stevelewis

Hi,
So i hit a pothole descending really fast and ruined both the stock wheels on my trek madone. They were heavy and not fancy but i loved them and they were tubeless which is important. I need new wheels ASAP but don't want to spend a lot.

Some initial research led me to:
Shimano Ultegra WH-6800 Road Wheelset - Clincher | Backcountry.com

and

Reynolds Stratus Pro Road Wheelset - Tubeless | Backcountry.com

Im not familiar with Reynolds stratus and can't find any forum posts about them. Thoughts?

What else should I consider? Gotta be tubeless! My bike shop offered to sell me Bontrager RXL wheels for $600 which is a great deal but I dont want to spend $600....

THanks!

DOS

I would recommend you look at HED's options. I have a set of handbuilt HED Belgium+ rims on white T11 hubs that are awesome. You could have a set built up with the same ultegra hubs that come with the 6800 wheels .

HED also offers prebuilt Ardennes plus wheelset that uses basically the HED Belgium rim. 25mm wide and tubeless compatible.

Edited to add: I issed the me tion of OPs 600 budget. Might be able to find hed rims on ultegra or 105 for that but not Ardennes so disregard that part of my rec.

https://www.coloradocyclist.com/shim...-plus-wheelset

rpenmanparker 

If you really don't want to spend even that much, you might benefit from reusing your old hubs. With some rims and spokes from Bike Hub Store and a decent local builder, you should be able to come in way below $600. I know I could put you back on the road with some really nice rims for under $350 if you were in Houston.

BoJaffa

I agree. New hoops and spokes. 600 bucks is a tough budget for complete wheel sets.

lyrictenor1

How about DA C24 (tubeless / clincher)? Product: Shimano Dura-Ace WH-9000-C24-TL Tubeless Clincher Wheelset

stevelewis

So nobody has an opinion on the Reynolds status pro or Ultegra wheels? I thing I'd rather just buy all new wheelset or used wheelset on eBay. I'll look into the HED options.

Sy Reene

Sorry, no opinion on either, but was struck by this comment written by the backcountry/CC folks..

"Not only is aluminum more durable than carbon, but it's infinitely more comfortable to ride. It won't transmit unbearable vibrations into your body, and won't make you cringe every time you roll over a pebble or crack in the pavement."

You may wanna look at Campy Zondas as well in your price range. By most accounts a very solid wheel.

Cyclist01012

Stans

DOS

Ultegra is an excellent hub but I dont anything about the rims and I like a few more spokes. I dont anything about reynolds.

milkbaby

I would ride either one of those wheels. I'm also usually under 140 pounds, otherwise if a lot heavier I might choose wheels that had more than just 16/20 spokes front/rear.

stevelewis

I found some bontrager RL wheels (tubeless ready) on craigslist for $190. They were taken off a new bike after only two weeks so i think this will be my best "bang to buck ratio". Fingers crossed! Thanks for all your input!

sheltonlp

I have Ultegra 6800's on my second bike and they role really nice. They aren't the lightest but they are smooth, and look pretty good.

revchuck 

I've got a set of the Ultegra 6800 wheels and really like them. I'm running them tubeless with IRC Roadlite tires. Note that the wheels have a reputation for being hard to mount tires on, this was true in my case. Merlin Cycles (where I got mine from) has them for $323 including shipping.

HazeT

You can also ping psimet and see how much would be to build a set with belgium+, that are tubeless compatible. Or tell him your budget and requirements and see what he can do with that.
I ride a set of regular belgiums from him and it is the best thing after sliced bread . I've about 5000 miles on them, pot holes, one crash, I'm 240lbs and those things are still true as the day they came and ride amazing.

stevelewis

I ended up buying a pair of Bontrager Race Lite wheels with tubes/tires for $190. Pretty pleased with that deal. However, they didn't have the skewers. So I can just use the ones from my old wheels or should I buy some new fancier skewers?

revchuck 

The old skewers will work fine, but since you saved so much money you can afford to get some blingy new ones.

Lazyass

I'd choose the 6800's all day long. You can't beat Shimano reliability and they have cup and cone bearings which I prefer. Not a bad deal on the Bontrager's, though.

milkbaby

Just use the old skewers unless there's something wrong with them or you are bored and want to spend more money on new ones.

gsa103

Use the old ones, or get some Shimano 105/Ultegra/DA skewers. A good fraction of the pro peloton uses Shimano DA skewers (despite the weight), that should tell you something.