congrats on your new ride! are you looking for a wheel that you can train on and race on? or do you plan to keep the stock wheels for training and purchase race wheels? i run a pair of mavics (Aksium) for my training wheels and race on zipps. the mavics are about $250 and are a solid wheel. but when it comes to the zipps--its almost a night and day comparison. i guess it really depends on how much money you want to spend. race wheels, regardless of the brand, are going to be fairly expensive. but they would totally be worth it the price.

I also bought an S32 recently and have considered upgrading the wheels. But, since the idea of spending at least $200 (probably more like $300 or so to make the purchase worth the bother) for a decent pair of wheels to gain a minute or two in a race doesn't really appeal to me, I've decided to ride it out and see how the Shimano WH-R500 wheels work out. I guess if I start getting a bunch of flats, problems with truing, etc., I might change my mind.

Just out of curiousity, what exactly is wrong with the wheels that came on the bike?

It is going to be tough to upgrade your wheels without spending some money. There are training wheels, then there are race wheels. A good set of aero race wheels are going to cost $1,000+ if you get them new. If you are looking for a wheel that is suited well to both train and race on, it will be in the $300-$800 dollar range depending on what you get. A good set of training wheels are going to cost you in the between free-$300. These are just very rough estimates to what it is going to cost to ungrade you wheels to each of these catagories. I am not super familiar with what type of wheelset is currently on your bike, but from the sounds of it they are good training wheels. You are looking at between $300-$500 minimum to make an upgrade that is worth spending the money on.

I am having a similar debate. I agree with the comments so far.

A few questions I have asked myself for the race wheels...

Tubular vs. Clincher
Carbon vs. alloy
Deep section vs. ultra light

There is no right answer, so here is my take...I am an average age group competitor and cycling is my strongest leg. I am in the sport for two years so far, competing in 6 sprints and 2 olympic events. I just bought a new carbon fiber bike set up for triathlon, and I wish to add a nice wheelset. I have decided on deep carbon wheels with clincher rims. My feeling is the the weight penalty is worth the aero advantage on longer rides, and the slight loss of performance in clinchers is worth the convenience

So, my local bike shop, as it turns out is owned and run by a former olympic team head mechanic, so I picked his brain. Brands like American Classic, Ritchey, FSA, and Mavic offered solid clincher wheels with carbon sections and alloy braking surfaces. He seemed keen on the Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL at about $1500, with all the other brands coming is much less than that.

Zipps are great, not worth the price for me. Tubulars are not worth the aggravation.

A lot of people buy these things used...I am leary of that. Carbon fiber wheels fatigue over time, and I would rather know the history rather than take a chance. Maybe buy used from someone you know.

One other tidbit...a buddy of mine (pure cyclist, not a triathlete) told me he read an article that says you will gain the same aero advantage with an aero helmet as you would with a deep section aero wheelset. Seems possible,

I just want to thank everyone for their advise and opinions. I really appreciate it! My new bike came and I feel like a little kid. I've had friends and neighbors come over to see it and my kids know they can look but they can't touch! I think for now I will just stick with what I have and hope that the reviews I read regarding getting flats won't apply to me! :) I HATE FLATS! You guys rock!
dana

I just glanced over this thread so I apologize in advance if I repeat anything that's already been said.

Wheels are more difficult than bikes I think. Having just gone through this, I'll give the quick and dirty...

Should I buy Zipps? Unless you're missing Kona, podium, or are rich, you do not have to buy Zipps. That doesn't mean you won't.

Should I get tubulars or clinchers? At this point, clinchers have matched tubulars as far as overall benefits. I think tubulars are still lighter but clinchers are much easier. But "overall" clinchers are going to be the better choice. I do not want to debate this, please read the endless threads ad nauseam.

Ok, so assuming you're getting clinchers and not getting Zipps. What should you get? A good overall combination is going to be a deep rear with a not so deep front. Ideally, you'd get a disc rear, a deep rear and a not so deep front. But you most likely only want to buy two wheels and not three. With this in mind, I give you two choices:

1. Flashpoint FP80 rear with Flashpoint 60 front.
2. Hed Jet 90 Rear with Hed Jet 60 Front.

Flashpoint are structural carbon and heavier, Jets are bonded carbon fiber and lighter. These wheels have pluses and minuses that equal out. Which ever you like better will be fine.

Which did I get? I was going to get the Flashpoints but they've been out of stock most likely due to Zipp getting acquired. So I have a lovely set of Jets. :)