I've been riding a Giant Avail 1 (women's spec) for 18 months now - use it approx. 9-10 months of the year and currently doing 200+ miles per week. I weigh 140lbs.
I'm still using stock wheels - Giant SR2 rims - but would like to upgrade to shed some weight (as well as aesthetics). Apparently the wheels weigh in at over 2kg but not sure how reliable my source is.
Can anyone recommend a decent upgrade for £200 or even less? I've had a look online (Mavics etc) but have no idea where to start so any advice would be much appreciated!
Mavic Aksium and lower end Ksyrium wheels are good training wheels and are suitable for lower Cat. racing. IMO they are a good value, especially when bought on sale or closeout specials.
Vuelta, Fulcrum and others offer good quality/dollars wheels, but the weight savings is not going to be huge in the price range you are shopping. You'll end up shedding a few spokes and a rim that's a few grams lighter. What you are really making lighter is your wallet/purse.
Moving up a notch to some el cheapo Chinese carbon mail order wheels ($500 and up) might be worth the roll of the dice to get you a significant weight savings and performance gain. They are less durable than aluminum wheels (in most cases more easily damaged by abuse and less repairable), but at your specified weight you could easily go to carbon for all but the roughest commutes.
