# road bike wheels choice?



## Tabbs (Aug 3, 2009)

got this custom built road bike









was going to upgrade the wheels but can not decide bewteen these two

*Campagnolo Vento Reaction Wheelset£159.99*










or

*Mavic Aksium Black Clincher Road Bike Wheelset £160*









so what would you choose?


----------



## Transit (Nov 18, 2007)

Going on past experience I'd have the Vento's, I still run a pair of 7 year old Campag wheels on my winter bike and have a pair of Eurus's on my nice bike. I sold my Mavic ES's after a year after the skewer broke and they got noisy.


----------



## Tabbs (Aug 3, 2009)

Transit said:


> Going on past experience I'd have the Vento's, I still run a pair of 7 year old Campag wheels on my winter bike and have a pair of Eurus's on my nice bike. I sold my Mavic ES's after a year after the skewer broke and they got noisy.


very useful stuff there thanks any pics of your ventos on?


----------



## Transit (Nov 18, 2007)

And the old ones


----------



## Tabbs (Aug 3, 2009)

w:doubleshow wow w:argie:w
they are two nice bikes and wheels
always had a soft spot for Bianchi


----------



## Transit (Nov 18, 2007)

Tabbs said:


> w:doubleshow wow w:argie:w
> they are two nice bikes and wheels
> always had a soft spot for Bianchi


Thanks. Funnily enough I have a soft spot for them too.


----------



## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

Can the mods give us a pedal bike section, if only to see me and Dubnut go bankrupt.


----------



## Transit (Nov 18, 2007)

S63 said:


> Can the mods give us a pedal bike section, if only to see me and Dubnut go bankrupt.


LOL, which LSP for Celeste


----------



## Jace (Oct 26, 2005)

Tabbs said:


> got this custom built road bike


I've never seen a left side drive road bike, bmx yes, but a road bike :lol:

What group set do you have on it Shimano or campag ?

For me the 2 should never be seen to be mixed, if its shimano, go MAVIC, & if its campag, well..


----------



## Transit (Nov 18, 2007)

He's running Shimano, but he could put some Fulcrum (Racing 5's or 7's) wheels on it if the Campag wheels offend.


----------



## Tabbs (Aug 3, 2009)

I am running shimano but been told that they can fit changing the flywheel

*"For me the 2 should never be seen to be mixed, if its shimano, go MAVIC, & if its campag, well.. "*

is this a technical thing or principle

as far as the fulcrums go heard lots bout how noisy they are?


----------



## Transit (Nov 18, 2007)

Tabbs said:


> I am running shimano but been told that they can fit changing the flywheel
> 
> *"For me the 2 should never be seen to be mixed, if its shimano, go MAVIC, & if its campag, well.. "*
> 
> ...


I don't think you can fit a Shimano freewheel on the lower end Campag wheels but you can put a different cassette on that will work with Shimano. Noise wise there won't be much difference as Fulcrum wheels are basically Campag wheels in disguise.


----------



## Tabbs (Aug 3, 2009)

Transit said:


> I don't think you can fit a Shimano freewheel on the lower end Campag wheels but you can put a different cassette on that will work with Shimano. Noise wise there won't be much difference as *Fulcrum wheels are basically Campag wheels in disguise*.


hmmm did not know that 
bugger another choice now  :lol:


----------



## Jace (Oct 26, 2005)

Tabbs said:


> *"For me the 2 should never be seen to be mixed, if its shimano, go MAVIC, & if its campag, well.. "*
> 
> is this a technical thing or principle


Just a style thing, its a bit like wearing a Nike T with Adidas trainers

Shimano have a bunch of new road wheelsets due out for their 2011 range.

The model RS80 uses older DuraAce technology for much less money

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=38244

There is also the RS20 set is a well priced/spec'd pair, RRP £200, but as is the norm, they are being shagged online

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/ro...o-Pair-Wheels-RS20-Clincher-Black/SHIMWHFR370

Full Tech spec on them here:
http://bike.shimano.com/publish/con...ad_wheels/product.-code-WH-RS20-S.-type-.html


----------



## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

why are you thinking of changing the wheels? what do you want to change/improve? How much do you weigh and what sort of riding do you do - road types, distance etc. What sort of level are you at, mileage ridden etc?

These are some of the things you want to think about when changing the wheels - TBH, I bet 90% of people wouldnt see any difference from changing wheels on most bikes in most circumstances. Give us a bit more info and see if we can help


----------



## chunkytfg (Feb 1, 2009)

Bigpikle said:


> why are you thinking of changing the wheels? what do you want to change/improve? How much do you weigh and what sort of riding do you do - road types, distance etc. What sort of level are you at, mileage ridden etc?
> 
> These are some of the things you want to think about when changing the wheels - TBH, I bet 90% of people wouldnt see any difference from changing wheels on most bikes in most circumstances. Give us a bit more info and see if we can help


That is soo true about the difference between wheels. For me I have a set of wheels That weigh a ton but a supremely strong. For me as a fatty that is perfect but if I was a sensible weight then I would be riding round on a much better set of wheels that spin up quicker and improve the handling.


----------



## Tabbs (Aug 3, 2009)

Bigpikle said:


> why are you thinking of changing the wheels? what do you want to change/improve? How much do you weigh and what sort of riding do you do - road types, distance etc. What sort of level are you at, mileage ridden etc?
> 
> These are some of the things you want to think about when changing the wheels - TBH, I bet 90% of people wouldnt see any difference from changing wheels on most bikes in most circumstances. Give us a bit more info and see if we can help


tbh to change the look of the bike... ready for a change but can not afford a new bike!! 
I do short rides and a bigger one this Sept (50miles) 
weight = 13ish stone


----------



## Jace (Oct 26, 2005)

Bigpikle said:


> why are you thinking of changing the wheels? what do you want to change/improve? How much do you weigh and what sort of riding do you do - road types, distance etc. What sort of level are you at, mileage ridden etc?
> 
> These are some of the things you want to think about when changing the wheels - TBH, I bet 90% of people wouldnt see any difference from changing wheels on most bikes in most circumstances. Give us a bit more info and see if we can help


Rolling Resistance is the key point & goal when changing wheels

I fitted a set of wheels laced with Ti spokes a few years back & the difference was amazing, the bike almost powered itself.

Then again, theres no point running good wheels if your running bog standard tyres & tubes either.

1st thing I did when I got my road bike was bin the OEM tyres, tubes & rim tapes, & replaced them with some Schwalbe Ultremo R1's, Schwalbe Extra light tubes & their high pressure polyester tapes.

It came with Vittoria Rubino Pro Folding which weigh 210g ea & basic tubes which weigh around 115g

Ultremo R1 = 180g
S-XL tubes =65g

The rotational weight saving is 160g, which is half way to the difference in those Dura-ace wheels & the RS20 set I have linked up a few posts.


----------



## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

Not sure what you mean by rolling resistance, as thats a function of your tyre choice, and pretty much insignificant in the total equation of bike riding. Much more important is wind resistance by a VERY long way, and that is 65% rider position and only impacted in a fairly small way by rim choice eg deep dish wheels etc. 

There's quite a lot to wheel choice...aero benefits depending on spoke and rim choice, strength of the wheel, stiffness, quality of the hub. If you are a big lad sprinting out of the saddle then you can easily flex a weak wheel and lose power. I ride with a big guy and when you follow him and see him sprint you can see the flex in the wheel! Wheel choice will also impact ride quality by the amount they soak up road vibration (or not) and the design will also determine their ability to stay trued after impacts with holes etc. I've had wheels that would need truing after just 1 impact and others that have survived an entire season and been almost perfect by the end.

Weight benefits on bikes are massively over emphasised most of the time. When bike and rider weigh 180-200lbs together, what is the real benefit of saving 100g off the total package - rotating weight or not? Cut your nails and take a dump if its that important. Of course it all helps, especially uphill, but in the grand scheme of things a little extra training or skip a beer or 2 for a few weeks and you'll get a bigger benefit.

Wheels are important but like most things the average rider wont notice any performance difference in real riding. Top end racing then do it, but frankly as the OP said he wants to change the 'look' of the bike then money would be beter spent on a paint job IMHO.


----------



## Jace (Oct 26, 2005)

I have to disagree, wheel & tyre weight totally affect the way the bike will ride & feel.

Its like fitting some cheap chinese tyres & a set of steel wheels to your car, your MPG will go down as the car is having to try harder due to the extra weight its got to turn.


----------



## chunkytfg (Feb 1, 2009)

Jace said:


> I have to disagree, wheel & tyre weight totally affect the way the bike will ride & feel.
> 
> Its like fitting some cheap chinese tyres & a set of steel wheels to your car, your MPG will go down as the car is having to try harder due to the extra weight its got to turn.


Agreed but it's not just about ultimate weight of the wheel. It's also about where the weight is!

A 1kg wheel with a 500g rim will be worse than a 1kg wheel with a 300g rim.


----------



## Transit (Nov 18, 2007)

Wheels can make a massive difference, the wheels in the pic below are only a pound or so lighter than my everyday wheels but even a 16st buffoon would feel the difference that they make.


----------



## KugaStu (Nov 18, 2009)

If the wheels are going to be used just for pottering around the lanes and only covering a few miles each weekend, I would personnally stick with what you got.

However if your a club rider like myself and average 100 miles a week training then I would consider up grading my wheels. I meet a lot of new cyclist in our club who purchase expensive kit just to pose and no intention of using it in anger.

My TT bike is an 5 year old Giant TCR Aero, with Cormina rear carbon disc on a 22mm tub and a Cormina 12 spoke bladed carbon deep section on 18mm Vittoria's Crono's. I still have no intention of changing it yet for fully carbon monoque as the wheels and frame are still stiff as from the day i purchased it.


----------



## Tabbs (Aug 3, 2009)

thanks for your advice and opinions chaps :thumb:
just a case of getting a good deal tbh
I appreciate that I do not do silly miles hence having a budget under £200 for a pair, which I think is reasonable, rather than £200 each!!!
The campags do look :argie: so its back to the old choice of
head (mavic) :thumb: or heart (campag) :argie:
those shimanos do look nice tho  
oooh yeh these look nice too







expensive?
I will look at the weights some good points made in some of the posts
again thanks for all your thoughts and input :wave:


----------

