So what distinguishes good wheels, from average wheels, from poor wheels (other than bent!)? I have Mavic CXP-21. I assume they are average. What does one get if he upgrades? I've noticed a huge range in prices. Are higher quality rims lighter and stiffer? If yes, is this a noticable difference? What are good aftermarket rims that treat the serious recreational rider well without becoming rediculously expensive (for cycling equipment)?

I suppose I could have posted this on the wheels section but it just seems so basic.

So what distinguishes good wheels, from average wheels, from poor wheels (other than bent!)? I have Mavic CXP-21. I assume they are average. What does one get if he upgrades? I've noticed a huge range in prices. Are higher quality rims lighter and stiffer? If yes, is this a noticable difference? What are good aftermarket rims that treat the serious recreational rider well without becoming rediculously expensive (for cycling equipment)?

I suppose I could have posted this on the wheels section but it just seems so basic.

The Mavic CXP-21 is somewhat below average, in my opinion. You can do much better with a Mavic Open Pro-rimmed wheel, which should run < US$ 300 in the US.

Yes, higher qualiy rims can be lighter and stiffer.

Yes, this can be a noticeable difference.

Yes, there are good aftermarket rims, but are you planning on keeping your hubs and spokes and switching out the rims yourself? Might be better to just buy a new, built, complete wheelset. As I mentioned, you can get a nice Record hub / Open Pro rim wheelset, or Dura-Ace or Ultegra hub / Open Pro rim wheelset for a reasonable price. Many online companies like coloradocyclist.com sell those.

Realize though just like bicycle frames, all these rims and wheels have their pros and cons. The Campagnolo factory-built wheelsets are on the heavy side, but I've ridden a few and they are very stiff and sturdy. Some others are aero and light, but not stiff at all. My Gipiemme semi-aero set is really stiff and fairly aero, but pretty damn heavy. But they are bomb-proof and cheap. What characteristics do you like in your wheelset?

To finish, your question is similar to asking about bikes in general, so you'll get answers similar to that if you had asked, "Are higher-end frames worth it? Can you tell the difference? Are all carbon frames the same?"

However, I suspect that what you're really asking is whether wheels make a difference in a ride, and the answer is YES, most definitely. As for recommendations, I like my Record / Open Pro wheelset. I know it's somewhat pass\'e, but they are reasonably priced, fairly light, reliable. Good for general training/riding around, and definitely OK for racing, too. Now if I can just get my hands on my new supposedly super-light semi-aero DT Swiss wheelset on order .... Grrr ...!

Maybe a better way to phrase my question is, "what would be an upgrade to my Mavic CXP-21s that would provide a noticable difference while still being reasonably priced for a recreational/training rider?" I know this is still a broad area but I'm open to opinion.


The Mavic CXP-21 is somewhat below average, in my opinion. You can do much better with a Mavic Open Pro-rimmed wheel, which should run < US$ 300 in the US.

Yes, higher qualiy rims can be lighter and stiffer.

Yes, this can be a noticeable difference.

Yes, there are good aftermarket rims, but are you planning on keeping your hubs and spokes and switching out the rims yourself? Might be better to just buy a new, built, complete wheelset. As I mentioned, you can get a nice Record hub / Open Pro rim wheelset, or Dura-Ace or Ultegra hub / Open Pro rim wheelset for a reasonable price. Many online companies like coloradocyclist.com sell those.

Realize though just like bicycle frames, all these rims and wheels have their pros and cons. The Campagnolo factory-built wheelsets are on the heavy side, but I've ridden a few and they are very stiff and sturdy. Some others are aero and light, but not stiff at all. My Gipiemme semi-aero set is really stiff and fairly aero, but pretty damn heavy. But they are bomb-proof and cheap. What characteristics do you like in your wheelset?

To finish, your question is similar to asking about bikes in general, so you'll get answers similar to that if you had asked, "Are higher-end frames worth it? Can you tell the difference? Are all carbon frames the same?"

However, I suspect that what you're really asking is whether wheels make a difference in a ride, and the answer is YES, most definitely. As for recommendations, I like my Record / Open Pro wheelset. I know it's somewhat pass\'e, but they are reasonably priced, fairly light, reliable. Good for general training/riding around, and definitely OK for racing, too. Now if I can just get my hands on my new supposedly super-light semi-aero DT Swiss wheelset on order .... Grrr ...!

No solution to your question. You'll have to pay alot more money to get any appreciable difference.

Spunout: So your take on this is that upgrade wheels (within reason) are just bling factor?

No solution to your question. You'll have to pay alot more money to get any appreciable difference.

Spunout: So your take on this is that upgrade wheels (within reason) are just bling factor?

As I mentioned, an Open Pro-based wheel is comparable in price to your CXP21, but is lighter. I've found the finishing on the rim to be a little better, too. So if you want a real difference in performance, you'll have to spend about $600 or so. Or find a buddy with a set of Open Pro wheels and borrow it from him/her to see for yourself. Maybe you'll end up liking the Open Pro enough to want to buy a set. Wheels do make a difference, but it depends on how much you value the perceived differences.

Velomax makes nice, race-ready wheels for about US $500-600, I think, and I've ridden them and I like them. The Mavic Ksyrium is ever-popular, and many people like them. They have the new, bottom-of-the-line Equipe for about <US $500 MSRP, I think. So seriously, borrow some wheels from your friends and ride them on your bike, see how you like or don't like them.

Spunout: So your take on this is that upgrade wheels (within reason) are just bling factor?
you generally pay lots more for super-trick, lightweight wheels. The irony of this is that these wheels are way less durable than the cheap wheels you have now. Save your money unless you are racing. Your wheels are just fine for training and general purposes.

I just swapped out a set of nice and light Velomax Orion II wheels for a cheaper wheelset built up on Dura Ace 7800 hubs, 14/15 3X spokes and Open Pro rims. It's a nice change. The Velomax wheels are supposedly tough enough for my weight, but I found them to be way too flexy. The new wheels have zero bling value, but they feel a good bit stonger and less resistant to lateral flex. They're only about a half pound heavier than the Velomax wheels once mounted with equal tires, tubes and skewers.

Why the switch? I yanked the Velomax decals off, they don't pay me to advertise so eff'em. After exposing more of the rear rim, I noticed that a few the drive side nipple drillings were starting to bulge slightly, after only 90 days of using the wheel. Their rims (velocity?) don't have ferrules to save weight, but that likely makes them prone to suffer some pull through of the nipple. I'll save the Velomax wheels for photos and trips to the scale, but ride on the stouter wheelset.

I also prefer the braking bite of the Open Pro rims over the Velomax rim.

I'd recommend that you should stick to your current wheels, or make a more afffordable jump to some local shop built wheels on Open Pro rims over medium light wheels like Velomax.

I had(still have) a very similar situation, in that I had CXP 21 rims on Ultegra hubs. I wanted to add some stiffness and responsiveness to my steel Lemond setup, and asked around about how to make that happen. Universally, I was told the wheels would be the most valuable upgrade. Most of the bike shops around here and online pointed me towards the Ksyrium SSLs, or the Velomax Orion II, but I was never comfartable that they could handle my size, and I wasn't going to blow 800 bucks on a a wheels that would fail under me.

So, I began the arduous process of research other options. This forum is helpful, but you are going to get a lot of varying opinons. There is very littel empirical data to help you make your decesion. Finally, after reading between the lines in some of these posts, I decided that if I was going to rely on opinions, it was going to be on the opinions of people who have seen thousands of wheelsets, not a couple.

I talked to a number of wheelsmiths, and they have different philosophies, different equipement they like, etc.. I finally decided on Mike Garcia with Oddsandendos.com, because after talking to him I felt he best understood my wishes and was comfortable tailoring a wheelset based on my riding. My wheels came yesterday, a sweet set of White LTA hubs laced to Velocity Fusion rims. Because I needed more stiffness and response, we did 36 spokes in the back, 32 up front. All delivered, with skewers, rim tape, and all, for $470. They go on the bike as soon as my tires get here, and I wipe the drool of of them. Then I can let you know if they were worth it ;)