We had a couple warmer days here recently, and that inspired me to get prepped for the 2015 commuting season. Got a new wheelset (on clearance from velomine, love that company), along with new koolstop salmon brake pads. Is there anything more fun than a new wheelset?
The rims are a marginal improvement over my previous set, (old=Weinmann DA-17, new=Mavic CXP22 with eyelets), but the hubs are the reason for the upgrade (old=no name, "formula" hubs, new=Shimano 105). I know some formula hubs are good, but I think "formula" is not an official brand name, so some claimed "formula" hubs really are just generic cup and cone deallies. My old hubs were not that great, and the dust cap fell off the front hub about 1k miles ago (an indication of their quality). My old wheels were also black, but with a machined (bare metal) braking surface. The silver CXP22s have a more classic, clean look that I like, and the silver highlights the 200mm cranks which is the whole point of the bike. (Search KHS 747 on this forum for more info on the bike) Super excited about the new setup, wish I could be riding it right now, but I cant, so I am making a post about it instead....
So far the wheels do feel stiffer, I am getting more road feel. I used to inflate my tires to max pressure, because that reduced the feeling of a squishy ride, made me feel more in control. But I think with the new wheelset, I might not need full pressure. I seem to have plenty of control/feel without running full pressure. Not sure... still just first impressions. I actually was not expecting these wheels to be any stiffer than the old ones, so maybe this is just a placebo effect related to the fun of a new wheelset.
Oh, and I really like the gunmetal color of the 105 hubs. Looks great in person.