong but I think Shimano 9 speed freehubs will take a 10 speed cassette but the 10 speed ones wont take a 9 speed - so you need to make sure the wheels are fitted with a 9 speed freehub - basically just 9 speed compatible. 

why not borrow some wheels of crab/doozer (i think you're in the same club?) and report back on the improvement?

when i upgraded the stock wheels that came with with my entry level bike i did notice a very small difference going up the first incline.  i just got xero x-1 i think.  nice wheels.  of course, like with HD, i only noticed the minor difference once and ever since it's been normal.

i've bought other wheels second hand for no real reason since.  mavics are nice and cheap second hand on ebay.  they're nice wheels although i don't like the noise of the hubs when i'm coasting.  they click so loud it's difficult to hear cars when i'm riding up to junctions.

Is it the 10 speed cassette on a 9 speed hub that causes "chewing"?, sure I read that at bikeradar

I've just brought a pair of Easton EA70's to replace my Mavic CXP22's, and its made a heck of a difference.

A 750g weight saving, coupled with much, much smoother and freer hubs / bearings means that the difference between them is quite marked, especially up inclines and freewheeling.

They feel pretty strong too, did a 54 mile club ride on rutted roads, potholes etc, and they seem as strong as the Mavics

The Fulcrum 7 wheels are a pretty good basic wheel for doing everything, you can pick some up online for not much more than £100 at ribble or crc - Mavic Aksiums are another solid alternative, slightly more though.

Cheers Doozer, the fulcrums and aksiums don’t come in too bad price wise. I guess any of these two or the planet x’s will be better than the DA22 wheels that came with my bike.

Which of the 3 should I get though – would  I notice a difference between em all ?

the Eatons are a bit more pricey again

TR if you can stretch the xero lite wheels are very good value 30mm rime and 1550gm they are available from new  ebay (zepnat) as good as mavic kysiums

Just to chuck another name in the pot....

Pro lite Bracciano get good reviews

Thanks folks

WH - which particular model - the reviews seem very good. I stalked your result, very impressed.

danowat - indeed they do. One review says they are more or less teh same wheel as the Planet X model Bs (different hub  - same rim and spokes)

The x1 lite aero blade.

TR have a read of my report i reckon you would love the full distance (if you have the training time), how does the swashbuckler compare to the september middle distance