Roadie Wheelset upgrade. (1 Viewer)

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jonharis

jonharis

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So I may be crazy but I am considering dropping some coin into a nice weekend wheelset for my 2004 Lemond Zurich. The bike is fantastic and I don't intend to "upgrade" anytime soon. It's full Ultegra so i'm good with the components, no issues with stem/handlebar etc. But the wheelset is on the heavy side and not stiff and my ulterior motive is to put gatorskins on for my daily commute.

I'd like a light, stiff, fast wheelset on appropriate rubber for the weekends and other long rides. My LBS has a set of Zipp 202 Firecrest that they have demoed a couple times that they are willing to let go for $1600. These typicall go for $2000-$2400. That seems like a great value for that wheelset. I think it would be sweet to have a high end carbon wheelset on a traditional geometry steel bike.

Am I crazy to be considering an upgrade worth much more than the current value of the bike? Are there other options that anyone has experience with that I should consider?

http://www.zipp.com/wheels/202-firecrest---carbon-clincher/

Review
http://www.bikeradar.com/us/road/ge...-firecrest-carbon-clincher-wheelset-13-47106/
 
I'm also wondering if I should make the switch to tubeless. I've been tube free for 6-7 years on mountain bikes and wouldn't go back, I hear that tubless for road is really starting to come into its own.
 
I'm not familiar with these wheels, so I can't comment on whether they are worth the price. One of the links you posted described the braking surface as "wine glass" shaped and listed a special brake pad to use. You should make sure that you will be able to swap wheels and not have to swap pads or suffer poor braking performance because of different wear characteristics or specialized pad material.

It is a little counter intuitive to me why you want a stiffer wheel for "long weekend rides", especially if you are not racing, but perhaps these wheels still provide an acceptable comfort level.
 
Thanks for the reply. Good point about potentially needing to switch pads. I hadn't thought about that. I know I will need to use carbon specific pads on the Zipps but have not seeing if they will work on Al wheels.

By "long" I meant 25-100 miles as that is my typical weekend ride. I'm not as concerned about comfort as performance. I ride often on roads that have considerable climbs so I am really looking for a climbing centric wheel. While I don't race, I do ride with groups and we can be pretty competitive at times ;)
 
Jon, I'm a pretty avid cyclist. I run a set of tubeless on Stan's rims and Alchemy hubs as my everyday wheelset. It's a great everyday setup. May I suggest you check out a custom built wheelset. Given your budget and parameters you'll be able to find something much better than the Zipps for the money.

I've got a friend I used to race with down in Atlanta who does a small custom wheelbuilding business on the side. He's a full time bike mechanic and knows his stuff. Give him a jingle and see what he can do for you. I think you'll be impressed how much nicer a set you can get if you go this way.

www.builttolastwheels.com Chris Shadburn is my friend's name. Tell him Ben sent you :)

Ben - Alpha Alchemy wheels.JPG
 
Ben-
This is great beta! I'll check out Chris' site. It looks like he is an Enve fan. I love their stuff. Thinking as well about putting an Enve front end on my bike (I know, more stupid spending). The factory Bontrager fork is noticeably unstiff in the steerer tube, and one of my primary complaints when climbing.
 
Yes, Chris has built more than a few sets of Enve's.

Enve makes the fork on my Parlee. It's pretty darn nice :)

IMG_2719.jpg
 
Now THAT'S! what I am talking about. I love the feel and classic lines of the Lemond. I think with some choice upgrades it will be as good as anything out there and gorgeous without completely breaking the bank. Can you share details about your build?
 
 
The problem is that many companies are having their carbon wheels/frames built overseas in China and Taiwan. What this does it saturate the market with knock-off style wheels such at the Vuelta and others. Both good and bad because of different reasons. If you are not into spending tons of money on ENVE or Stan's for their carbon you can always try the direct buy through alibaba and the like or if you are looking/hoping to have some warranty replacement then you can use the BikeIsland/Vuelta/BicycleWheelWarehouse/ETC. versions and go from there.

Really it all comes down to you, how much you want to spend, and what kind of risk you want to take. If you are up for an adventure you could always build your own wheels with something like KINLIN rims and BikeHubStore hubs! My brother and a bunch of his buddies have the BHS/Circus Monkey hubs and think they are awesome, easily serviceable and bombproof so far (but most of these guys are 140lbs fully kitted up but do ride them hard). My brother has been on his CM hubs for 4yrs now without any issues, only thing he wishes is that he had a new model that had slightly more engagement.
 
I didn't know there were any American made carbon frames anymore.

My brother works for Easton here in the states, so I know there are some wheels built here.
 
If I were buying wheels today, I would buy these carbon rims:

http://www.light-bicycle.com/wider-carbon-rims-clincher-for-700C-bike-88mm-bike.html

and King hubs. Get a good builder to get it set up, and you'll be good for a long time. The problem with the ones linked above is that they're machine-built, so you would need to get it properly torqued upon receipt. A good builder can get it nice and tight off the bat.
 
Maybe old school, but not sure why you'd want to put a carbon wheel set on a Zurich. (I've got an old Lemond hanging in my garage. Love the geometry in many ways BTW. Not a traditional frame set, but it was good for me).

I have some riding friends with the Zipps, but unless you're racing, I'd question the value you'd get out of them or other carbon sets. Shaving weight ("light", not necessarily "stiff" nor "fast") is great for climbing mountains, but typically the first place to start is with the rider; i.e. those who weigh in the buck 40 to a buck 60 range seem to get the biggest benefit.

While there has been a lot of innovation in wheel sets over the last 10 or so years, many specialized wheel mfrs. still seem to miss the "sweet spot" that traditional makers possess. Save some money and get a solid recreational or performance wheel set. Something that is "light, stiff, fast" while offering good performance on fast descents (you still have to descend and you'll probably want something that is safe, steady, etc. at high speeds and compliments the Zurich's fork and ride characteristics).

IMO Mavic makes some of the best sets around . . . and if you're set on Carbon, well, they have that covered too.
 
I'm kind of old school. The new low count high tension spoked wheels are neat and all, but, if you are out on a ride and kick up a stick and break one of those spokes you may have to wait awhile for a shop to order a spoke. With a traditional 32 spoke wheel a shop might have or be able to cut a spoke for you while you wait. Just a thought.
 
SmoothLC said:
Maybe old school, but not sure why you'd want to put a carbon wheel set on a Zurich. (I've got an old Lemond hanging in my garage. Love the geometry in many ways BTW. Not a traditional frame set, but it was good for me).
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I was basing my recommendation on the OP wanting something "light, stiff, fast". I don't think you can do better than carbon. Now, cost to benefit ratio? That is a different story (for us non-elites, anyway).

I am old school as well. My road bikes are all non-aero steel frames, square taper cranks, and bar tape is lashed with hemp twine. My ideal wheelset would be H Plus Son + WI or Phil hubs. I had a Mavic set on my mountain bike a few years ago (Crossmax). Great wheels, but hated the proprietary spokes.
 
phsycle said:
I was basing my recommendation on the OP wanting something "light, stiff, fast". I don't think you can do better than carbon.
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Naw, you're good @phsycle. I got it. Just had to qualify my POV. I don't know Jon personally, but based on some of the comments above it sounded like "light, stiff, fast" may be more of a want than a need (e.g. climbs, weekend 25-100 miles, 10 year old bike, etc.).

Those Zipps are nice wheel sets and on sale, are very enticing. But feedback from those I know who have purchased them report they're probably more wheel than many rec riders can take advantage of (unless something like Triple Bypass or Lotoja is in the plans). Plus, I hear they're somewhat temperamental to stay balanced and true.

OTOH it's always great to upgrade an old bike and make it usable or to at least update it to a point where you want to ride it again, regularly. Upgrading components kind of gives them new life.

I am old school as well. My road bikes are all non-aero steel frames, square taper cranks, and bar tape is lashed with hemp twine. My ideal wheelset would be H Plus Son + WI or Phil hubs. I had a Mavic set on my mountain bike a few years ago (Crossmax). Great wheels, but hated the proprietary spokes.
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Yup. That's definitely a downside if you're interested in interchanging spokes and other parts. It's also a trade-off, depending on what LBSs carry. Around here, Mavic is still available, but not like it was years ago. For me, after going away from them for a number of years/bikes and trying other wheel sets, it was worth it to go back to Mavic for dependability, reliability, longevity, and overall performance.

Personally, I just don't like the sound or feel of carbon sets, but then again, that's also probably just an ol' school opinion.

Make sure you tell us what you get @jonharis and give us a few pictures and your review of them if you purchase the Zipps.
 
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FWIW, I'm about 195lbs and I've put around 5,000 miles on my everyday commuter wheelset (mavic aksium) which is bladed radial spoked. No problems at all. I've found them very reliable in terms of almost never needing to be trued, and have yet to break a spoke. Today's cheap wheels are surprisingly good quality. If I did break a spoke, I suppose I'd have to order one and swap on another wheel while waiting.
 
SmoothLC said:
For me, after going away from them for a number of years/bikes and trying other wheel sets, it was worth it to go back to Mavic for dependability, reliability, longevity, and overall performance...
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The Crossmax's were great and although I broke two spokes up front, replacement was easy (after the bike shop gave me a Mavic "spoke wrench" as I lost mine). Didn't even have to retrue the wheel.
 
I have had the Zipp 303's and currently a mixed set of Enve 65/45. The Zipps are certainly a good wheel but the Enve's are a ways further down the road.

You might have trouble trying to get into Enve's for your price point.

Forget tubeless. If you really want clinchers get a good set of 25 mm tires (Vittoria or Veloflex). They will ride great and roll terrific. If you want to get the the best on a set of light, full zoot wheels, go tubular. I have several sets of tubies (including both the Enve's and Zipps). Lighter, faster, more comfortable.
 
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