RE: Bike Junk

Bontrager selects are really good wheels... I had a pair on my cross bikeand on an older road bike. I'll look up some reviews, but you may just want to hold tight.

I know it sounds weird, but there can be a great sense of exhilaration inactually WEARING OUT bike parts instead of just upgrading... I had a pair of MAVIC CPX22 semi-aero rims with 105 hubs on my first Kona Jake. I rode the HELL out of that bike to the tune of 4500 miles in 3 years.

Eventually, therear wheel just fatigued and a spoke pulled right through the rim wall.

Of course I bought new wheels, but the point is that I EARNED that new wheelset with hard mileage.

Now remember, this is a silly older guy's rants and raves. Obviously you canmake a decision that is both financially responsible AND practical, but just don't get in too much of a hurry to replace perfectly good parts.

Speaking of spending money, have you been professionally fitted to your bike? That's a GREAT way to spend about $100 and actually have someone analyze your pedal stroke and ride position...

Another thought: spending big bucks on well made, folding-bead (Kevlar)tires and latex (light) tubes can actually make a big difference, and I can guarantee you that a 105 level bike probably came with cheap-ass tires... I put new tires and tubes on my Litespeed, and it felt like I got brand new wheels(seriously). A steel bead and a butyl rubber tube is a good bit of rolling weight to have to get up to cruising speed where as a latex tube and a Kevlar tire feels like it has a bit more "get up and go" in initially spinning up.

These are a great example of a truly well made tire:

Continental Grand Prix 4000
http://www.coloradocyclist.com/product/display/25110/

Boy, I can just ramble on forever... Bikes are just too much fun.

General discussion about replacing a stock wheelset for an amateur rider

Shifter/derailer upgrades: I completely agree with the prior post on PAXVELO, go with WHEELS as your upgrade. Unless your shifting is faulty, I don't see any benefit in upgrading your shifters or derailers. I have a pair of 9-speed 105 shifters and derailers with thousands of miles on them, and if I was going to replace them, it would be with another set of 105s. I also have bikes with Dura Ace and Ultegra, but there is no noticeable difference.
Wheels: I am REALLY particular about wheels. I have had Ksyriums (4 sets) Spinergy Carbons, RealDesign Supersonic Carbons, Easton Vistas, Shimano 505s, MAVIC Open Pros, and various other MAVICs.
Most important question: What is on your bike right now?
Phil Wood is the industry standard of FINE quality craftsmanship. His materials and final product are NOT the kind of stuff you put on a scale to evaluate their worth, you can just look at the detail and see that they are the bomb of the bombs. For one thing, Phil guarantees his stuff and will allow you to send him your hubs (or entire wheels) for servicing as often as you like. They are designed to last a lifetime.
All that being said, they are NOT cheap, and they are really not that commonly found with professional racers. Pros get their gear for free and replace it a number of time per season. Race mechanics don't change spokes and rebuild hubs, they throw them away and get a new set. For people who have an eye for quality, you can do no better than Phil's hubs and bottom brackets. The biggest complaint from racers amateur and professional is WEIGHT, but sometimes beauty and durability do matter.
http://philwood.com/store/
MAVIC Open Pros are really desirable rims because they are light, STRONG as HECK, and because they eyelet reinforces both sides of the hollow "box" shape in the cross section of the wheel, truing is a breeze (though mine never needed to be trued even when I whanged the crap out of them). Don't let the price fool you, Open Pros are a really solid wheelset. They are NOT designed to be particularly aero or light, but REALLY tough. I would look elsewhere if you just want light wheels (Easton Vista, Vuelta, Alex for example). Don't expect ULTRA light wheels under $1000 to be able to maintain a good true if you are really putting hard miles on your bikes.
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/12008-365_SHIUL1-3-Parts-843-Cyclocross/Shimano-Ultegra-Wheelset-w_-Mavic-Open-Pro-Rims.htm
ANYTHING with MAVIC stamped on the hub is a good wheelset, but even they have to market something to the bargain hunter (MAVIC Aksium). Aksiums are VERY common with amateur Cyclocross racers because they are REALLY tough, but if you were to thrash one, you can usually afford to replace it without refinancing your house.
http://www.ubcbike.com/store/product/141642/MAVIC-AKSIUM-RACE-700C-WHEEL-SET%20--700C-BLACK/
Without knowing anything else about your situation, I would say that the tiers of expense and value you should consider are well represented in this list:
If you want to spend $300 or less, buy MAVIC Aksium Race (1855 grams) or Mavic Open Pro with Ultegra (1950 grams)
If you are willing to go up to about $400, get Mavic Ksyrium Equipe (1770 grams)
If you are willing to go up to $650, get Mavic Ksyrium Elite (1550 grams)
If you are willing to take the BIG plunge into the $1000 range, get Mavic Ksyrium SL or Ksyrium SL Premiums (1445 grams).
That's just me... As you might have guessed, ALL of my bikes (including my fixed gear bike) have MAVIC wheels.

The French still do many things really well.

Thinking back to single-speed days

Thinking back on the Raleigh Talon-CX I had in Monterey...That bike
is what has me all sentimental for a single speed again. This bike
was pure grace even though it started life as a "city bike"
(flatbar hybrid with cantilevers). I got it for $30 at the Salvation
Army, replaced the wheels, drivetrain And Cockpit items. It soon
became the next best thing to a Surly Cross-Check mixed with a Rivendell
Quickbeam. I Loved it, but alas alack, it had to go. It got a proud
new owner who is probably still Rocking it in the hills of Monterey.

GOT IT!!!!

62cm Surly Steamroller
Gun-Metal Grey powdercoat
MAVIC Open Sport rims, 32 Stainless DT Swiss spokes laced to Suzue track hubs
Misc parts here and there

For about another $200 and shipping, I could have bought a NEW Steamroller but I think this is a MUCH better deal. The wheels are the weakness of the stock Steamroller and also kept me from buying a Raleigh One Way, or Redline 925 and a BikesDirect/PerformanceBike product. There's only so much cost you can shave off before you start to have a significant impact on quality (single-wall rims, non-stainless spokes).

This thing is SO ready to rock!

Quest for Simplicity

I'm back to the marketplace, now looking for something less complicated and more "classic". With four bikes having less than 1000 miles on each of them, I embark back into the realm of a bicycle commuter. The thing that commuting teaches quickly though is that Simplicity is Divine:

• Having more gears than you will use is excessive
• The less complicated your bike is, the fewer tools you need when it's time to change that inevitable flat.
• Fenders and racks, as handy as they are make changing that flat tube REALLY painful.
• Weight has little to do with the feel of your ride. As a matter of fact, sometimes I feel like my heavier bikes have a more controllability based on the momentum that a heavier mass moving down the road can have. The opposite feeling is that "squirelly" feeling that a 14 pound, all-carbon rig can have where it feels like it wants to get out from under you SO BAD and dump your heavy ass on the gravel.

So with this complicated and roundabout explanation for the simplicity I seek, I'm looking for a single speed bike along the lines of so many other SS bikes I collected and rode in Hawaii, Virginia and Monterey:

• Panasonic Sport 1000
• Raleigh International
• Motobecane Messenger
• Bianchi thing
  
• Raleigh Talon (cantilever touring)

There's a lot of great value added to a short commute in knowing that your shifts are never going to drift out of tune and that you are probably never going to drop the chain. And hell, even if you do get a flat tire, it couldn't be easier to change a flat on a SS/fixie with chain tensioners or derailer adjustment screws.

For now, I'll keep looking, but there is a good deal on eBay ending today for a Blue and White Panasonic:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=110377456857

I'm watching!