A wheel upgrade is, for people riding stock bikes, a really good option. It’s probably the best place to spend your money (in bike terms that is, in reality a training plan or good coach is the best choice if you want spend money to improve) and you’ll notice the difference even if the upgrade is relatively small, say going from a set of Mavic Aksiums to a set of Ksyrium Elite S wheels.

There’s a good chance that, if you’ve bought a bike off the shelf, the wheels are, comparatively, the lowest quality part of the build, so there’s an obvious improvement to be made.

So figure out what your riding goals are, and then think about what wheels would fit the bill. Overall, high-end aluminium clinchers are probably the best value in the £400-800 price range, and will get you comparatively more quality for your money than a cheap set of deep section alloy/carbon hybrids.