No single part of equipment effects your performance on the bike as much as your wheels. A high quality racing wheelset is the most important upgrade you can make to your bicycle. While the sky is the limit as to what you can spend on a high performance wheelset, WesternBikeworks is dedicated to providing quality wheels at affordable prices.

Clincher or Tubular?

The first step in buying a wheelset is determining if you will ride tubulars or clinchers. Tubulars are the traditional favorites of racers. They utilize a tire with a tube sewn into the casing, this tire is then glued or taped to the rim. Tubulars offer great ride quality and the lowest possible weight.

Clinchers are the most common type of wheels, utilizing a tire that "hooks" into the rim and a tube. Recently, the manufacturers of clincher tires have dramatically closed the performance gap between clinchers and tubulars. Clinchers do incur a slight weight penalty due to the addition of the hooked section of rim. They typically weigh about 200 grams per pair more than equivalent quality tubulars.

Most performance wheelsets are available as clinchers or tubulars.

Carbon or Aluminum?

The second major choice in buying a wheelset is that of material. Tubular wheels with full carbon rims are what the pros ride, for example the Fulcrum Racing Speed Tubular Wheelset (right). We are starting to see more full carbon clincher rims such as the Reynolds Attack Wheelset or Fulcrum Racing Light Clincher Wheelset. These wheels deliver the ride of carbon with the convenience of clinchers. We carry Fulcrum, Reynolds, Zipp and Miche carbon wheelsets.

Aluminum wheels are still very competitive, providing light weight, durable construction and more realistic pricing than their carbon counterparts. The Fulcrum Racing 1 Clincher Wheelset are a great example of a raceworthy aluminum wheelset. Fulcrum has an excellent reputation for making durable, lightweight aluminum wheelsets that fit into most budget. Mavic, Reynolds and FSA also produce aluminum rimmed wheelsets for cyclists of all levels and budgets.

Another interesting entry in the wheel market is by Topolino. Topolino wheels utilize carbon fiber and Kevlar spokes creating a resilient, durable and light wheel. Topolino wheels look like something from a space station and employ the most advanced wheel building technology. Topolino has gained a small yet loyal following in the bike world. A product every serious rider should try.

So what do we ride?

While many of us racers here at WesternBikeworks have several wheelsets laying around that get thrown on a bike from time to time, most of us rely on two primary wheelsets: a reliable training set and a pair of race wheels.

For training, reliability is key. It's best to stay on durable, reliable wheels that can keep rolling through rainy winter base miles and all through summer when the BIG rides happen. Either Mavic Ksyrium SL Premium Wheelset or Fulcrum Racing 1 Clincher Wheelset are ideal training wheelsets. Both can handle the worst roads you can ride over, and can be easily repaired if misfortune does come your way. As an extra bonus, both sets are plenty fast to serve as race wheels in crits and "Roubaix" style races over iffy pavement.

Race wheels are generally see action on race day only, and many times only in good conditions. Tubular wheels are still quite common for racing and the Reynolds MV32 T Tubular Wheelset delivers the goods. Ultra-light (1195 grams/pair!!!), yet retaining a reasonably aerodynamic profile. The Mid-V will cut crosswinds and spin over the steepest climbs. Reynolds MV32C Wheelset is also available for those who still can''t justify the added expense and hassle of tubulars. Reynolds makes pro level wheelsets utilizing proprietary DT Swiss hubs and spokes, the finest in the business. For the flat landers among us, the Reynolds Stratus DV46T 20/24 Tubular Wheelset provides maximum aero advantage with just a minor weight penalty over the Mid-V, and is also available in a clincher.

At WesternBikeworks we realize that not everyone is in the market for a $2,000 pair of race wheels. We are here to help you find a wheelset that suits your needs at the best price possible. Feel free to contact us at 1-800-651-4050 or Sales@WesternBikeworks.com with any questions regarding your next wheelset.