Carbon wheelsets - help

It won't quite fit your budget but you could buy a carbon set of wheels from Flo that are $900.   They are coming out with a new wheel that might even be cheaper.

But you really need to take a step back and understand what you are looking to achieve in a carbon wheel set?  Will it be flat?   Hilly?

Personally, I don't think it make sense to purchase a set of carbon wheels unless you are looking for an aero advantage.   Based on this I would purchase a set of carbon wheels that were designed specifically to be more aero.  Not all carbon wheels are equal.  I am a fan of the Flo wheels because they are relatively inexpensive and have an aero driven design.   

But carbon wheels are heavier.   So if you are going to be riding a lot of hills then I would not recommend carbon wheels.   The other issue is that some have difficulty riding deep carbon wheels in windy conditions.   So if you ride where there is a lot of cross wind then a deep carbon wheel might not be wise.

The other aspect to consider with carbon wheels is how deep.   They typically range from 30mm to 90mm.   A 30mm will be easier to ride in the wind then a 90mm.   Plus the 30mm will be lighter.   The wind does not effect a rear wheel like a front wheel.

Also, technically the Flo and other inexpensive "carbon wheels" like the HED are actually not really carbon wheels.   They are a regular wheel where carbon sheets have been bonded to the wheel.   

Like a lot of things there is a lot to it.  But the first question is what are you trying to achieve?   The answer might be that you think they look cool.   In my book that is an acceptable reason and btw I totally agree that carbon wheels do look cool

Planet-x has decent wheels for a low price. they're no Zipps etc, but for a low end carbon they're stiff and not incredibly heavy depending on the size. Tubular and clincher sets for under $700

http://www.planet-x-usa.com/

Someone is going to say it...  Might as well be me...

Used HED3 for the front and wheel cover in the back.  $500, tops.

I looked for race wheels on EBay and got a set of HED3's for $900.  You can probably do better if you search.  The had cheaper sets of ZIPP's out there.

I live in Florida so almost no hills.   Just looking for speed.  I ride my road bike in a group mostly so I would probably have them on my tribike most of the time.

Doug

I love my HED 3s in the FL wind. Bombproof and al brake track. I train and race on them. I paid a little more than you want to for mine but have seen some a little older go in your range. As someone else said if you only want them for racing you could get a front and disc cover for well under your budget. FWIW my rear hasn't seen a race since I bought a cover for my box rear wheel.