Cheapest wheels you would define as legitimate "race" wheels

Daremo - 2009-06-24 2:12 PM Rear - disc cover - $100 (or less).

Front - used 404, Hed trispoke, or Blackwell - $4 - 600.

You will have plenty of aero benefit and it is a cost effective strategy.

louiskie - 2009-06-24 2:11 PM I have no interest in spending more than my bike costs on a set of wheels and that thread on disk covers got me wondering what the cheapest legitimate race wheels are. Obviously wheels cost pretty much whatever you can afford. So how little can you spend (lets assume you're buying new) to get decent race wheels? That is, can $200 get you anything decent? $400? $600? Or are you stuck in the $1000+ range before you can see a measureable improvement? Just FYI, I am on a P2SL with stock Shimano R500 wheels.

Aikidoman - 2009-06-24 2:35 PM I got my HED3 wheelset off of Ebay for $900.

Neuvation has a reasonably priced deep wheel (the C50) for less than $300 each right now.

Daremo - 2009-06-24 1:12 PM Rear - disc cover - $100 (or less).

Front - used 404, Hed trispoke, or Blackwell - $4 - 600.

You will have plenty of aero benefit and it is a cost effective strategy.

fgump - 2009-06-24 2:46 PM

Wow.  Louiskie's shopping for race wheels.  Guess I better kick my training up another 10 notches...

I opted for lighter weight for my hilly races (Easton Vista SLs, on a killer deal at Performance), and stuck with the fairly aero (yet heavier) Shimanos that came stock on my Felt (27mm rim, bladed spokes).  I'm concentrating on the engine.  I told myself I would get a new bike at 10k miles.  The new bike will have aero wheels.  Time to start saving.

p.s. you definitely don't need those new wheels before Triangle.

 

fgump - 2009-06-24 2:46 PM

Wow.  Louiskie's shopping for race wheels.  Guess I better kick my training up another 10 notches...

I opted for lighter weight for my hilly races (Easton Vista SLs, on a killer deal at Performance), and stuck with the fairly aero (yet heavier) Shimanos that came stock on my Felt (27mm rim, bladed spokes).  I'm concentrating on the engine.  I told myself I would get a new bike at 10k miles.  The new bike will have aero wheels.  Time to start saving.

p.s. you definitely don't need those new wheels before Triangle.

 

Dream Chaser - 2009-06-24 4:19 PM

I bought the Easton Aero EA90 wheelset last year brand new off off ebay for $450.00   Best money I ever spent.  They are super-light at 1500grams, they are bombproof (you can ride them over cobblestone and they stay true -- and I ride over coublestone twice a week to get into a cemetery) ; the hubs are silky smooth and they absorb the road very well.  To be honest, I've rode Zipp 808 rentals several times and they are just as stiff and roll just as well, and my times around loops is pretty much the same with both rims. 

I just took a peak at Ebay and they sell for a lot more then when I got them, but it looks like you can still get them for 500 bucks.  Absolute excellent rim that you can race and train on. 

http://www.eastonbike.com/PRODUCTS/WHEELS/08/wheel_ea90_aero_'08.html

JohnnyKay - 2009-06-24 3:25 PM

Nothing wrong with those wheels per se (I have some similar wheels which I raced on my first few years), but they are not truly aero race wheels.  I think the same is probably true for the Neuvation's mentioned.

joshboots - 2009-06-24 3:28 PM

What makes them not aero? Not trying to be rude, just curious more or less.

Donto - 2009-06-24 3:48 PM I recall reading somewhere in bit land that a minimum 3:1 Length vs Width ratio is required to be considered aero.  A 38mm rim with a 23mm tire fits the billing.

Ridgelake - 2009-06-25 8:12 AM

Add another vote to Neuvation Wheels.  I just picked up a set last week and it is a noticable upgrade in performance. 

Not to advertise another tri site too much, but I found this article useful for understanding wheel values.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/Will_it_go_round_in_circles__505.html