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Need guidance on wheel upgrade

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Need guidance on wheel upgrade

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flag Byron3USpkg
Posted: Nov 27, 2025 at 9:05 Quote
background - triathlete participate in sprint/olympic, half ironman in near future.
want to squeeze performance out of the bike. currently ride a 2015 cervelo R3, has rim brake and original wheel. want something light (carbon) and aero and put low resistant tire on, will use them for races and pre-race tune up trainings.

questions include

- what are good places to look for used rims
- how do i know which wheels will fit my bike
- should i also get a cassette for the new wheel as well for easy swapping wheels
- any recommendation to what wheels i should look for (not looking to upgrade to disk brake)

TIA
flag BenLow2019
Posted: Nov 28, 2025 at 8:30 Quote
Byron3USpkg wrote:
- what are good places to look for used rims
- how do i know which wheels will fit my bike
- should i also get a cassette for the new wheel as well for easy swapping wheels
- any recommendation to what wheels i should look for (not looking to upgrade to disk brake)

- No place is 100% great for used parts. Try PB Buy/Sell, FB marketplace, Craigslist, eBay. I'd get new from your LBS.
- Measure your existing wheels or look at your rim/tire - they should have a label that tells the size. They are most likely 700c (LINK for explanation)
- You should only get a new cassette if yours is worn out or you want a different gear ratio or your new wheel comes with a hub driver that is not compatible with your existing cassette.
- You want aero rims, but want to keep rim brakes??? Aero wheels are normally made of carbon to save weight for all the extra rim material, but if you get carbon rims, you have to make sure they are built for rim brakes and then you have to use particular brake pads so as to reduce potentially damaging the rim. It will be a shorter list of wheels you can choose from but they are out there. LINK to a view of Hunt wheels. Trying to find aero, carbon, rim brake wheels on the used market will be tougher. And if you go with used carbon wheels you better look them over VERY CLOSELY to make sure there isn't any damage - you won't get a warranty with a used wheel. A cracked rim can kill you on the road. I'd personally skip carbon wheels and go with alloy - especially with rim brakes which can damage a carbon rim, but that's just me.

Good luck - hope it helps.
flag dirttorpedo
Posted: Jan 5, 2026 at 13:35 Quote
Byron3USpkg wrote:
background - triathlete participate in sprint/olympic, half ironman in near future.
want to squeeze performance out of the bike. currently ride a 2015 cervelo R3, has rim brake and original wheel. want something light (carbon) and aero and put low resistant tire on, will use them for races and pre-race tune up trainings.

questions include

- what are good places to look for used rims
- how do i know which wheels will fit my bike
- should i also get a cassette for the new wheel as well for easy swapping wheels
- any recommendation to what wheels i should look for (not looking to upgrade to disk brake)

TIA

I am personally leery about purchasing used carbon wheels - particularly rim brake ones (unless they are hybrids with metal braking tracks). I believe you can still buy new ones and I would encourage you to look at those options so you know what you're getting. If you are moving to carbon wheels with carbon braking surfaces you will need to swap your brake pads to cork/carbon compounds so I don't think it will make much sense for you to keep the alloy ones for swapping back and forth. If you do you might as well swap the cassette and the brake pads when you switch them up. If you have a 700c bike any 700c carbon wheel will work for you. If you have 650c (unlikely in 2015) then any 650c carbon wheel will work for you.

This is one of those places where disc brakes are superior to rim brakes - wheel swaps are much easier, wheel size is much less of an issue, and you don't have to worry about carbon rims delaminating due to braking temperatures.
flag BCbeckett
Posted: Feb 19, 2026 at 14:53 Quote
Byron3USpkg wrote:
background - triathlete participate in sprint/olympic, half ironman in near future.
want to squeeze performance out of the bike. currently ride a 2015 cervelo R3, has rim brake and original wheel. want something light (carbon) and aero and put low resistant tire on, will use them for races and pre-race tune up trainings.

questions include

- what are good places to look for used rims
- how do i know which wheels will fit my bike
- should i also get a cassette for the new wheel as well for easy swapping wheels
- any recommendation to what wheels i should look for (not looking to upgrade to disk brake)

TIA

Target mid-deep carbon rims (30–45 mm) for fast, light performance
flag MaryLee60RjVw
Posted: Mar 17, 2026 at 23:58 Quote
Look for used Zipp 303 or Enve 3.4 rim brake wheels on eBay or Slowtwitch classifieds, make sure they're 700c QR and grab a spare cassette to match for easy race day swaps. Pair with Continental GP5000 tires for best rolling resistance.
Byron3USpkg wrote:
background - triathlete participate in sprint/olympic, half ironman in near future.
want to squeeze performance out of the bike. currently ride a 2015 cervelo R3, has rim brake and original wheel. want something light (carbon) and aero and put low resistant tire on, will use them for races and pre-race tune up trainings.

questions include

- what are good places to look for used rims
- how do i know which wheels will fit my bike
- should i also get a cassette for the new wheel as well for easy swapping wheels
- any recommendation to what wheels i should look for (not looking to upgrade to disk brake)

TIA
flag AUMbike
Posted: Apr 29, 2026 at 20:25 Quote
For used wheels — Facebook Marketplace and Pinkbike Buy/Sell are solid. eBay too if you’re patient with auctions. Just watch out for brake track wear on carbon rims.

Your R3 has standard quick-release (100mm front / 130mm rear) so most rim brake wheels will fit. Just confirm the freehub body matches your cassette (Shimano/SRAM 11-speed most likely).

Definitely grab a spare cassette — swapping wheels for race day becomes a 5-minute job instead of a hassle.

Zipp 303/404 Firecrest (older rim brake models) pop up used fairly often. ENVE SES 4.5 are nice too if you can find them. Stick with 25-28mm tires — GP5000 is the gold standard for rolling resistance.
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