You’ll want a new wheelset to wrap that fresh rubber on, right? A new set of wheels can transform a modest chassis and, just as the case with tyres, a manufacturer’s budget when speccing an off-the-shelf machine is often swallowed up by the frame and groupset, leaving plenty of upgrade potential.
But whereas tyres are a relatively inexpensive upgrade, the sky’s your limit when it comes to wheels, and we’d recommend spending £300 or more if upgrading from factory-supplied hoops found on an entry to mid-level machine. That’s a rough guideline, but it’s at that mark that you’ll likely start to feel the difference of converting cold hard cash into speed.
At that price, weight will be your primary consideration and by reducing the rotating mass of your bicycle, you’re likely to improve the acceleration and responsiveness of your machine. We were impressed by the FIR R3 wheelset, which at 1,480g and £380 is among the lightest in its class, while we’ve also spent many happy miles on Mavic’s £470 Ksyrium Elite S hoops.
Otherwise, Shimano’s 1,502g RS81 C24 wheelset (£519.99) and Fulcrum’s 1,555g Fulcrum Racing 3 hoops (£449.99) are popular upgrade options. Investing in a set of handbuilt wheels, meanwhile, will allow you to select components according to your exact requirements (whether that’s material, weight, durability, aerodynamics) and budget.
As you rise up the ladder, the weight (the £699 Spada Stiletto wheelset weighs less than 1,300g and resulted in a notable increase in performance when slotted into our Kinesis Racelight TK3 test rig) will drop further – good news for riders will a hilly sportive circled in the calendar – or aerodynamics will become more of a concern, with an aluminium rim likely to be replaced by carbon fibre.
A carbon rim can be moulded into a significantly more aero profile than an aluminium equivalent to help you cut through the wind, though the increased depth of the rim can come at a slight weight penalty (unless your pockets are very deep) and braking performance, particularly in the wet or on long descents, can be affected.
