tl;dr: Looking for a tubeless wheelset.
$1,500 budget. Can spend a little more or a lot less.
Carbon or
alum. Compatible with
Rim brakes. Less than
40mm rim depth to prevent issues with crosswind. Priorities are
rolling resistance, comfort and
speed.
Having spent some time researching this topic (knowing nothing about it just a week back), it seems as though there are go-to brands when it comes to most tubeless-related items. Orange seal is a go-to item. GP5000 TL tires are go-to's as well. Though there's other tires, obviously, my point is that it's not an area an average cyclist needs to spend a ton of time researching. When it comes to wheels, though, it's been a bit more difficult for me to find a somewhat universally beloved and praised wheelset. Not sure why that is, though.
I've heard and read about Zipp, but for some reason, I haven't found many people posting about them. Perhaps that's a me issue, but is Zipp a brand I should consider? Or is it all hype? If not Zipp, is there perhaps another brand you all would recommend from a very reliable source? Heard about Hunt, but a few members on here didn't have positive things to say about them. Stumbled across the Light Bicycle Wheel's thread today and judging by the page-count and new purchases, I'm assuming you guys are fans? Will have to keep reading when I get a chance to see what that thread's all about.
Now I'm not a racer, but I do enjoy speed. My focus is not centered around corners and how quickly I can turn. I'm mainly on flat, city roads. Mainly looking for lower rolling resistance, less road buzz and though, again, speed is a definite factor, my priority is a comfortable and enjoyable ride.
With regard to material, some say carbon decreases road buzz, some say it increases it, while others claim that it's dependent on the type of carbon that was used to create the wheel and perhaps even the way (i.e. the exact formulation, molding process, etc) in which it was used to create the wheel. So I'm not sure what to think and which to go with on that end. I'm open to suggestions there, too, if anyone's willing to shed some light on that for me.
My budget is about $1,500. I'm no oil tycoon, but I do hold to the philosophy of "buy once, cry once." I suppose I can stretch it a bit, but I would rather keep that as the limit. Mind you, I'm not wanting to spend $1,500. I'm willing to spend that much. Meaning, if you guys suggest that the Mavic Ksyrium Elite UST Disc Wheelset that I can find for about $600 are more than enough or that the Light Bicycle wheels will do the trick (i.e. wheels that tick off the boxes mentioned above), I'd be more than willing to try them. But I do want quality and everything that comes with it, so I definitely don't mind spending more if need be.
Lastly, as mentioned above, I'm looking for rim-compatible wheels and preferably a rim depth of 40mm or less, to prevent any crosswind issues, though I admit that I don't know what that "magical" number is for my own build. I was considering the Zip 302 Carbon Tubeless, since the 303 seems to be disc brake and I need the rim version. What do you guys think about these?
https://www.performancebike.com/zipp...9.000/p1218579
With that being said, I'm struggling to find the most important piece of the puzzle, so any help I can get on that end would be very much appreciated. All thoughts, opinions, comments are welcome.
Thanks in advance.