Addendum

As a tedious (the 'bores' bit of RantingCycleBores isn't there just for looks) update to my earlier post, I eventually decided which wheelset I would buy.

The picture on the left may have slightly given the game away; I chose a pair of Fulcrum Racing 1 wheels.

Initially, my interest in the Fulcrums was piqued by the arrival of a 'buy our stuff' e-mail from Ribble. They were selling Fulcrum Racing 1 wheelsets for £520GBP (delivered) and that seemed like a good deal. Most other stockists appear to be looking for around £675GBP for them, which doesn't necessarily include delivery. So, off I went to investigate them (and another three wheelsets) further and find out if they'd be suitable for me. Thanks to the customary Google Shopping search, I discovered a German shop called H&S Bike-Discount selling them for 539.90€. After a quick currency conversion, that turned out to be (even adding 2€ for DHL/Deutsche Post delivery instead of DPD) around £450GBP.

As a tightwad, I couldn't let an offer like that pass me up and ordered the wheelset on Tuesday morning. On Thursday afternoon, the wheels were on my bike. That's a splendid delivery time. I'm impressed. Plenty of companies within the UK don't deliver as quickly.

Although I'm tempted, I haven't been out on the bike to try the wheels yet. I'd been for cycles the two days prior to receiving the wheels and don't want to risk fatiguing my dodgy knee. It hasn't given me any real bother yet this year but I'm not going to push my luck with it. I'll keep on with the ice pack compression, Biofreeze, stretching, light resistance work etc. and hope to turn it into a beast of a knee.

Fingers crossed (that'll make braking difficult) the wheels will be everything I hope for and more.