I'm building a commuter road bike and only need a wheelset to complete it. I found some second hand Shimano WH-R501 wheels that come with Vittoria Corsa Graphene 2.0 tires. Are these good wheels?
Wheels are fine – solid entry level good for a commuter. Not worth much second hand so don’t be paying over the odds.
Tyres prob a poor choice for commuting unless your roads are like black mirrors. Corsa range is a performance tyre and pretty light, you might see a lot of punctures.
Shimano hubs use cup and cone bearings which some folk like, others do not – if you’re good at maintaining the bike it’s no prob, but if you’re lax there can be issues.
ThePrancingHorse94 on
They were known way back around 15+ years ago to be a pretty solid entry level wheel. They are pretty strong, but that’s all there is to say about them, perfect for a cheap commuter.
bambambung on
I’ve had them on a commuter bike for years with no problems.
Forward-Witness-3889 on
No absolutely crap. Avoid all Shimano wheels and Hubs. They really are the worst. Cheap unsealed cup and cone bearings, the worst driver on the market.
BD59 on
They’re a fine, basic entry level wheel. At least you know the hubs will have spare parts available.
obaananana on
Cant recommend the 171. They go ubtrue after 400km and after 800km the hub did not engage like a hin should not the ususal. After 15% crank spin more like 300%. Alot of reviewers have the same problem with it. Never had issues with basic hubs quicklock.
kil0ran on
Basic entry level wheel. I’ve had a set for about a decade on what’s now my pub bike. Thousands of miles on them and I’m a heavy rider (120kg+). Never out of true. Ridden in all weathers and only a couple of bearing services in that time.
PeerensClement on
Depends how you define “good”? This is just about the cheapest aftermarket road bike wheelset on the market. It is only just over 100 EUR new for the set, which is outrageously cheap.
It is just a no-nonsense, cheap, reliable wheelset from a big brand name company like Shimano. Won’t give you any trouble. I had a similar wheelset, the Shimano WH-RS010 on my commuter for years. Never had to true them.
It is not light, aero, wide profile, or anything like that, if that is how you define “good”.
Throw_shapes on
I’ve been using that one on my rear for 4 years. One spoke broke because I over inflated my tyre and overloaded my bike. I’ve had no other problems after replacing the spoke.
NegativePotato68 on
I have one of those wheels as a replacement on one of my bikes, a bit heavy but well made, functional and serviceable.
Hubs got gritty kinda soon I think bit cup and cone is really easy to service and shimano hubs are known for being well made.
I would recommend if you have tools to service/good lbs who can do it every couple months
Absolutely_wat on
For commuting I take schwalbe marathon tyres. They’re slightly slower, but changing a tube on the side of the road on the way home from work on a friday is a 0/10.
dyebhai on
They’re good wheels, but are always shipped with the bearings too tight. If that wasn’t adjusted, the races could be permanently damaged.
Low_University_9545 on
I had them on my first bike for over 4 years, they worked just fine, held up to everything I threw at them.
Treptay on
Really cheap, so cheap it is usually better to just outright replace them if something breaks. However, the brake surface is made of some softer metal it seems, because the brake surface wears out pretty fast
14 Comments
Wheels are fine – solid entry level good for a commuter. Not worth much second hand so don’t be paying over the odds.
Tyres prob a poor choice for commuting unless your roads are like black mirrors. Corsa range is a performance tyre and pretty light, you might see a lot of punctures.
Shimano hubs use cup and cone bearings which some folk like, others do not – if you’re good at maintaining the bike it’s no prob, but if you’re lax there can be issues.
They were known way back around 15+ years ago to be a pretty solid entry level wheel. They are pretty strong, but that’s all there is to say about them, perfect for a cheap commuter.
I’ve had them on a commuter bike for years with no problems.
No absolutely crap. Avoid all Shimano wheels and Hubs. They really are the worst. Cheap unsealed cup and cone bearings, the worst driver on the market.
They’re a fine, basic entry level wheel. At least you know the hubs will have spare parts available.
Cant recommend the 171. They go ubtrue after 400km and after 800km the hub did not engage like a hin should not the ususal. After 15% crank spin more like 300%. Alot of reviewers have the same problem with it. Never had issues with basic hubs quicklock.
Basic entry level wheel. I’ve had a set for about a decade on what’s now my pub bike. Thousands of miles on them and I’m a heavy rider (120kg+). Never out of true. Ridden in all weathers and only a couple of bearing services in that time.
Depends how you define “good”? This is just about the cheapest aftermarket road bike wheelset on the market. It is only just over 100 EUR new for the set, which is outrageously cheap.
It is just a no-nonsense, cheap, reliable wheelset from a big brand name company like Shimano. Won’t give you any trouble. I had a similar wheelset, the Shimano WH-RS010 on my commuter for years. Never had to true them.
It is not light, aero, wide profile, or anything like that, if that is how you define “good”.
I’ve been using that one on my rear for 4 years. One spoke broke because I over inflated my tyre and overloaded my bike. I’ve had no other problems after replacing the spoke.
I have one of those wheels as a replacement on one of my bikes, a bit heavy but well made, functional and serviceable.
Hubs got gritty kinda soon I think bit cup and cone is really easy to service and shimano hubs are known for being well made.
I would recommend if you have tools to service/good lbs who can do it every couple months
For commuting I take schwalbe marathon tyres. They’re slightly slower, but changing a tube on the side of the road on the way home from work on a friday is a 0/10.
They’re good wheels, but are always shipped with the bearings too tight. If that wasn’t adjusted, the races could be permanently damaged.
I had them on my first bike for over 4 years, they worked just fine, held up to everything I threw at them.
Really cheap, so cheap it is usually better to just outright replace them if something breaks. However, the brake surface is made of some softer metal it seems, because the brake surface wears out pretty fast