Modern wheel advice...

I need a set of wheels but I don't have a budget - I need 10speed to go with all the other stuff I've bought -

I was looking at Shimano RS10 - which I can get for about £90 new -

Does anyone know if they are any good? Can anyone recommend anything else at a similar price point - new or second hand.

I have a set of Shimano WH-R550 on my main bike which I ride nearly every day. I don't really know how they compare to RS10's, but I do know that a lot of people are a bit ambivalent about Shimano wheels because some people say they were rubbish lots of years ago. I'm perfectly happy though with my Shimano wheels and I suspect the haters are just Campagnolo fanboys. All in all I guess this doesn't really help you, just don't let the stories scare you. They might not be tour winners but I'm sure it's a decent enough set of wheels

The Ken":213m7b1w said:

I need a set of wheels but I don't have a budget - I need 10speed to go with all the other stuff I've bought -

I was looking at Shimano RS10 - which I can get for about £90 new -

Does anyone know if they are any good? Can anyone recommend anything else at a similar price point - new or second hand.

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Shimano wheels get a bad rep. That said I have a set of the cheapest shimano wheels on my winter bike and have done some miles on them and dished out some abuse without issue.

Some of the cheaper Mavics are also rated. Aksiums are supposed to be ok.

Pre-built aside you can't beat a nice set of handbuilt hoops. Something like an old ultegra onto open pros would do you well and be easily repairable.

I've got Aksiums on one of my modern bikes and some FSA wheels on the other. Aksiums are great - not the lightest but tough and reliable - lighter cross riders use them.

Thanks for the replies,

John, I have been looking at ultegra/openpro wheels but I need 10 spd and those tend to hold their price on ebay, but I will hold off a bit longer (till payday ) to see if anything else comes up.

Terry, I was looking at Askiums too, but the newer models got a bit of bad press on the net so I was avoiding them, might take a fresh look. My LBS has a set of ksyriums hanging up in the shop, but I am just managing to avoid them just now... being skint helps

Pigeon, I have used either shimano or hope wheels on my mtbs, so I would always be happy with them on a road bike. But people do seem to take sides more in the road scene than mtb.
My deore hub lasted from 1988 till 2006 with 3 rim changes - 1 rim wore out, 1 broke, and 1 was a mavic 231cd which got swapped to a hope hub when the deore got too pitted. Still using it now.

The Ken":1y1gfyon said:

Thanks for the replies,

John, I have been looking at ultegra/openpro wheels but I need 10 spd and those tend to hold their price on ebay, but I will hold off a bit longer (till payday ) to see if anything else comes up.

Terry, I was looking at Askiums too, but the newer models got a bit of bad press on the net so I was avoiding them, might take a fresh look. My LBS has a set of ksyriums hanging up in the shop, but I am just managing to avoid them just now... being skint helps

Pigeon, I have used either shimano or hope wheels on my mtbs, so I would always be happy with them on a road bike. But people do seem to take sides more in the road scene than mtb.
My deore hub lasted from 1988 till 2006 with 3 rim changes - 1 rim wore out, 1 broke, and 1 was a mavic 231cd which got swapped to a hope hub when the deore got too pitted. Still using it now.

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'scuse my ignorance but I thought 9spd freehubs allowed 10spd cassettes

http://sports.shop.ebay.co.uk/items/Cyc ... ec0Q2em282

you could be right but I have seen ads that say 8/9 speed only and 10 speed only, so I have only been watching ones that definitely say 10 speed, as I am very knowledgeable about this new-fangled stuff.

Note: Shimano 8- and 9- and 10-speed cassettes/hubs are fully interchangeable for wheels with steel Freehub bodies.
The only parts that are different in any important way between the 8- and 9- and 10-speed systems are the shift control levers.
The 2004 and later Dura-Ace hub has an aluminum Freehub body, so it only works with 10 speed cassettes.

The 2005 and later Ultegra WH-R600 complete wheels also use an aluminum body, 10-speed only. (Standard Ultegra hubs have steel Freehub bodies.)

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html

Certainly for Shimano, wheels are 8/9/10 compatible and come with a spacer to lose somewhere if you put a 10 cassette on, else it goes behind the cassette.

wheels

These cheap Shimano wheels are terrible. The rims are heavy and dead and the braking surface doesn't last too long either. The bearings they use in those cheap cast hubs are dreadful and there is little or no sealing.

The Aksiums are a bit better, fairly stiff and track well but uncomfortable and not sprightly in the least. They would be OK for 'winter wheels' if the anodising or weird 'coating' on the hubs didn't flake off or the Chinese bladed spokes didn't keep snapping on the non-drive side rear - they are tricky to get a hold of too. Also, the bearings are initially smooth but don't last very long and are a pain to replace.

Try something a bit more traditional in spoke count and pattern, maybe 28h front and 32h rear with a Mavic Open Pro or Ambrosio Excellight. Get a decent wheelbuilder to build them on decent hubs. 105 at least with ACI or DT comp spokes. You shouldn't be looking at too much but it will be money well spent if they are well built. 'Buy cheap, buy twice', as someone once said.