which Rims should i be aiming to buy?

I currently have standard rims from a giant, r550's.
I want harder, faster, lighter, aerodynamic (i guess that means less
spokes with less of angle from hub to rim).

I cant afford anything beyond $1,000.

Where can i get my best bang for buck and what should i be looking
for? Open to suggestions.
I guess i should be sticking to new rims? Unless i could get a sweet
deal on some really good condition carbon rims??

On Aug 29, 8:23 pm, wrote:
I currently have standard rims from a giant, r550's.
I want harder, faster, lighter, aerodynamic (i guess that means less
spokes with less of angle from hub to rim).

I cant afford anything beyond $1,000.

Where can i get my best bang for buck and what should i be looking
for? Open to suggestions.
I guess i should be sticking to new rims? Unless i could get a sweet
deal on some really good condition carbon rims??

I guess you mean wheels, not rims? Do a search on threads on this
newsgroup and also on rec.bicycles.tech and rec.bicycles.misc - this
topic is often covered. GIYF

Wrote:
I currently have standard rims from a giant, r550's.
I want harder, faster, lighter, aerodynamic (i guess that means less
spokes with less of angle from hub to rim).

I cant afford anything beyond $1,000.

Where can i get my best bang for buck and what should i be looking
for? Open to suggestions.
I guess i should be sticking to new rims? Unless i could get a sweet
deal on some really good condition carbon rims??

$1000 you will get an awesome set of "wheels" which I assume as well is
what you meant.

Currently on Pro Bike Kit you could get a set of Mavic SSC SL's for
just less than $1000 means you can buy them and with shipping should
come in around $1000 and no customs as well, or the slightly lower
Ksyrium Elite's, used to ride on those but I have ES now, anything
MAvic I have had has been bullet proof and never needed trueing over
Thousands of Km's, particularly the more expensive wheels.

Have heard of mixed views of American Classic, but sure you would get a
great set of American Classic for less than $1000 at most LBS.

You will certainly be able to get a GREAT set of wheels for that
budget, could only imagine you being able to get 2nd hand Carbons for
that price though.


--
MikeyOz

On Aug 29, 8:59 pm, MikeyOz MikeyOz.2w2...@no-
mx.forums.cyclingforums.com wrote:

You will certainly be able to get a GREAT set of wheels for that
budget, could only imagine you being able to get 2nd hand Carbons for
that price though.

--
Just looked at Torpedo 7, carbon wheels for $900 a PAIR!

On 2007-08-29, wrote:
I currently have standard rims from a giant, r550's.
I want harder, faster, lighter, aerodynamic (i guess that means less
spokes with less of angle from hub to rim).

I cant afford anything beyond $1,000.

Where can i get my best bang for buck and what should i be looking
for? Open to suggestions.
I guess i should be sticking to new rims? Unless i could get a sweet
deal on some really good condition carbon rims??


Get a set of Velocity wheels any of the wheels built around the Deep-V
rim will be aerodynamic (don't go beneath 32 spokes though unless you
want to spend a lot of time trueing the wheel).

Velocity is an Australian company, they make really good rims and smooth
hubs. you should be able to get a handbuilt set of velocity wheels for
that amount of money.

Cheers

Joel


--
Human Powered Cycles | High quality servicing and repairs
| Affordable second hand bikes
(03) 9029 6504 | Bicycle reuse centre
www.humanpowered.com.au | Mechanical and on-road training and instruction

Wrote:
I currently have standard rims from a giant, r550's.
I want harder, faster, lighter, aerodynamic (i guess that means less
spokes with less of angle from hub to rim).

Spoke angle is probably a relevant factor, but a very small order
effect, because it is not likely to change significantly from wheel to
wheel. Wheel aerodynamics is the most important thing in wheel
selection. Despite being common 'racing' wheels, Ksyriums often do
poorly in tunnel tests. The things to look for are rim depth (deeper is
better), rim shape (less important - avoid flat sections around the
spokes), number of spokes (fewer is better) and bladed/aero spokes (eg
DT aerolites, CX-Rays).

I cant afford anything beyond $1,000.

Can you clarify if you are talking about rims or wheels? For $1000 we
could get you some very nice carbon rims.

Where can i get my best bang for buck and what should i be looking
for? Open to suggestions.
I guess i should be sticking to new rims? Unless i could get a sweet
deal on some really good condition carbon rims??

You can get an excellent, strong and aero wheelset built up by a custom
builder with, eg, a Mavic or Velocity aero/semi-aero alloy rim. Spoke
count should be discussed with the builder. Someone cautioned before
about going below 32 spokes - I say it depends on your weight, your
riding style, how often you will use the wheels (race/performance only
or every day), how much maintenance you are prepared to do yourself
(spoke keys don't require alchemy) and how you personally want to trade
off performance and weight versus stiffness and strength. A good custom
build with a 2 or 3 cross 28 spoke rear and 2 cross 24 spoke front
should still be stronger than your shimano wheels.

Alternatively, there are a selection of manufacturers/marketers out of
Taiwan and around the world who use Gigantex carbon rims or similar (a
Taiwanese factory). These are marketed under different names (Ridley's
4ZA, Cane Creek, etc). If you look on ebay, you can find almost
identical wheels with different branding (eg, matrix), often well under
$1000. These are not as reliable a choice as a good custom build, and
whereas a custom build should yield you a friend in the industry who
will help with maintenance on your wheels, the ebay option will ensure
you are charged retail forevermore. Still, if they last and you
maintain them, Taiwan makes some good product and this is probably the
best performance you will get for your money. Quality is the sticking
point.

Good luck!


--
Roadie_scum