[VeloMellow]

They came stock on my 07 Specialized Roubaix Expert and I'm considering moving up.
I weigh 165 and ride the valleys and coastal mountains in Northern California so roads can be a bit rough sometimes and whatever I get needs to hold up. I ride pretty aggressively and love climbing and fast hilly rides. I rationalize the idea that it is to drop some weight to decrease that turning moment a bit when accelerating. I am not a pro rider I can still appreciate performance improvements. But I realize this is as much about "bling" as anything though feeling faster means you will be faster--so I don't under estimate the power of "bling".

I think these are good solid rims and have served well but certainly there are better out there. I'll keep them for Winter and nasty weather rides. Given my weight and the riding I do I think alloy not carbon but I am open to carbon if durable enough.

I did dump the Roubaix tires after a few months for Vredestein Fortezza SEs which seem better and hold up well.

I am considering Roval Royal Fusee SLs but they seem to get a fair amount of criticism.
So I thought I ask in the forum.

If anyone has some suggestions I'd appreciate them as I don't know much about wheels though I am working on that.

 

[Rubber Lizard]

Its hard to beat a handbuilt wheel with top notch hubs and spokes. Something like a DT Swiss 1,1 or Mavic Open Pro rim with Dura-Ace hubs and high end spokes from DT or Sapim will weigh around 1500 grams, be very stiff and very durable while being easily repaired while not costing that much.
The prebuilt factory wheels often use junky hubs, and proprietary spokes and rims that can cause problems when you need to source replacements. They look cool and for some reason cost more, but aren't any better than some variation of the wheel I just described above.

 

[MR_GRUMPY]

Whenever you feel this urge, you should slap yourself in the face.
Do you feel that bling wheels will make you "faster, stronger, sexier, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound"???????

The wheels that you use should fit the occasion.
That said, everyone should have some hand-builts with Ultegra/DuraAce with Open Pros, for those days that you have to hop over pot holes.

 

[VeloMellow]

Thanks both of you for the replies

@Grumpy: My face was sore from self-slapping already when I posted and I just knew someone challenge me on the "need" versus "desire" issue. The reason I got the Expert instead of the S-works was the marginal utility for mere mortals for over double the price. I upgraded from a decade-old Bianchi 7-speed and the psychological effect of the reduced weight of carbon fiber, the sleek bike, and crisper handling was very motivational on getting me out there more as well as I just enjoyed riding more.

So while I get your point and agree in the main, I also don't discount the importance of the mind, attitude, and motivation either. People who think they are sexier--well, are because they act like they feel. Cyclists who think they are strong and fast will suffer that much more to make it happen. The Ultegra 6600s are nice wheels so it's not like I am suffering. I'll probably balk at the prices anyway.

@Rubber Lizard: Good recommendations based on what others have now told me. It seems the greatest detraction of most high-end wheels are the custom spokes. Most of the complaints I have heard were do to the difficulty of getting spokes replaced. So if I eventually pull the trigger on this, I'll go the custom route and ensure replacement parts are going to be around.

 

[wankski]

so, u're open to custom? dunno if the shimano stated weights are accurate, but the ultegras should be around 1650..... Even if u build the wheelset all revolution, it would be 1570g minimum w/ DA hubs alu nips...

so, don't go thinking that combo will be significantly lighter... I'd prefer the DA hubs myself due to the loose balls, but if u want a lighter setup, consider WI hubs w/ a 28h front.. that should come out to around 1500g all revo or cx-ray...

better yet, for mountain wheels, and if u'd want to cut down on rim weight, ask for the nio 22mm rims... only c.385g.. now that could be a lot lighter than the rim weight of the ultegra wheels u are currently running... at your weight you could easily run a 24/28 setup, all cx-ray and be down to around 1415g... dt comp on the driveside would push u to around 1450g... that would be a very nice wheelset on quality WI hubs...

just food for thought... most of the wheel builders on here can build u such a set...

 

[VeloMellow]

Thanks

@wankski: Thanks for the response. Am I open to custom? I guess I have to be if I want to upgrade given where I am in weight and quality with the Ultegras--thanks for that reminder of how good they actually are. I wish Specialized would give more detail on what they put on the bike and maybe I wouldn't be in the dark. I assumed they weren't very good given all the people dumping them once they bought their bikes and trading up--and the fact the tires were crud. Turns out maybe they are pretty darn good for mass produced rims on a $3k bike after all. The details you gave for a custom setup are noted and helpful. Thanks.

 

[wankski]

FYI, i looked online for some evidence of real weight:

http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-187578.html

man, that's terrible ! haha, i thought mavic was bad w/ dodgey stated weights... still, if its a solid wheelset in your experience, that's half the battle.

EDIT: wrong link, fixed.

 

[VeloMellow]

@wankski: My set is the WH-6600 Ultagra so it's even heavier than the WH-7800 DuraAce. it is solid enough--"durable" in manufacturer market speak. But the cheap way to make "durable" is h-e-a-v-y. But then again weight builds character so maybe I should just buck up and quit whining. The bottom line is that my original "simple" idea was to just buy some higher-end Roval or something and be done with it. Well, we all know easy means inefficient--in this case it means costly for a small gain. But I would have probably spent a lot of money for little gain and a lot of hype. So in the end, either I just ride what I have or dish out the coin for custom like you folks have recommended. Thanks for you time taken to share your knowledge. I appreciate it.

 

[wankski]

terribly sorry mate, i posted the wrong link:

http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-187578.html

here... some poeple report the real weight as much as 1800g.

 

[VeloMellow]

@wankski: No worries Mate. I appreciate anyone taking the time to provide their knowledge to others. Never does free advice to others warrant a complaint if you make a simple mistake--never. The weight of these is why I was considering a pair of lighter rims. Thanks again.

 

[Tachymetres]

Dura Ace 7850-SL

These are fantastic wheels that are light and very stiff. Best of all, they have a 3 year warranty regardless of miles. You can get them for around $750.