# Best wheelset under 250-200 dollars?



## Derpwerp (Sep 15, 2014)

Hi I'm doing a some what of a race build starting from another Specialized Allez E5 Smartweld Frameset Satin Black. And so I've figured all the parts that I'm planning to use and I have about 200 dollars left to drop on wheels. I personally do not like carbon so it has to be alloy. What good set of wheels can I get for $200? I was thinking of Fulcrum Race 7 Wheelset for 189 to 200 from Chain Reaction but I've read a review of a spoke braking and popped the tire. Any tips to prevent this?


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## MisterMike (Aug 12, 2004)

That's a tight budget for any decent wheels IMO but you might take a look at the Velomine site Velomine.com I've never bought from them but I did see some recent favorable comments about them here. Others might chime in. You didn't say what rear hub config you need (Campy, Shimano or # speeds) but here's a few examples. They won't be the lightest and will probably have straight gauge spokes. I've been eyeballing their page for wheels but at a higher price point than your budget.

Here are some that appear to fit your budget.

Velocity Deep V Silver Shimano Ultegra 6700 Hubs 32h Wheelset [072774739745] - $239.00 
Mavic CXP22 Shimano 105 Hubs All Silver Road Bike Wheels 32h [66801 & 66802 or 66803] - $139.00 
Velocity A23 Black Formula Hubs 10 Speed Road 28 Hole Wheelset [74569] - $169.00


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Derpwerp said:


> Hi I'm doing a some what of a race build


What is "some what of a race build"? Do you plan on racing?



> I personally do not like carbon so it has to be alloy.


Well that's good cause you're not going to get carbon for $200. 



> What good set of wheels can I get for $200?


Cheap heavy wheels. 
What do you mean by "good"? Strong, durable, light, fast, aero, handbuilt?

Have you considered used?


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## tthome (May 12, 2008)

Very hard to get an agreed to best, but you can get "good". I have 2 pair of these and they're solid and light. This being said, if you're a clydesdale you might want to look elsewhere.

Vuelta Corsa Lite Road Wheelset

For reference I also have 2 pair of Shimano RS80 C24's, 1 Pair of DT Swiss RR1650, 1 Pair of Easton SLX EC90 Tubulars. So I've ridden the higher end and the lower end and the Vuelta's ar solid wheels based on your budget. Wait for the price to come down to around $250 or less and also time it right with a 20% off sale which happens almost weekly. If you do race then be prepared for the eventual crash, the sting of losing $200 wheels vs. more expensive wheels will be minimized.


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## Derpwerp (Sep 15, 2014)

Oh I would be running Shimano


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## tthome (May 12, 2008)

Derpwerp said:


> Oh I would be running Shimano


 Believe me I do on both my 2012 and 2013 BMC SL01's. The Vueltas are my winter wheels. The Cervelo S5 gets the Easton Tubular treatment.


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## Derpwerp (Sep 15, 2014)

tlg said:


> What is "some what of a race build"? Do you plan on racing?
> 
> Well that's good cause you're not going to get carbon for $200.
> 
> ...


I'm looking more for a strong durable one


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## Red Brixton (Apr 4, 2012)

tthome said:


> Very hard to get an agreed to best, but you can get "good". I have 2 pair of these and they're solid and light...
> 
> Vuelta Corsa Lite Road Wheelset
> 
> ....


Agree with this recommendation. I trained and raced half a season on these after destroying my expensive wheels in a crash.

They are light, stayed true, and performed well.


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## Chader09 (Jun 10, 2014)

3rd up vote for the Vuelta's. I have the SLR's on my bike and the Lites on my wifes. You can't beat them in the weight department without spending double the price. 

Mine have been very reliable other than one nipple coming loose. A bit of Loc-tite and a quick truing solved that easily.


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## Flbikejunkie (Mar 18, 2012)

Agree I have 2 sets of Vuelta corsa lites and love them


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## Bill2 (Oct 14, 2007)

I bought a very good used bike a couple years ago but the guy wanted to keep his expensive wheelset so he put on some used Fulcrum Racing 5s. Since then I have beat the hell out of these wheels in the mountains around here, including rock strewn dirt roads. Still true and seem bulletproof. I think the newer ones are around your price range and they have upgraded them 3 or 4 times since mine were made so they're likely lighter and better than mine. Check them out.


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## Trek_5200 (Apr 21, 2013)

Not sure what you could get for that money, but Shimano RS80 or RS81's offer some of the best value in road wheels.


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## fast ferd (Jan 30, 2009)

Check out Probikekit for the Shimano RS-11 and RS-21. Both well under $200. I run the 11's on my commuter. Not super light, but stiff and strong. Look good, too.


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## bikerector (Oct 31, 2012)

Very limited options available at that price and I think most I would've recommended have been mentioned. I think Mavic Aksium also fall under that price point as well, or go used. There were some deals on Easton's recently on Nashbar I believe, probably the best place to grab vuelta's in the US. Bikeisland.com has good deals as well though, I believe they're a part of bikesdirect.

I think reynolds shadow or something like that were on sale recently as well but they might have been more in the $300 range.


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## Derpwerp (Sep 15, 2014)

fast ferd said:


> Check out Probikekit for the Shimano RS-11 and RS-21. Both well under $200. I run the 11's on my commuter. Not super light, but stiff and strong. Look good, too.


yeah I like them, I think it would be perfect for my race bike build.


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## Easyup (Feb 26, 2012)

Derpwerp said:


> would be perfect for my race bike build.


Given the above criteria I would say you need to go used, they are out there but you have to know what you are doing or know the history to not get a problem set. Our LBS usually have nice wheelsets that new racy bike customers want swapped out for their favorite wheels/tires at nice discounts.


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## Kendogz161 (Aug 17, 2007)

Try Bontrager Race Lite or Race X Lite. They are always on Ebay for 200 - 250 bucks. New and used. 
I have a set of the Race X Lite's and they have never let me down.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

There's a basic set on bicyclewheelwarehouse.com I was thinking about several months ago. Claris hubs, I think the rim was Mavic Open Sport.


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## beast1989 (Mar 15, 2014)

It's a freewheel and 700c rim


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## 00Garza (Nov 15, 2013)

I've heard good things about the Vueltas and am thinking of getting a set myself. Can any of you guys that have ridden them tell me how wide the rims are? I can't seem to find that info anywhere.


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## beast1989 (Mar 15, 2014)

You guys probably don't hear this much, but I don't care about weight, aero, or any of that good stuff. I just want something robust enough to hold a big guy trying to get around.

Are there any rims that have a reputation of being built like a tank?


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## robt57 (Jul 23, 2011)

beast1989 said:


> Are there any rims that have a reputation of being built like a tank?


Velocity Dyad and especially the Chuckker come to mind off the bat. I think and 28-30mm tall rims should be strong. I find the wider rims stiffer and assume stronger. Fav for me are HED Belgiums currently.


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## farva (Jun 24, 2005)

beast1989 said:


> You guys probably don't hear this much, but I don't care about weight, aero, or any of that good stuff. I just want something robust enough to hold a big guy trying to get around.
> 
> Are there any rims that have a reputation of being built like a tank?


Another option - Mavic Open pro with shimano 105 hubs. 36 spoke. These would be super strong & the hubs are of good quality. Here's some on ebay for $250 shipped (not my ad)

Shimano 105 Hubs Mavic Open Pro 36 Hole Wheelset Wheels Road Bike 8 9 10 Speed | eBay


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## heybrady (Jul 3, 2011)

Second the open pro105 combo, either 32 or 36 hole depending on your weight. Velomine has these builds as well, well under 200


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## CliffordK (Jun 6, 2014)

beast1989 said:


> You guys probably don't hear this much, but I don't care about weight, aero, or any of that good stuff. I just want something robust enough to hold a big guy trying to get around.
> 
> Are there any rims that have a reputation of being built like a tank?


I don't have any specific recommendations. I do consider wheels as something that one should expect to eventually wear out, or get bent when hitting big potholes or road cracks. 

However, I am suspicious of the effort to reduce the number of spokes on wheel sets. I'd just look for something with 32 or 36 spokes, or even 40 to 48 spokes if the situation warrants it, and 3x at least on the rear, perhaps 2x on the front.

Now, I do realize that some of the reduced spoke count wheels are engineered to be stiffer to compensate for the low spoke count, or that rear wheels often are stressed more on the right than the left, and thus one may consider asymmetric lacing.

Anyway, sometimes I'll pick up cheap used wheels, or build my own wheels. The "generics" often have higher spoke counts than the fancy name brand wheels. 

I noticed that one of the local bike shops had a rack of new generic wheels including some road-ish wheels, I think for $60 to $70 per wheel which is hard to build one's own for.


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