Wheelset recommendations

[JLB123]

Hi,

Currently looking to upgrade standard wheels on my bike (21mm ish box sections). Trying to find a wheelset to meet a few criteria and struggling to make the call on the right balance between them:

(Context - I’m c85kg, tend to do 100km ish rides, and ride at 35kph ish).

1. Looking for something a bit deeper to add a bit of aero benefit, but at the same time I don’t want to be too sensitive to crosswinds. Therefore I’m thinking around a 45mm depth would be relevant, although I understand stability also varies a lot by brand (P.S. I’m a fair bit heavier than typical cyclist and not sure if this makes this less of an issue?)

2. Given my weight I’m inclined to be less concerned about the marginal weight on the wheels...

3. In addition to the hard rides, tend to do some more social group rides at c30kph, and for these will probably just want to use the box rims. Given the need to swap wheels around semi-regularly, I’m inclined to go for an aluminium brake track so I don’t need to keep changing brake pads.

4. Looking to spend about £1k, ideally less if there’s something more affordable.

5. Clinchers. Somewhat tempted by tubeless but have heard very mixed things about it. Don’t get many punctures so for me it’s more about ride comfort - rolling resistance trade offs...

6. Quick release (or adaptable to be)

Trying to solve for the above, I think the 2 main options I can find are:

Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 C60 - which seem decent although not a lot of reviews on them, and I worry 50mm might be a bit too susceptible to winds. Plus they’re just over £1k so pretty pricey

Cosmic Pro Carbon (which do still have aluminium brake tracks) - these are 45mm so might be slightly more stable, while not losing out too much on aero benefits. Plus they’re a bit cheaper.

Any recommendations, or guidance on how I’m thinking about picking the wheelset would be very welcome!

Thanks

[peetee]

I have read a few reviews about Hunt wheels and they are very highly rated. One of the best features seems to be their reliability which suggests they are strong enough to cope with heavier than average riders. They are a British company so pop them an email and discuss your requirements and they would probably respond. Something I wouldn't necessarily expect with another long established French company.

[Brucey]

before you spend your money, be realistic about what you are trying to achieve.

Supposing that your super new wheels reduce the aero drag on the entire bike by 10% (which is frankly highly unlikely) then this reduces the drag on the bike + rider by about 1%. This is because the bike (even with a rider very well tucked in on tribars) only accounts for about 10% of the entire aero drag.

Realistically you are shooting for 0.5% aero drag reduction, tops, and that is if your current wheels are terrible and the new ones are as good as they can be. Almost certainly you could do better than that just by wearing a better shirt or fractionally adjusting your position on the bike.

It is presently a very popular thing to 'upgrade your wheels' and it keeps a good part of the bike trade going nicely, magazines full of adverts, etc etc etc. Personally I think it is mostly utter bullsquirt; riders happily shell out a fortune for wheels that are of questionable benefit (few tests agree about which wheels are 'most aerodynamic') and that lack certain basic features like enough stiffness, repairability, etc. Underthought and overspent in most cases...

Wheelsets (especially modern wheelsets) are consumable items; the rims wear out (or get crunched in potholes) and cannot sensibly be replaced.

Thus I'd question whether you would be much better off buying a set of £1k wheels or if something a bit less spendy might be a better idea. These for example?

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/WPVIT35C/vision-team-35-comp-road-clincher-wheelset

cheers

[gregoryoftours]

You could try getting in contact with http://www.justridingalong.com - they are good and good value for well built and thought out wheelsets

[scottg]

Wheels in a box often cost silly money and have hubs from
the mystery hub part company.

JRA would be my choice, or just build my own.
Last build was White Industries T-11 hubs to DT Swiss 411 rims.

[alexnharvey]

How about a wheelset along these lines

Shimano 105/Ultegra/Dura-ace hubs. Depending on budget.

Bladed spokes 32/36, given the weight.

One of the modern wide, somewhat deep, aero (or at least non-box) aluminium rims like H+son Archetype, HED Belgium, Kinlin Xr31t etc. Most of those would be slightly less deep than 45mm and you wouldn't have to switch wheelsets between training and events.

[gregoryoftours]

And if at all possible avoid alloy nipples like the plague.