Wheels damn wheels

Forgive the nabbed stock photo (left) please.

I'm in the market for a new set of wheels. For most, that might not be a big deal but, for me, it's cause for concern. If I pick the wrong set, I'll be raging with myself. I hate spending money on something only to find out it's no better/worse than the item(s) I'm already using.

Annoyingly, with wheels, it's not as if I can buy them, try them out for a couple of weeks and then return them to the shop. Without trying them, my severe lack of knowledge on the subject (and many other subjects) means I don't really know how the pros and cons of each might affect me personally.

I know there's no point in my spending huge amounts on an all-carbon fancy pants wheelset. I'm not racing or even time-trialling. It's all going to be for recreational usage. That written, like most cyclists, I'd like to be able to positively affect my cycling through technology.

'Would deep section wheels be good?' 'Are they bad on the hills because of additional weight in the rims?' 'What about cycling in crosswinds?'. All these questions mill about in my head and I don't have any proper answers to them. Quite simply, I don't know. Not knowing anything about the subject makes it very difficult for me to choose the correct wheels.

I'm not sure the people working in the bike shops necessarily give sound advice on this subject. They're bound to be slightly affected by what makes more money for the shop, which wheels would suit their personal cycling style etc. All I can do is have a look at a few wheelsets in the flesh and try to ascertain what might suit my needs best and give good value. On that front, having Chain Reaction reasonably nearby is a huge bonus. Buying blind online would be even more likely to yield random and potentially disappointing results.

At present, I think I've narrowed my selection down to one of three or four wheelsets made by Fulcrum, Mavic and Shimano. They (all but the Mavics) seem to be available with pretty good offers (particularly from Planet X) at present. I don't like to miss out on a good deal. It gets more tempting and more confusing.

I keep thinking I've ruled out a certain wheelset with thoughts like 'There's too much potential of crosswinds affecting those rims' but then find myself countering with '...but they look great and I'm shallow'.

In summary, buying wheels is a confusing process for an idiot.