New wheelset decision

[Conradsleight]

Hi everyone,

I am currently looking to pickup an upgrade wheelset to my stock r500's. I generally ride in fairly flat conditions here in Toronto (there are some hills but no mountains) although I am hoping to do some mountain riding possibly in Europe this summer. I would like something that can be a good all around wheelset - I don't currently race but having ridden regularly the last few summers (5 times a week) I am going to try it out this summer. I would ideally like a carbon set but have largely been looking at carbon/alloy like the c24/35s, primarily due to concerns about braking/heat buildup. Reason for the upgrade is that I'd like something that feels a bit more responsive and better at sustaining speed + lighter (r500's are about 1900 so I don't think it'll take a ton to feel lighter).

Based on this, I've been looking at:

- Dura ace c24 or c35 (c24 seems great but I hate the look, which seems silly but if I'm going to spend over a grand on wheels I'd like them to look nice in addition to work well)
- campy shamal (not carbon obviously but I hear they're about as good as you get in alloy)
- Reynolds assault or attack or aero 46 - right now I am leaning towards the aero 46 though, was reading great things today about it, plus I hear Reynolds has some of the best braking for full carbon. And the 46 is currently only $1300 at probikekit.

Based on that list and my riding, I'd appreciate your thoughts on what would be best. I really like the look of the Reynolds aero 46 and like what I've read about it so far, the only thing holding me back is a slight concern for durability, not that I'm rough on my bike though...

Thoughts?

[sawyer]

Give the Reynolds a go - none of those are bad and it's the one you want the most / looks the best

I actually think the C24 are the best wheel of those mentioned, but they are all good

Probably the biggest difference in the real world is the carbon brake track on the Reynolds where you'll have to be careful in the wet, and with heat management

[btompkins0112]

C24s are great wheels....all Shimano group wheels are fantastic. That being said, I understand your aversion to the look of low-profile wheels with the shiny brake track. Have you considered Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLR or something similar? The black brake track with "some" aero qualities and no worries with heat exchange, etc. They run somewhere in the 1600g range so you'd notice the difference.

[efeballi]

Vote for Reynolds. I tested them and braking was at least as good as aluminum in the dry. When it's wet, use the R500s.


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[FIJIGabe]

As a current Reynolds owner, I'll throw my vote behind the Assault's. You're going to struggle to find a difference between them and the 46's, which is mainly limited to the hub (Assaults use Reynolds in-house hubs vs the 46's DT Swiss 240 based hubs).

Also, try to get them with the new brake pads, which are supposed to be a lot better than the previous generation.

[HermesSport]

Reynolds rims are indeed pretty solid with their special brake pads - all of those options will solve your weight issue, however.

[snowdevlin]

Shimano C24 are really excellent everyday wheels, my vote's on them!!

[stormur]

Reynolds cf rims are not even close to be close in braking comparing to good alu rims. Different world. On wet- well , hope u have good medical insurance ? Tried all available on the market pads ( yellow, B prince, corks, Campy… ) .

Had same choice "issue" few weeks ago - got good deal on 2 pairs of Eurus ( Shamal for poor people : without ceramic bearings and cf shell ) and don't regret. Comparing to 46's is night and day in everyday use. Reynolds is VERY wind sensitive. Feels way softer . So much that I had not so much trust in them and sold basically brand new.

Having to choose , Eurus again. And again…

BTW , for Reynolds owners : pump tire on the back to pressure you usually do and measure DS and specially NDS spokes tension - Surprise !

[fogman]

I have Shamal clinchers for everyday riding. Great wheel.

[Bigger Gear]

I have Shamal clinchers for everyday riding. Great wheel.

For the type of riding you'll mainly do around Toronto, get the C35s. They are reasonably aero, decently light for a clincher and do not require any brake pad swapping. I've had a pair for nearly 2 years and I'm very happy with them. I have other wheels I ride regularly (HED Belgium clinchers on King, Enve 45 clinchers on DT 240) but I bet the DA C35 get more than 50% of my riding.

[aram]

I had some dv46 Reynolds I sold because the braking sucked so bad on descents. But around here there are gnarly descents. I'd vote shimano.

[stripes]

C24s are nice and can be found pretty cheap nowadays.

[Poonjabby]

Noticing a change from one wheelset to another depends on the two wheelsets involved. When I replace the AXIS wheelset on my Specialized Secteur and went with a DT Swiss wheelset with DT Swiss 350 hubs I noticed a huge difference.
When I replaced my Fulcrum S5 wheelset on my Specialized SL4 Elite Roubaix with HED Belgium C2 and DT Swiss 240 hubs I noticed a small difference.
I just replaced the above HED Belgium C2’s on my Roubaix with a brand new set of Roval CLX40’s given what I spent I wanted to see a huge difference, it wasn’t that big of difference.

Had I put the Roval’s on in place of the AXIS wheelset on the Secteur I probably would have creamed in my drawers.

The gap narrows substantially between high end aluminum wheels and high end carbon wheels.

Poon

[Mega29]

For everyday good to have c24
I think

[bm0p700f]

Thd only problem with c24s is in thd u.k the brake track evaporates. if i had them i would need two sets a year given the 5000 miles most folk here seem to get from the rims. some carbon rims are not bad in the wet i have set that work as well as alloy rims once the first couple of revolutions wipes of the water.