Road Wheels.

[Rosscofat]

Looking to upgrade my road wheels. I will be buying winter and summer set in the future... what is the best Mavic wheelset to get under 800$ for front and rear.

[the flying moose]

does it have to be Mavic?

the bontrager wheelsets are pretty slick and seem to ride quite nicely.

if it has to be Mavic I would get a set of Cosmic Elites (http://www.mavic.com/ewb_pages/p/produit_roue_cosmic_carbone_elite.php?gamme=route) for the summer and a set of Ksyrium Elite 650 (http://www.mavic.com/ewb_pages/p/produit_roue_ksyrium_elite_650.php?gamme=route) for the winter.

Also take a look at some of the Zipp wheels. they look super pimp.

[Rosscofat]

cosmic is for TT.. thats not what im lookin for. Mavic is best for me.. zipp wheels are way 2 much $ for how much ill be road riding.

[Ninja]

Krysium SL's for summer.
The one's that came with your bike for winter.

[Rosscofat]

what the diff with SL and Elite? the cutouts in the rim?

[Ninja]

what the diff with SL and Elite? the cutouts in the rim?
Weight... of course.


Ninja edit: Are you using 650's

[Rosscofat]

700.. weight eh.. well what about strength. im not a light guy.

[Ninja]

700.. weight eh.. well what about strength. im not a light guy. I weight more than you do and I wouldn't hesitate buying them. Weight, poor maintence, and everything else that helps destroy rims. Will be directy proportional to you missing the potholes in the road. A strong road rim wont help, if you hammer it through a bunch of big holes.

Mavic SL's are good...

[Chief]

ya ross we have to learn to avoid those damn potholes

[hooli]

ninja 2...i read somewhere in here you bought an 04 norco crr1...i just picked one up and am putting it together...i'm 6'4 and a larger guy...how do you like the bike?

[seand]

Ross, I have the Mavic Ksyrium Elites on my giant and i LOVE them to death. Very light, seem to be quite durable, and have I mentioned that I love them?

[Rosscofat]

Thx seand that was going to be my next set. After checking CK road hubs are still $$$ ect. I think the Elites r the right choice.. unless i can sell some more shit for ppl Ill get SL or ES but Elite seems to be right.

[Ninja]

Thx seand that was going to be my next set. After checking CK road hubs are still $$$ ect. I think the Elites r the right choice.. unless i can sell some more shit for ppl Ill get SL or ES but Elite seems to be right.
You can pick up some Elites for cheap on the Cycling BC classifieds. A bunch of guys from the Escape Velocity team are selling the Elites in favour of the lighter SL's (they got a smokin team deal on Canondales that came with the Elites)They are a good rim, racer types wont think twice about spending a grand on a set of race wheels, that's why they are selling them.

[Ninja]

ninja 2...i read somewhere in here you bought an 04 norco crr1...i just picked one up and am putting it together...i'm 6'4 and a larger guy...how do you like the bike?The bike was built up as a Frame with parts from a Trek, so Brontrager parts with full Ultegra build. I find the carbon rear stays give the bike a dead feel when accelerating, ie no snap. They help with longer rides by taking the sharp edges off the bumps. So I can't say much for how the bike is like, cus mine is built up with different parts.

I will say, at my height( 6'5 )this will be my last compact frame. I don't like having the seat post that long, it flex's way to much, and gives the bike a weird feel.

[Rosscofat]

Elites sound good.. SL look AMAZING. :)

[Futurelooks Guy]

SL's have no problems with bad roads. When I was racing road, I beat those things hard at Harris Roubaix, and the only thing I needed to do after was change the bearings. Too much silt and rain and mud at that race. They accelerate really nicely up to speed, and climb beautifully because they are still plenty stiff for the weight, but have this empeccable ability to deflect road debris and remain comfortable.

The Elites would probably be fine for regular riding, but nothing feels like the SL' when you want to chase down a moving vehicle. Sudden acceleration is one thing I'll remember the SL's for. I had a set of Elites for backup wheels, and they didn't feel the same as the SL's. It's not just the looks that make them special!

Since you have to pay for them, see if you can borrow some for a ride and make up your mind that way. The only person that can decide if it is worth the extra green is you afterall.

When I return to the road next year, I'll be picking up a set of SL's for sure.

[hooli]

check out ebay...i got a set of sl3's for $750cad brand new

[Chief]

ross is a bike pimp
he gets the deals on the ho's

[Rosscofat]

I get deals on it alll :)

:)

I paid a bit under 500 for both wheels.

[Futurelooks Guy]

$500 for the pair of SL's? NICE!

[Rosscofat]

Elites. not SL.

[Futurelooks Guy]

Borrow some. Try them. Love them. Trade up ;)

[Rosscofat]

nah. I can get SL or ES models at anytime I want.

[Ninja]

Can you get me some SL's....

[Rosscofat]

yes I can. go to mighty riders and buy a set :) hahahah

Dont worry ill sell my elites soon.

[Ninja]

yes I can. go to mighty riders and buy a set :) hahahah

Dont worry ill sell my elites soon.
Well pfffh. Thanks.

Elites, erm no thanks. I'll stick with my Race Lites.

[Rosscofat]

hahaha I can get some open pros build onto CK's :)

[Ninja]

hahaha I can get some open pros build onto CK's :)
And be 1400 grams..... :rolleyes:

[Rosscofat]

hub is like 200grams then get Ti spokes 28 hole of course.. and it will be WAYY under 600 grams all togeher. for the front and under 800 for rear.

[Ninja]

meh if it was that easy everyone would have them

[Futurelooks Guy]

It's not the same man! Nothing rides like the SL's, even the lightest wheels a pro could build. SL's acclerate WAY different.

[thewalrus]

It's not the same man! Nothing rides like the SL's, even the lightest wheels a pro could build. SL's acclerate WAY different.

DT 240S road hubs, Sapim CX-ray spokes, 28 rear and 24 front, with Velocity Aerohead rims will be 80g less than Ksyrium SL 2006 (about 1450-1470g total) and stiffer.

The lightest wheels a pro could build won't be as stiff, but they'll be a hell of a lot lighter... How about Tune hubs, CX-Ray spokes 20/24 and American Classic 350 rims. Around 1250g total. Not for the big guys, but great if your name is Rasmussen.

[Ninja]

Just go get some Zipps and be done with it. If that's your thing.

I like my heavy wheels, they match my bike, and body!

[Rosscofat]

I want zipps... but i like my elites very quick.. :) im young gotta take baby steps in the new unknown

[Ninja]

I want zipps... but i like my elites very quick.. :) im young gotta take baby steps in the new unknown
I like Zipps too, but putting them on my bike, would be like running a World Cup Boxxer on a Banshee Scream. Just sillyness.

[Futurelooks Guy]

DT 240S road hubs, Sapim CX-ray spokes, 28 rear and 24 front, with Velocity Aerohead rims will be 80g less than Ksyrium SL 2006 (about 1450-1470g total) and stiffer.

The lightest wheels a pro could build won't be as stiff, but they'll be a hell of a lot lighter... How about Tune hubs, CX-Ray spokes 20/24 and American Classic 350 rims. Around 1250g total. Not for the big guys, but great if your name is Rasmussen.

Done both. Light wheels built vs Ksyrium. Ksyrium wins. The feel is TOTALLY different. The way they accelerate inspires you to chase big trucks.

[Rosscofat]

good call.. I was doin that DT van just racing cars ect.

[sanrensho]

The way they accelerate inspires you to chase big trucks.

I'm curious, could you describe what you mean by "the way they accelerate"? Are you talking about flex? Rolls up to faster because of less weight at the rim?

And do you notice any difference on, say, long alpine climbs where speeds are relatively constant?

[Futurelooks Guy]

Let's see if I can verbalize...

When I had my SL's, they had like an INSTANT snap when you wanted to turn the screws up. Once they were up to speed, they kept rolling fairly good, and responded to changes in speed extremely quickly. They were unlike any lightweight wheel I had ridden.

Before that, I had ROLF Vector Pro's. They were good too, but they were so stiff. The rougher the road, the worse they felt. In fact, they skipped on rough corners. The SL's were very forgiving. I used them in the Harris Roubaix one year, and I never felt beat up on the dike sections. However, the Vector Pro's didn't respond quite as quickly to tempo changes, but I would say though, that they would be a faster wheel on the flats or in a Time Trial because they tended to work more like gyro's with the deep dish rims and thus more weight on the outside of the rim.

Since they responded so well to tempo changes, I found that during long road races where people like to attack, it was easier to stay on a wheel through the tempo changes. I'd have to say that they were the ultimate wheels for pretty much everything. They were just so much fun :)

I used them mainly in Criteriums and Road Races, but they were always a treat when I could take them out on a club ride during a sunny day. I won a lot of UBC Tuesday Nighters and a few Coastal Thursday Nighters back in the day. I could always count on them in a sprint.

Hope that sort of helps, but it would probably help for you to ride them too ;)

[sanrensho]

Let's see if I can verbalize...

Hope that sort of helps, but it would probably help for you to ride them too ;)

Thanks for posting that. I should have gone back and read your previous posts, because you described the wheels in detail before.

Since I mostly climb and never race, I'd probably go for a lighter handbuilt set, which appeals to me on all levels. Not to mention cheaper gram for gram.

Having said that, if I had money burning in my pocket, I'd probably order the Xero XR-1 wheelset. Just a tick under the Ksyrium SL's at 1520 grams, for less than US$200. There's no way I could source the components for a 1500 gram custom wheelbuild for that money.

[Futurelooks Guy]

I wonder if Mavic does loaner demo's on the SL's. If you could ride them, you can experience what I'm having a hard time describing. I've done super light handbuilts before, and even though they were lighter than the SL's, they didn't have that "feel".

But yeah, it's definitely less expensive to go with a handbuilt set if you want to have something superlight, for sure. My regular wheels are Mavic Open Pro's laced to Dura Ace hubs, and I like them just fine for logging mileage. They were the ones I kept after quitting racing. No special tools needed to repair. Easy to maintain. Plus, I won't cry if I wreck them ;)

[sanrensho]

I wonder if Mavic does loaner demo's on the SL's. If you could ride them, you can experience what I'm having a hard time describing. I've done super light handbuilts before, and even though they were lighter than the SL's, they didn't have that "feel".

It's a good thing that they don't do loaners, because my wallet would probably end up a lot lighter.

But that "feel" you're describing is during accelerations right? Not static riding, like a long alpine climb. That's more the type of riding I do--lightweight "climbing wheels" are what I need.

[Futurelooks Guy]

If you're primarily climbing, I'd pick something else. Maybe get something built that concentrates the lightness on the outside of the wheel by using butted spokes and alloy nipples. Possibly a lighter weight rim tape. If you can, maybe even go Tubulars.

[Rosscofat]

good stuff to read futurelooks! very nice to learn all about it. my elites over my shitmanos are just insane with how fast i can get them moving and when rolling they just keep it goin.

[sanrensho]

Possibly a lighter weight rim tape. If you can, maybe even go Tubulars.

I already using fiberglass-reinforced strapping tape. Tubs, huh? Quite frankly, the idea of rolling a tire on a high speed descent scares me. I've promised my kids I won't break any more bones.

[Futurelooks Guy]

Tubs are race proven in the tour, especially in the climbs. That'd be a serious upgrade right off the bat. Just learn to glue them properly and you'll be around for a long time :)