# Wheelset and Tire Upgrade



## goletacycler (Jul 9, 2011)

Hello! I recently bought a new Raleigh Revenio 3.0 road bike mainly for commuting purposes but have in the past month really gotten into road biking for fitness and am considering joining a local racing club (so I am still a newbie and don't know much about road bikes). I ride about 150miles a week and keep hearing that I need to upgrade my wheels (also that my tires are starting to wear). I am 185 Ibs and dropping and like to do long (preferably with lots of climbs) rides as fast as I can (currently averaging 18.5 mph over 50mile rides). 

Do I need to upgrade my stock wheels and tires for a better ride? I currently have Vittoria Rubino Pro 700x23c tires, Weinmann TR18 Double Wall rims, and 14g Stainless MAC spokes w/Alloy Nipples. I have had very limited success goggling these parts to find out if they are good or not. 

If I should upgrade, I would like an all around wheel that is equally good at climbing, descending, and speed. What do you recommend? I can budget $1000 towards wheels but would prefer to spend less if I can find a great value wheelset. 

My initial search took me to the Mavic Ksyrium SL but I see on this forum that these are considered overpriced an that I could do better with my budget. 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


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## bkwitche (Jun 4, 2011)

Those wheels are a definite
Money saving bit from Raleigh. Otherwise a very nice bike from Raleigh that I have lusted after a bit myself. 

I don't have
An experience with custom
Built wheels personally, but I have always heard that they are the best bang for your buck. For probably 400 to 500 dollars you can get a good custom built set.

Given that your bike is serving dual purposes, you might also consider hanging on to your stock wheels for your commute and picking up a fancier set for your jaunts out with the proposed racing club.


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## dlhillius (Mar 21, 2011)

At ~$1000....Handbuilt all the way.

Kinlin XR-270's or HED C2 
Sapim CX-Ray spokes
White Industries Hubs or Alchemy
Brass nipples on _at least_ the DS
24f 32r


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## goletacycler (Jul 9, 2011)

How does the Kinlin setup compare to the Mavic Ksyrium SL and Mavic Ksyrium Elite? And why would I want 24f 32r over a 24/28 setup?


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## dlhillius (Mar 21, 2011)

goletacycler said:


> How does the Kinlin setup compare to the Mavic Ksyrium SL and Mavic Ksyrium Elite? And why would I want 24f 32r over a 24/28 setup?


From what I have heard, the knocks on the Ksyriums are that they are overpriced for what you get, not so aero (and aero is king), and very expensive to repair as they are proprietary parts. The wide spokes could also be a small issue with heavy crosswinds...not a major issue but something to think about.

The Kinlins are tried and true....ask any professional wheelbuilder. I am still quite the novice and only have about a dozen builds under my belt...one being as I described with the WI hubs and CX-Rays on the Kinlins, but I was extremely impressed with the stiffness and smooth engagement of the hubs. If money permits, I may build myself up a set using the Alchemy/HED combo.

You could go 28r but its only about 20grams of weight


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## waynesot (Jun 21, 2011)

I recently upgraded my wheels. My guy who has his own shop building & repairing bikes built me a set of HED Belgium C2 wheels with DT Swiss hubs, DT Spokes and Michelin Pro Optimum tires (25c). What a difference, my wheels roll much better, the ride/feel with the new tires is awesome and I picked up 1-1.5mph on average. The whole set up cost me just over $1,000.


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## xjbaylor (Dec 28, 2006)

dlhillius said:


> At ~$1000....Handbuilt all the way.
> 
> Kinlin XR-270's or HED C2
> Sapim CX-Ray spokes
> ...


He is definitely on the right track. You could easily build a very good wheelset for about $500, but the wheelset he described would be hard to improve on. You could spend more on hubs or rims, but the only real reason to upgrade past that wheel would be a desire for aero wheels.

If you want a pre-built wheel look at Rol Racing and Williams, they build a similar wheel to what he described above at a great price.


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## dlhillius (Mar 21, 2011)

xjbaylor said:


> If you want a pre-built wheel look at Rol Racing and Williams, they build a similar wheel to what he described above at a great price.


+1

Owned a set of Rol D'Huez' until I built a lighter climbing wheelset. Great product's and service.


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