Our shop has been recommending the Roval Rapide SL 35 for people looking to upgrade from a stock wheelset but are unwilling to spring for a high end pair. I'm running a set on my Venge and love them. Good hubs and decent depth, I haven't noted any flex in them as of yet. Our customers that have bought them have not had any complaints and for $550 the price is very affordable.

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Jim

**Note above poster works for a retailer selling bikes and related gear*

Get a generic rear wheel with which you can put a cover on for race day. I use 28 or 32 spoke with a PowerTap. Get a matching cheap generic front wheel to train on. Then, get a good race day wheel like a Zipp 808 or FLO (I use a HED3). Best setup for training AND racing.

I grabbed a pair of Shimano WH-R501's with my bike. aluminum rims, with a slight fairing to them. Great training wheels, but I raced in them lots as well with great performance. They have bladed spokes which are nice, and a slightly lower spoke count (20 front, 24 rear) than your general crap wheels. They were not expensive either!

I run Zipp 101's. solid aero aluminum wheel that you can find for ~$500 for the set. can't beat aluminum braking surface for training.

I have the Mavic Ksyirium sls wheels. They are pretty much bullet proof. They are lightish, aeroish (not really a stand-out in either category), but plenty stiff, extremely durable (I ride on gravel with them often), and have a predictable aluminum braking surface, and are also reasonably priced (again qualify with an ish). I have even set them up tubeless to give that a try, and they don't need tape to do so. If you don't mind a few extra grams for about half the cost the Ksyirium Elites are also great.

The Flo 30s seem to be great, and BOYD seems to have a decent following around here (Wyoming/South Dakota/Montana/Colorado...not necessarily Slow Twitch). Stans Alphas also seem to be pretty decent (definitely high value).

I used to have a set of Cane Creeks that I wish were still around...they were pretty incredible for an all-around. I have also had a set of Rolf Vigors alphas that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend...But in that same brand, I think the Rolf 58RSC may be a better choice (they are a little more aero...but appear to be built to be a bit more durable).

Budget wouldn't hurt though.... I've seen some people train every day on Zipp Firecrest 404s.

Easton ea90 tt
Flo 30
the spcialized 35 mentioned above
3t accellero pro 40

Flo 30's for $500 are hard to beat.

I was in the market 2 months ago and did some research but didn't find any better value. So I bought them. Couldn't be any happier. I'll race on them too.

I don't know how you could beat the Velocity Deep V wheels for strength, aerodynamics, and affordability. They're perfect for year round training and will suit you fine for racing.

Why? It sounds like you already have two sets that you could train on. Just save your race tires for race day and get whatever race wheel you want and can afford. If you get a wheel (like Flo) that doesn't need special brake shoes, changing wheels shouldn't be much of an issue.

I think there are a number of people racing and training on Zipp and Flo wheels.

I have put a ton of miles in my Enve 46 for training and racing. Throw a cover on the rear and it's race ready

Fair question. In the near term I am not going to spend money on a wheel I only use for racing (dodging tomatoes), but realize the current wheels I have are low end. I like the idea of an all arounder, maybe due to laziness of changing them, value mindset, or maybe due to watching one set just sit there most of the time, so I was looking at one set that would just do double duty...even if slightly suboptimal for racing. Maybe the reality is doing as you mention above.

I'm new, so I don't have much knowledge/answers in the space and am open to suggestions, as the ideas so far have been great and thank you all as it sounds like there are several to check into that could fit the bill.

Avoid Shimano wheels. Not that they are necessarily bad, but if you decide to go with the wheel cover option, Shimano wheels can't take a cover. Something slightly deep (like the Flo30) will allow for a cover installation rather easily, and not break the bank.

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Ian