I am looking at a Cervelo Soloist-Centaur and I have a bit of cash left over to upgrade (trade up) one part so I am thinking of the wheels. The bike comes with and Easton/Velomax Vista (1800g) which are probably quite good but I already have a set of Campagnolo Sciroccos which are very similar (30mm rim, low spoke count, 1800g or so etc…) . These will be my every day wheels and even do duty in the occasional Tri and TT. I live in the Rocky Mountain foothills so every good ride involves rough roads, lots of hill and lots of wind.
Easton/Velomax Circuit 1650 - Seem like a logical upgrade choice, not too expensive
Ksyrium Elite about 1740g - Not much lighter
Ksyrium SL about 1500g - Are these things getting too delicate?
Campagnolo Protons 1640g - Not as deep in the rim but very well made.
American Classic 420’s? 1455g - I’ve heard these are a bit soft when pushed
Any other suggestions?
Also, Does a 30mm rim really offer much aero benefit over a normal rim?
I agree…the wheels you listed are common wheels, the Camoy wheels you stated are not really an upgrade at all - you need to get Neucleons at least (and they are the same rim depth). I would think that you should keep your money and get a groupset upgrade, a nicer helmet, shoes, or something. People worry to much about wheels.
To brag a bit, yesterday I destroyed the guys at the local ride…I was on 32 spoke 3x Campy rims on Record hubs…they had everything from 404’s, Velomax, Ksyriums, and on and on. Sure race wheels are nice, sure I am a TINY bit faster on my 909’s or 404’s. But in the end of the day, I had already spent money on a good HRM, and other training tools that would give me more strength than weight loss on my wheels.
I always thought wheels were a good upgrade. I understand your point about Powertap, HRMs and such but from a ride and comfort point of view what would you suggest?
Oh BTW, I will definitely will be switching the stock cervelo brakes to centaur or chorus. The stock one are really bad.
For everyday riding wheels, I think it would be hard to beat open Pro rims 32-36 hole Chorus crossed 3 or even 4 (on the 36). Those wheels are light enough to race on, not effected by wind, and are easily built and trued by LBS. I think the high tension/low spoke count fancy wheels from the factories are way over priced and short lived. A bit old skool thinking but that is the exact wheel a lot of the teams rode on the cobbles in France this year.
I always thought wheels were a good upgrade. I understand your point about Powertap, HRMs and such but from a ride and comfort point of view what would you suggest?
Oh BTW, I will definitely will be switching the stock cervelo brakes to centaur or chorus. The stock one are really bad.
Why would you think you will get increased comfort by changing the wheels?
I have or have had Zero Gravity brakes, DA10 brakes and Cervelo brakes. The Cervelo brakes perform better then the ZG and just as well as the DA. Not sure where you get the idea that they are a bad brake set.
How about Bontrager Race X Lites…these things are bomb proof, proven in the tour de france and weigh less than the wheels you are looking at. I agree they are pricey, but hey I ride them so they must be good! Right? :0
Good Luck there are a lot of good choices available.
I test rode two Cervelos (r2.5 and Soloist) and both seemed to really lack braking power. I really needed to squeeze them to get any effect. Then I rode a Cannondale r1000 with Ultegra and almost locked up the brakes (after riding the cervelo). They just didn’t seem to have much power and it is tough to modulate when your knuckles are white. My plan was to upgrade to Chorus or Centaur breaks if I go with a Cervelo. Do they break in and get better?
For everyday riding wheels, I think it would be hard to beat open Pro rims 32-36 hole Chorus crossed 3 or even 4 (on the 36). Those wheels are light enough to race on, not effected by wind, and are easily built and trued by LBS. I think the high tension/low spoke count fancy wheels from the factories are way over priced and short lived. A bit old skool thinking but that is the exact wheel a lot of the teams rode on the cobbles in France this year.
I agree w/ Ashburn and Record10.
The only thing I’d pick on from the quote above is the rims. Yuck. I prefer the DT R1.1 rim, and built my Powertap with those.
And no, 30mm isn’t much. I recall seeing something that said it takes more like 40 or 50 for it to be material. And Campy Protons are about 200g heavier than you listed (I had them – solid wheel, nothing special).
Get some Ksyrium SSC SLs from e-bay. Light (any lighter and durability is an issue) and VERY durable. I’ve put over 7K on my current pair and have only trued the rear once (and it was only after flying back from Hawaii and was likely some careless airline gorilla). Those wheels have been used in the tours (Giro, France, etc.) for thousands of miles as well.
I am still trying to decide between the R2.5-Chorus and the Soloist-Centaur. Both have the Vista wheels so I’ll probably stick with those. Although one of the local shops has the OrionII for $800cdn and they look really nice (and light 1500g). It is a tough call. The 2.5 is pretty awesome and Chorus looks really cool with the carbon frame. The Soloist is probably a better bike for my needs (occasional tri’s & TT) and $1200 cheaper but not quite as cool and a little rougher ride. Maybe I could get a Kestral carbon road bar and the Carbon fiber road post once it is available and still be ahead some cash. The Soloist was a lot of fun to ride and the handling was quick (very tossable). I rode a 2.5 that was a size too large so it was not quite right.
I’ll second the Bontrager Race Xlites - really nice set, not too much money, and a bit aero. They’ve proven durable too. The SSL’s are durable, but I would hesitate to ride on rough rods every day with them (aluminum spokes). I don’t think campy has done anything spectacular with their wheels these days. I can testify that the american classics are a bit squishy… but soooo damn light.
With all that… I’m really enjoying my velocity wheelset. Velocity’s rims are noticeably stiffer than mavic. I’ve also heard good things about DT rims. Open pros are proven, but a bit more squishy than some other brands out there. If you weigh over 200, do a 36/32 (both 3X) combo, otherwise 32 3X / 28 2X. I’m a fan of straight gauge spokes - even a 1.8mm over double butted (less stretching). Get some hubs (my vote is for american classic, Paul, or White Industries) on Ebay and have your local shop build the wheels.
…from a ride and comfort point of view what would you suggest? .
If I had any amount of money to spend on wheels, I would buy Velomax wheels. I own a set of Circuits myself that I bought a few years ago when I did have a lot more money for bike stuff.
And I would not spend any reasonable amount of money to replace the Vistas with Circuits. The Vistas are better wheels than perhaps you realize.
Don’t give in to the temptation! Keep your wheels and save the money for some really good stuff.
I just got a new P3sl and the brakes do seem to be seriously lacking. The only thing is that I have the same brakes on my prodigy, well an older version of the same brakes, and they lock up nice and strong. I just think I need to break in the pads or maybe it’s the new wheels. Maybe I should toss on an old pair of ultegra calipers just to see the difference. From most feedback in the past as well as my own experience up until I got the P3sl this week, Cervelo brakes were very nice.
I went with the Soloist with the stock Vista and upgraded the brakes (Centaur) to be able to handle all of the speed I will be hammering out. The optional parachute is on backorder from NASA.
I also could not say no to the Eaton EC90 Superlite fork. Pure vanity but the stock Alpha really did not match the headtube.
Right? :0