How to Shop For New Road Bike Wheels

How to Shop For New Road Bike Wheels

Everyone who ride bikes eventually has to replace their wheels. You may be tempted to skimp and save money by simply buying used ones. This can be a great idea if you are only replacing worn out ones and can get good deals. But what happens when you need to replace the whole set, or even multiple pairs of wheels? How do you go about picking out the best new road bike wheels?

Each of come up with their own way to shop for new road bike wheels. Hopefully very few of you are going to need to crash one of your wheels just like did several times before you determined that it was time to upgrade. The cyclist mantra is that new wheels should always be your first upgrade, and that spending money for a new wheel often should be your last upgrade.

When shopping for new road bike wheels there are several things that you should keep in mind. First of all you want to pick out a brand that you are familiar and comfortable riding with. Some people like Shimano, Cannondale, spokes and others; while other riders prefer to stick with Shimano or other well known wheels companies. So choose a reputable dealer who sells wheels that you are sure will perform the way you need them to.

Next you should keep in mind the type of riding that you do. If you ride on smooth paved surfaces that grip well then you should buy a set of wheels that are similar. You should also consider that your new set of wheels may need to have spokes added to them. This is an extra cost that you will incur, so decide if this is something you can live with and not wish to spend more money on it.

The best way to find out what type of performance you can expect from your new set of wheels is to test drive them. Get on an old bicycle that you already own and make note of how the tires handle and how they feel when you ride. Test different speeds and different inclines. This will help you determine how well the new road bike wheels will fit into your lifestyle.

Finally, no matter how good a set of wheels may look to be they aren't worth much unless they perform well. Make sure to ride the bike on some smooth paved roads as well as rough ones. Road bikes have different handling characteristics that are necessary for different terrain. If you get a set of wheels that won't perform well then you are wasting money that could be spent on better equipment.

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