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  • Hello,

    I've been going through a similar journey (albeit I bought a new frame rather than kept an old one), so thought I'd throw in a a summary of my research.

    Wheels

    Campagnolo Zonda or Fulcrum Racing 3 are highly regarded and can be had new from around £250 (last I checked Ribble had the best price). Second hand, they've been going for £180-220 in good condition, so they may suit you.
    Note: Zondas and FR3 are essentially the same wheel, branded differently so that Campagnolo could sell wheels to Shimano users back when Campag-branded wheels could only be fitted with Campag cassettes. This is no longer the case, but the brand lives on

    Alternatively, you can find Mavic Ksyriums for sub-£200, typically the Equipes are cheaper, and the standard Ksyriums too. I was hoping to stretch to Ksyrium Elites but they were much dearer.

    The Shimano RS11 are budget friendly and get decent reviews. Can't go wrong there, though they're a little on the heavy side (~1,850g). With a budget of £200 you can get to the 1,500g (second hand) to 1,700g (new) range. Have a look at Shimano's Ultegra wheelset for solid wheels that come in at 1,640g.

    If you can stretch a little more, then all kinds of options open up. Sub-£300 you can get some nice Hunt wheels (what I went for in the end), or look at handbuilt wheels - that's a whole different rabbit hole, so just be aware and ask around if you're thinking of it!

    Groupset

    You can't go wrong with 105 - I keep wondering if I should have just bought this group new from the beginning. At £285 for the 11 speed set, it's fantastic value. Ultegra is more like £450, so I reckon you're winning at the 105.

    If you go second hand (what I did), you can get fantastic components for a song - second generation stuff goes on here and eBay for a fraction of what they'd cost new, and often a bit of cleaning and a touch of lubricant/grease cleans up any blemishes or mechanical roughness in a jiffy. I've put together a Campagnolo Record 10 speed set (mid 2000s) for about £350. My suggestion if you try this: set your mind on which group you want (second tier, certain vintage kit, or last generation groups have massive discounts) and then be patient :)

    Hope that helps.. happy to share more thoughts if you like - just hoping to save you a few (or many) hours of repeatedly reading endless reviews and checking prices!

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