… what would they be? Of course, you have to train and race on them.
SM
Those Zipp 404 clinchers that Cannondale is including in their new ironman 5000 look pretty good for a combo wheel as long as you’re not too heavy although if I was buying that bike I’d get tubulars and look for some used wheels to train on that wouldn’t cause me to have a seizure of some sort when I smacked into potholes or train tracks on my training rides. Hed Jets would be good too since they can be easily trued.
One set only, I’d go with Rolf Prima Vigors or Campy Shamals, clinchers.
I’d go with Hed-3 clinchers.
Zipp 404’s if you’ve got the coin. A pair of second hand Campy Shamal’s if you’re on a budget. Hed Alps might also get some consideration. And I only ride tubulars.
Why all the questions on this forum about the best set of “all-pupose” wheels? Not being aggressive here, but it’s confusing to me and I want to make sure I’m not missing something. I understand the usual answers are great wheels like Zip 404s that are sturdy enough to handle everyday use, but why would you.
I can see the question being what all-purpose wheels would you buy if you only had $250-$500 to spend. But when you are dropping big coin on 404s or HEDs, why would you not spend $100 on a used set of clincher training wheels that are easy to tune, etc.? I’m a big fan of training wheels that are heavy and robust. Granted, they are not as cool as Zips on your mid-week group ride. But, man you feel like you are flying when you put your race setup together the 2 weeks before race day. Just curious, that’s all. But, I might be a bit off the mark here. Anyone who purposely carries extra weight strapped to the bike on regular training rides has to be a bit demented.
Chubby
Hmmm, only one set of wheels for racing and training? Well, first a few things. 1. They would have to have an aluminum or metal rim. I’ve noticed some wear on the resin on my carbon rims and I wouldn’t want that on wheels I use daily. 2. I’d like them to be moderately deep (heck, they’re race wheels aren’t they) but not too deep since they’d have to do for any course. 3. I’d like them to be relatively light. 4. Sorry bunny, but I’d also like them to be clinchers. I do race tubies right now, but for an all around training (mostly) and racing wheel, I’d prefer the convenience and cost of clinchers.
So my vote would be for a set of Zipp 303 Clinchers. It satisfies all of the above.
Only in a nightmare world would I be limited to one set of wheels.
How about 3 pairs? HED ALPs for hilly courses like Buffalo Springs, Wildflower; H3s for flat courses and most IMs; Older Dura Ace 7700s (16 spokes) for training.
I like what I have, Kysrium Eliete’s for training and Zipp 404’s for racing. Both in clincher’s.
Agreed.
The more wheels the merrier!
I figure you need three sets of wheels:
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Bomb proof, heavy, non aero clincher set with super durable rubber for most riding
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moderatly aero and light with high performace clincher or Tub, for weekend group rides
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Race wheels that are kept in the garage/closet and only brought out on race day - Fully aero, very light AND bomb proof, always Tubular
Assuming free and unlimited aceess to good tubular tires, and I had to endure the nightmare of only one wheelset, I would go with #2 - moderatly aero and light tubulars - say ZIPP 303’s or the like.
32h Mavic Open Pros laced to Centaur Hubs on DT spokes.
Save from catastrophic failure, I can replace anything in a matter of a few minutes, at any bike shop. I’d rather lose a few seconds on a bike race than a few days of no training waiting for exotic wheel parts.
That said, I have two other pairs of race wheels - Mavic Cosmics for RR, Hed Jet60+Disc for TTs =))
I’m with Chubby Hubby on this one. You can get a perfectly decent set of training wheels, Mavic rims and Shimano hubs, for less than $100 at Nashbar. Rather than exposing thousands of dollars of race wheels to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, just spend another 10% to get a set of training wheels…
I don’t have the coin for new Zipps or Heds, so I bought used off Ebay. I’m very happy with the wheels I got for $275 total (zipp 440 front, Hed CX rear). Since I’ll be riding them only in races, less than 200 miles/year, I expect to be bored with them long before they wear out.
Before I bought these, my allpurpose wheels were 32-spoke, Ritchey Aero rims (about 30mm deep), Shimano RX100 hubs. Paid $100 for the wheelset. The aero wheels are measurably faster, though.
I’ve gone through lots of wheels, ritchey aero ds on 02 cervelos, no good. Mavic open pro 32h on ultegra hubs, no good. My first road bike had mavic cxp-22 32h, also no good. By no good, I mean they never stayed true. The two wheelsets that I have now are Mavic Ksyrium SL’s and Zipp 404’s (tubulars). For races, tubulars are by far the best, but training on them can get expensive. One week I had two flats, $80 bucks, boom gone. Ksyriums are the lightest most bulletproof wheels I have experience with. Cant go wrong with them.
One pair of race wheels. H3 up front, Renn Disc in the back. All for $800, 1/2 the price of a Zipp 909 wheel set.
Dave from VA
I’d go w/a pair of HED 3s; IMHO the best all around wheel for most conditions.
I can’t say for sure if I’d go w/clinchers or tubulars, I guess it would depend on my current financial situation (I don’t get many flats anway - knock on wood).
-gc
This is quite the contradictory thread as I have a hard time believing people would train on the high priced and sensitive race wheel like Zipp 404, Hed 3’s and the like. I think the question was more a search for an all around wheel at a reasonable price. I would go with something in the sub $250 per pair range like the Cane Creek aero heads, Shimano (Rolf knock offs) R540’s or Mavic Cosmic Elite.
I agree with many posters that with the advent of mail order and mass production you can get a pair of Mavic CXP22’s for $100 for training and not worry about beating on them. Then save up and look for used race wheels or wait for them to go on sale.
Is it possible to have too many wheels?
My vote for a one-size-fits-all wheelset is Spinergy Xaero-lites. They aren’t tubular. They aren’t super-aero. But they are durable, super-comfortable, reasonably light, and smooth rolling. They are super stiff in hard sprint efforts with little or no wind-up. I like them a whole lot better than the Rolf or Shimano options. I also think they are more comfortable than Ksyriums (SL or Elite). In my book, I think you are going to have to spend $300-$1000 more to get a better wheelset.
If it could be just one pair, I’d probably do Hed 3 or Zipp 404 Clinchers. I wouldn’t want to keep replacing tubulars. I’d probably do the Heds just for the fact that they should be lower maintenance than the Zipps (i.e. not needing to have spokes replaced or continually trued).