Does anyone know the cheapest place to buy this wheelset:

700C Mavic Open Pro (32 spoke) With Ultegra or Dura Ace hubs
(open to hub suggestions to fit Shimano 10)
Prefer black to silver, but color is not vital.

I saw them on Performance for $200.00 in silver (Ultegra), but I frequently hear that there prices are routinely beat.

Thanks in advance~

Check eBay for OP/Dura Ace 10 speed wheels. I've seen some real low prices since the 7800 DA hub can only be used for 10 speed. I've seen used open pro 7700( 9 speed) wheels go for more than new OP/DA 10 speed

If I can buy new for $200.00 with Ultegra (which fit 8-10 speed, my 10 speed cassette is Ultegra 6600) I'm thinking new Ultegra is better than dealing with risks of used just to get DA.

Used with DA are going for over 200.00 on ebay right now, too. Ebay example (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180195015069&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fse arch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm37%26satitle%3D 180195015069%26category0%3D%26fvi%3D1)

I'm not sure of differences between hub quality and may be comparing apples to lemons...
(is it just cold forged vs. forged, or differnt bearings, too?)

I saw that Performance has 20% off sales often, so I won't buy them there unless during sale. Too bad I didn't notice that yesterday.

(I do get your point about Dura-Ace excluding the 9speed and less market when used)

Does any one have leads on retailers that may have them cheaper?
I'm new to bicycle shopping and don't know many of the usual suspect online retailers to check...

Wait until Performance is having one of their 20% off sales, which is often. Only problem with Performance is they are sometimes out of stock and you may have to wait a while for delivery. But I have bought 3 sets of Open Pro/Ultegra wheels from them, and they have all been well built and true. With discounts and team performance points, the prices I have paid for those sets ranged from about $125 to $210. If you have a Performance store nearby, have the wheels delivered to their store and it will save you about $30 or more in shipping costs.

I too have had a good experience with Performance built Open Pro wheels,but now they have started charging $11 shipping each for wheels on the "free"ship to store deal.A month ago there was no charge for wheels shipped to store.

Crap. Just when I thought I got a great tip (ship to store) it got cut in half...
I never noticed that I lived next 7 miles from one of their stores, either!
It will still save me a little.

I too have had a good experience with Performance built Open Pro wheels,but now they have started charging $11 shipping each for wheels on the "free"ship to store deal.A month ago there was no charge for wheels shipped to store.

Now that sucks! I don't know why they should charge for shipping to their stores because they wait until they have other items to deliver to the stores anyway. Are you sure about that?

I went to the store tonight (since I never noticed it before.)
They said there is no shipping charge to the store if you meet a minimum order (forgot amount- 50.00?) The exception is oversized or overweight items. I believe the website calls wheels oversized. They also said there are differences between inernet orders and calling the "red phone", whatever that is.

I've ordered several sets of wheels through Performance and had them delivered to the store with no shipping charges. You have to place a red phone order or specify on your web order that you want it delivered to the store. Unless they have changed their policies, there shouldn't be a charge.

They have recently changed the free ship to store policy on web orders to not include the oversized items,ie. wheels and bikes..They now charge $11 each for single wheels ship to store.They had a 20% off web deal on Christmas day and denied the free ship to store on that deal.They ship to store by Fed-Ex and must have to pay them,albeit a lower business rate.The $11 per wheel is still less than shipping to your residence.Nashbar charges $5 extra shipping per wheel to your residence.What really irks me about Performance is that if you are Team Perf.it only gives you as the cheapest option Fed-Ex two day on a web order.For two wheels that came to $33 to VA 150 miles away.The XMAS day 20% off sale was for web orders only, so if you were Team Perf. your only option was to pay more for shipping wheels than non-Team Perf. customers.You can get the standard shipping as a Team P. by asking for it on a phone order.With Performance beware of the words free or free upgrade when it comes to shipping wheels,frames,or bikes.

I was messing around on Performance's website to see the shipping options and prices.

For wheels: "An overweight product-specific surcharge has been added to the shipping charge(s) shown."

1. They will charge $22.00 (consistent with your $11.00 per wheel) to ship them to the local store. They want 11 days to get it there from the date the wheels claim to be available (which is another 10 days from now.)
2. For $34.50 ($12.50 more) they can ship them to my home "Regular". NO delivery time is mentioned.
3. For $59.50 they will Fedex overnight.

? Both don't add up correctly when you add subtotal with tax to shipping. ($2.00 more? are they adding tax to the shipping?)
?They are charging sales tax on the internet sale, even if it is shipped interstate to my home.

I will still ship them to the store because I'd be able to examine them there and ask them to look on their truing stand with less hassle if anything seems odd. $12.50 isn't reason enough to have the store middleman the process without that benefit.

They had a 20% off web deal on Christmas day and denied no free ship to store on that deal... The XMAS day 20% off sale was for web orders only... I got confused in here. If I wait for the next 20% off sale, can I do the $22.00 ship to store?

If you want a more "custom" wheelset I say order from aebike.com

I just received by 700c front custom built and it's very nice not to mention cheap.

You get to select hub, lacing, and rim. My open pro 2008 with formula disc hub was 150 bucks. (without shipping). 32H 3X

Also they don't build it inhouse, it's shipped from QBP which also sponsors my club.

Given the price difference hand built and factory built wheelsets, why would anyone buy factory built wheels. Factory builts abound in my home, but is hand built really a vaible option for racing, training, etc.?

Maybe point me to another thread if this has already been discussed. Thanks

CleavesF, your front at $150.00 without shipping is expensive to me. Rears always cost more and you'd already be at $300.00 a pair if that wasn't the case. It sounds like in the long run I could get close to two sets of these for the price of one of yours. (I'm discussing a $200.00 wheelset.) If the arguement for custom wheels was more specific: "Ultegra hubs have X% more drag than Y, your inferior spokes Vs. Z brand in a triple lace pattern is stronger and provides more comfort," I could see the point.

Saying "I paid more for custom built and don't know why everyone doesn't" really doesn't persuade me.

For those who are ignorant to differences in hubs like me, Will I really notice a difference? I understand that there are different bearing types and hub materials, but I don't know what model hubs are what type or what I would choose over another at what price point. I read sherman's page on lacing and I don't know that I would select one over the other. I also didn't care what spoke type I'm using for training. This area of detail homework is too finicky for my concern and I'm more willing to accept what others have found to work for them.

Performance claims they build their wheels in-house. I know it is "factory" in the sense that I can't select exact materials and lacing pattern, but I don't know that I want to care enough or pay more to ask for anything different. The day I ding or bend a rim I won't be pissed off that I spent a lot for my bling spokes, lacing, hub, etc.

Though you might not expertly know diff. between hubs, you know at the very least your riding style.

I just wanted to give you another option if you wanted diff. lacing options.

Essentially open pro builds are really good lifetime (i've had really abused wheels and they're living stronger than Lance) training wheelset, and still good for racing.

If you can, I would get a radial front and 3x rear. Radial is much faster when I compared by mavic cosmos front vs my open pro 3x front with 3x in back.

I misunderstood your original post as 200 per wheel. As opposed to wheelset.

I just bought some Open Pro / DA 7800 hoops from Performance for $256. $299 less 20% plus local tax. No shipping charge for delivery to store. The wheels seem fine so far, some "pinging" initially, but that's stopped and they are straight and true. They were out of stock as another poster mentioned, so it was 4 weeks between the order and delivery. Nevertheless, it's a good deal - better than anything I found on eBay.

I was messing around on Performance's website to see the shipping options and prices.

For wheels: "An overweight product-specific surcharge has been added to the shipping charge(s) shown."

1. They will charge $22.00 (consistent with your $11.00 per wheel) to ship them to the local store. They want 11 days to get it there from the date the wheels claim to be available (which is another 10 days from now.)
2. For $34.50 ($12.50 more) they can ship them to my home "Regular". NO delivery time is mentioned.
3. For $59.50 they will Fedex overnight.

? Both don't add up correctly when you add subtotal with tax to shipping. ($2.00 more? are they adding tax to the shipping?)
?They are charging sales tax on the internet sale, even if it is shipped interstate to my home.

I will still ship them to the store because I'd be able to examine them there and ask them to look on their truing stand with less hassle if anything seems odd. $12.50 isn't reason enough to have the store middleman the process without that benefit.

I got confused in here. If I wait for the next 20% off sale, can I do the $22.00 ship to store?
On Xmas day they had a 20%off web only coupon code and suspended the free ship to store offer for regular and oversized items.I suspect that this was holiday related and in the future you will be able to use the coupon code and pay $22 to ship a wheelset to the store.Of course by the way they keep changing their shipping and pricing policies there is no way to know until they make another 20% offer.Another irksome thing they do is to charge tax on the pre-discount amount so you pay 20% more tax than you would expect.They have been doing this for years along with their sister company Nashbar-seems illegal but apparently it is not.Both Performance and Nashbar charge tax on interstate internet orders to any state that has a Performance bike shop.

If you can, I would get a radial front and 3x rear. Radial is much faster when I compared by mavic cosmos front vs my open pro 3x front with 3x in back.Radial spoking makes NO difference. Hub/bearing quality does. Also if you tighten the QR more it can impair the rolling of the hub.

No difference? No difference in stiffness or durability or aerodynamics?

You're telling me Radial is exactly the same as 3 cross in every way?

radial was faster for me, I did ~2 mph on average faster on my radial cosmo vs open pro 3x. maybe it was the mavic bearings like you say, either way, that's what I think and I"m sticking to it.

Maybe my computer cheated... or I read the same number as a diff one. Sorry for defying the laws of physics and time and space ultimobici.

Though you might not expertly know diff. between hubs, you know at the very least your riding style.
Nope. This may as well be my first bicycle that I am assembling at this point. It has been many years since I have been on a road bike.

Another irksome thing they do is to charge tax on the pre-discount amount so you pay 20% more tax than you would expect.
I'm pretty sure this is illegal.

The website also gives you a subtotal, adds shipping, and your new total is then high by another few dollars. Do they charge you tax on the shipping? There is no way all these added tax charges are making their way back to the government. (Not that I care where the money I am being robbed of is going...)

(repeated post)