What do the wise men have to say about the best wheelset for under, say $300. I'm building up a bike from scratch (and tear, and slice, and rip and, of course, weep), and I'm looking for wheels that could complement my Specialized Allez Pro. I'll probably purchase an additional pair of triathlon-specific wheels in 6 months or so, but I'd like something snazzy to keep me going until then. (Perhaps even through a road race and/or biathlon or two.)

The two sets I'm looking at so far are the Cane Creek Aerohead and the Weyless Korso Aero, both of which are offered by Supergo. What am I missing? (Other than a ksyrium ssl budget...)

Thanks!

What do the wise men have to say about the best wheelset for under, say $300. I'm building up a bike from scratch (and tear, and slice, and rip and, of course, weep), and I'm looking for wheels that could complement my Specialized Allez Pro. I'll probably purchase an additional pair of triathlon-specific wheels in 6 months or so, but I'd like something snazzy to keep me going until then. (Perhaps even through a road race and/or biathlon or two.)

The two sets I'm looking at so far are the Cane Creek Aerohead and the Weyless Korso Aero, both of which are offered by Supergo. What am I missing? (Other than a ksyrium ssl budget...)

Thanks!

I considered both of those for my CX. I ride a lot of road, so I wanted an aero rim, and I like the look too. Went w/ the Weyless when they were on sale at my local Supergo for $149. Can't beat them for the price. I've ridden them once on a singletrack and they still are pretty solid. My buddy has the CC's and seems to like them. I got a flyer yesterday from Nashbar, the have the Open Pros for $199 w/ 10% off. Those would be a good solid set as well.

You can probably bring a Campy Chorus/Velocity Aerohead in for right around $300. Ultegra/Open Pro for $220. The wheels you quote are certainly no better than the Chorus units, and probably no better than the Ultegra wheels. Then you get comparable performance with stock parts and a wheel that can be easily repaired at any decent bike shop.

What do the wise men have to say about the best wheelset for under, say $300. I'm building up a bike from scratch (and tear, and slice, and rip and, of course, weep), and I'm looking for wheels that could complement my Specialized Allez Pro. I'll probably purchase an additional pair of triathlon-specific wheels in 6 months or so, but I'd like something snazzy to keep me going until then. (Perhaps even through a road race and/or biathlon or two.)

The two sets I'm looking at so far are the Cane Creek Aerohead and the Weyless Korso Aero, both of which are offered by Supergo. What am I missing? (Other than a ksyrium ssl budget...)

Thanks!

I can't speak to the wheels you're looking at, but I've had great experience with a set built by Colorado Cyclist. Ultegra hubs laced 32 x 14-15-14 to CXP33s. Not superlight, but then, neither am I. I've put maybe 4,000 miles on them and they haven't needed even a touch. I think they cost me around $250. I have a pair of 5-year-old LBS-built wheels, similar in build but with 105 hubs and ME14A rims, that lasted over 12,000 miles before I cracked a rim riding 'cross. I put on a new rim and they're still going.

I bought some wheels from Supergo once and they were OK,,,,but they did come with instructions on how to stress relieve the wheels...apparently, they just pulled them off the machines and put them in the box.

Really, instructions? I suppose you should consider yourself lucky that you didn't get a box with some loose spokes, some hub parts and a rim. "Now what you want to do here is take these spokes..."

They are just re-labeled Alex wheels. If you do your cycling enthusiastically, OPs, CXP33s are much much better bet. FYI I sprinted my Alex rear wheel out of true twice in 800 miles. NO crash seen for the rear rim. I tacoed the front when I have a spill hitting a pothole. IF I am riding OPs I think i dont have to walk home after that.

They are just re-labeled Alex wheels. If you do your cycling enthusiastically, OPs, CXP33s are much much better bet. FYI I sprinted my Alex rear wheel out of true twice in 800 miles. NO crash seen for the rear rim. I tacoed the front when I have a spill hitting a pothole. IF I am riding OPs I think i dont have to walk home after that.

Agree w/ the OPs. If they were on sale for $199 when I was looking for wheels, I would've went that route.

There are numerous internet retailers selling Ultegra/Open Pros for less than $200 and Dura Ace (old style)/Open Pros for less than $300. Some handbuilt and some not, so do your research. But I think they are best bargain out there for affordable racing/training wheels that are easily repairable and rebuildable (in case of catastrophe). Check out the eBay deals, I think there is a guy selling handbuilt wheels on there for reasonable prices. Those Cane Creeks look nice but they have straight pull spokes and an oddly low spoke-count rim, which might be tough to find in a pinch. Look at greenfishsports.com too, they have the Cane Creek wheels for $230, and I really like their selection of stuff. I bought some Ultegra/OP's there for $180 plus shipping, quite a deal.

As many here have said, Chorus/Ultegra/maybe DA laced rto an Aerohead or OP rim will provide a durable high-preformance wheelset. IMO wheels are one thing on my bike that I want to be unexciting. The only chance for a wheel to be exciting is when something breaks. Plus, no one notices what the wheel is while you are actually riding - sort of like your saddle.

Keep in mind that most of the 'affordable' pre-built wheelsets tend to be low-spoke counts with flashy graphics. To keep the wheels affordable, corners have to be cut somewhere, which is not a confidence-inspiring thought.

Having said all this, I just got a ebay bike with Mavic Cosmos wheels on it and initial impressions of these are positive. They seem well-built with a responsible spoke count and good performance. I rode them in a race last night and they did great.

If you want something affordable, durable, and just a little different than the Ultegra/OP build, check out Mike Garcia at Odds N' Endos. Quality wheels at a great price. I wouldn't waste my cash on the Supergo or Performance house brand stuff - wheels are too important and I wouldn't have too much confidence in a $250 16 spoke wheel....

Thanks for the great comments, everyone. I'm going to mull all this over and figure out my plan of action over the next week or so --I'll post back here when it's all sorted out (but the cryin').