JoeOxfordCT

Hi All,

I have a CAAD9 with Akysium hoops and I'm looking to upgrade the wheels later this year....I'm in the process of educating myself about wheels as I typically just used to ride whatever came with the bike. I have been reading lots about HED Ardennes and they seem to be a pretty good all around choice. I ride primarily our B rides as well as century rides.

Thoughts on the Ardennes and/or alternatives in for 1K....

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datlas 

Depends on your weight, what is it??

JoeOxfordCT

Sorry....180lbs

coasting 

don't apologise. 180 is a good healthy weight. stuff these weenies.

datlas 

I think was apologizing for not including that info, rather than for being that weight.

OP, the HED ardennes are very well reviewed, although I have not ridden them. I suspect you would do fine with them. If you want to save money, you should probably also look at what Easton, Williams, and PSIMET (handbuilt, with love) have to offer.

Good luck!

Quel

Those sound like some solid wheels, but when it came around to my purchase, I thought $1000 was a bit much to be spending on aluminum hoops. I got some solid wheels for $600 from Psimet that would probably compare to most factory builds around the $1k mark (and his price was lower than WheelBuilder.com by a lot for the same build).

JoeOxfordCT

I had heard of Psimet's work....I've never had custom wheels made.....there seem to be so many different variables if you're starting from scratch ? I really just want a good all around set (both light/aero) that will be a worthwhile upgrade from my Akysiums....which were a worthwhile upgrade from whatever came with my
last bike which I'm no longer riding.

Lonewolf48

I have a set of Hed Ardennes, they're great wheels. I also have some Easton 90SLs, Bontrager Race Lites AND some hand-made wheels by Psimet w/ White Industry hubs at a little more than half the cost. I like the Heds but for the money I would buy another set of Psimet's wheels. I ride a lot and don't notice a difference. Tell him what you require and he'll build them.

midgetmaestro 

Are Reynolds no longer liked around here?

thegunner

reynolds doesn't really make an 'all around wheelset' at that price point. they have the attacks and mv32c's but those are both carbon wheelsets. it seems like OP was looking for a good training/racing dual purpose wheelset.

^^that's not to say that attacks can't be ridden everyday, just that most people don't.

echappist

though i'm getting one of psimet's custom wheels (front at the moment, rear later), i think you should also look at soul wheels. also, if you have $1000 to spend, you can easily snatch a pair of cosmic carbones (with alloy breaking surface).

hendrick81

What if he is only 5ft?. if he was 180lbs then he would be a fat a$$


JUST SAYIN......

rangerdavid

krsylium SL

hendrick81

+1

JoeOxfordCT

5' 10" thank you....

oilman_15106

Praise the Lord. The great recession is over. We are talking $1000 wheels again.

SebastionMerckx

You don't even need to spend close to that:
https://www.rolwheels.com/rol_race_sl_wheels.php
1550 grams and 620 with shipping
https://www.rolwheels.com/rol_dhuez_wheels.php
1478 grams and 645 with shipping

Sean offers a top notch product and backs his products fully.He's also more than willing to talk with you on the phone and make a recommendation. I own a set of his wheels and would put them up against any of my other customs wheels any day of the week.

thegunner

this begs the question of why? the cosmic carbones are really heavy.

kimconyc

Off the shelf:

- Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL
- Shimano Dura-Ace WH-7850 C24 CL *

* I ride on these

Look cool; this should be the primary reason for any bike purchase. Do you seriously "feel" that wheels 400g lighter are going to prevent you from being dropped on Sunday?

thegunner

then get reynolds assaults for the same price.

and yes, 400 grams is the difference between me getting dropped as a cat5 and going pro.

knucklesandwich

Pick some hubs- Shimano/DT/White Ind/etc
Pick your spoke count front and rear 24/28/32
And get them laced to a pair of HED C2 rims, available on their own for about $100 each (or save a few bucks and get the similar Velocity A23's)

This'll give you a durable, no nonsense wheelset, with reliable hubs, and the benefits of the wider rims, and you can tailor the weight/price with your hub/spoke choice.

patentcad

Correct, although to buy them for <$1000 you'll have to get them from a UK source like Wiggle. All the US retailers on the web charge $1300.

dekindy

Shimano Dura Ace 7850-SL with Hutchinson tubeless tires. It appears other tire manufacturers are going to offer road tubeless. Hutchinson has replaced the Fusion 2 with the Fusion 3 and now offers the Intensive which is wider and more durable. I am a 200 lb rider and the Fusion 2 has worked great for me in all respects. Some of my friends have used the Stan's kit and converted Ksyriums with good results.

Riders using the Ardennes and Bastongnes are well pleased also. You cannnot go wrong with either choice. I prefer not having to worry about pinch flats.

zatopek

+1 for HED Ardennes. I ride a pair of 2008 Ardennes and they, along with a pair of Kinlin 300/M5/CXray build, are my favorite wheels. They are, IMO, a very nice combination of weight, performance, durability and comfort. Gotta say that I've been drooling over Zipp 101s of late. Maybe with my tax return.

lukasz

Once I have money again I am considering buying some HED C2 rims (they have aluminum and scandium--yes I know it is also aluminum--versions, by the way) and making a wheelset that can be used on the road but also with some 35 or maybe even 37c tires for my soon to be S&S travel bike.

For $1000 get some 38+mm carbon wheels made by a builder like psimet. Spending that much on aluminum is kind of dumb. You can get a lightweight aluminum wheelset built for half of that.