Mavic Ksyrium SL vs. HED Bastogne

mdbrown said:

I'm looking to purchase a new set of wheels and both the ksyrium sl and bastogne seem to be in my price range. Competitivecyclist.com has the 2005 sl2 for $675 and the Bastogne is $650 at my LBS. Does anyone have any recommendations as to which wheelset to purchase?

If you weigh more than 200 lbs then stay away from the Ksyrium SL. I have had nothing but trouble with Ksyrium SL and the time it takes to get them back is not worth it. I have sent three rear wheels back to Melbourne and it takes at least six weeks to get them back (under warranty). Stripped hub on the second use and three splits either side of the spoke.

I have put 2800km on my SL's without a problem. They are quite rigid and light and at first took some getting used to especially in crosswinds. I have no doubt they have increased my averages by as much as 3kph and are noticeably of benefit when climbing.

I weigh 175lbs.

The Bastognes are pretty much brand new, so you may have a hard time finding anyone who's ridden them; I think they look pretty slick and should be good, with 6/4 Ti spokes and HED makes good hubs. I just don't know about the rims, since HED mostly does carbon-rimmed wheelsets. Has anyone here even taken these for a spin? I've had the same dilemma about a wheel upgrade...

tetsuryuu said:

The Bastognes are pretty much brand new, so you may have a hard time finding anyone who's ridden them; I think they look pretty slick and should be good, with 6/4 Ti spokes and HED makes good hubs. I just don't know about the rims, since HED mostly does carbon-rimmed wheelsets. Has anyone here even taken these for a spin? I've had the same dilemma about a wheel upgrade...

Hed has been collaborating with Bontrager on a few projects lately, so there's a strong chance that's where the rims are coming from. At any rate, the rims and spokes are going to be much more easily replaced with off the shelf parts than the Ksyrium.

I've had plenty of trouble free k's out of a pair of SL's.

If the Bastognes have any common parts with Bontrager I'd steer clear of them. My mates trek Madonne 5.2 came with Bontrager wheels (not sure which ones) and he's had trouble with the hubs, broken spokes and the back one won't stay true. To their credit bontrager have replaced the back wheel but he's still not happy with it. The front has been better. He weighs about 85 kgs and only uses them for training.

mitosis said:

I've had plenty of trouble free k's out of a pair of SL's.

If the Bastognes have any common parts with Bontrager I'd steer clear of them. My mates trek Madonne 5.2 came with Bontrager wheels (not sure which ones) and he's had trouble with the hubs, broken spokes and the back one won't stay true. To their credit bontrager have replaced the back wheel but he's still not happy with it. The front has been better. He weighs about 85 kgs and only uses them for training.

I don't think that HED is borrowing anything from Bontrager, rather the collaboration works the other way i.e. HED is supplying their own parts for Bontrager-branded wheels like the Aeolus series. HED has, to my knowledge, always made a solid set of wheels, and I don't think this will be any different.