Ksyrium Question

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by BeardedMonk
Does anyone know if the 2004 ksyrium elites are available in black? I heard a rumour that both them and the sl's were only going in silver. I'm building a bike and I really like the black, so I'm wondering if I should snap a set up before they're replaced with silver.

I think you might be right (about the new SLs being silver). I know a guy who's expecting a demo pair in about a week; if this thread is still around by then I'll let you know what his look like.

If that's a concern, though, the upside is that you'll likely get a price break on pre '04 models once the new ones come out.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by BeardedMonk
Does anyone know if the 2004 ksyrium elites are available in black? I heard a rumour that both them and the sl's were only going in silver. I'm building a bike and I really like the black, so I'm wondering if I should snap a set up before they're replaced with silver.

For 2004 it continues to use black rims and spokes.

Both models are very hard to find right now though...if you can find a dealer who has them and can afford to buy, get them now. Mavic is very backed up on manufacturing currently.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by PSR
Both models are very hard to find right now though...if you can find a dealer who has them and can afford to buy, get them now. Mavic is very backed up on manufacturing currently.

Does anyone know the changes, if any, to the 2004 Ksryium Elite's?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by BeardedMonk
Does anyone know the changes, if any, to the 2004 Ksryium Elite's?

No changes for the Elite's for 2004.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by BeardedMonk
Does anyone know the changes, if any, to the 2004 Ksryium Elite's?

As Eastcoast said, there are no changes. I think you really should think about the SL's however. I just got a new set. They are SWEET!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by isdsms
As Eastcoast said, there are no changes. I think you really should think about the SL's however. I just got a new set. They are SWEET!

Believe me, I'd love to have a set of SL's but I need a wheelset that I can use for training as well as possibly for triathlon's etc. so it's bound to see a lot of use over crappy road, therefore I need something stronger that will stay true and not bankrupt me if I crash! I'm only 140lbs. but I'd hate to pay the extra money for the SL's and have them wrecked.. They are beautiful though, I was looking at a set last night at a LBS.

As for the SL's, I'm a little upset for the switch in color, the black really looked good!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by EastCoast
As for the SL's, I'm a little upset for the switch in color, the black really looked good!

Not me, I'm thrilled! Don't get me wrong; the black SLs are (were) quite badass, and I nearly bought them, but one of the reasons I held off was because I knew the bold black spokes and rim pattern would look awful on my new frame. I almost bought the Limited Edition TDF Ksyriums just for that reason.

What are people's thoughts on buying second-hand Ksyriums (and wheels in general)? Good idea? Bad idea?

It's tempting, as you could get a set of SSC SLs for less than the cost of a new set of Elites.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by rek
What are people's thoughts on buying second-hand Ksyriums (and wheels in general)? Good idea? Bad idea?

It's tempting, as you could get a set of SSC SLs for less than the cost of a new set of Elites.

It is tempting, but here's the tradeoff:

1. You don't know the history of the wheels. Have they been crashed? Did the seller's 300lb brother-in-law borrow them for a century? Have they been raced on?

2. More often than not, there's no Manufacturer's Warranty. Hardly ever will that come in to play, but you never know when you'll be the exception to the rule.

FWIW: you can get the black off of the spokes if you really want to, and don't mind a mirror finish on the bladed spokes. Jeweler's rouge and a Dremel with polishing wheel does the trick, but it leaves a perfect mirror finish on the bladed spokes. The black anodizing is really nothing more than a controlled rusting process. The jeweler's rouge is a very fine abrasive, and removes the least possible amount of material.

I did this to a set of Rolf Vector Pro wheels that had mismatched spokes. The bladed spokes really catch the sunlight, now.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by BeardedMonk
Believe me, I'd love to have a set of SL's but I need a wheelset that I can use for training as well as possibly for triathlon's etc. so it's bound to see a lot of use over crappy road, therefore I need something stronger that will stay true and not bankrupt me if I crash! I'm only 140lbs. but I'd hate to pay the extra money for the SL's and have them wrecked.. They are beautiful though, I was looking at a set last night at a LBS.

--I don't think you need to worry about the durability or trueness or the SLs over the Elites. I have about 10 riding buddies on the SLs, ranging from 135-180. We ride a lot of miles over occasionally rough roads. No one has ever had to true or otherwise service an SL (except one guy whose rim got attacked by a dog). A guy I rode with in France had a crash, bent two SL spokes, one severely, and just bent them back and continued riding hard for many days. Wheel never went out of true.

By the way, I understand that Mavic has introduced a new budget K model -- original K rims with regular spokes. I think they're call "Equipe."

Good luck.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by JohnO
FWIW: you can get the black off of the spokes if you really want to, and don't mind a mirror finish on the bladed spokes. Jeweler's rouge and a Dremel with polishing wheel does the trick, but it leaves a perfect mirror finish on the bladed spokes. The black anodizing is really nothing more than a controlled rusting process. The jeweler's rouge is a very fine abrasive, and removes the least possible amount of material.

I did this to a set of Rolf Vector Pro wheels that had mismatched spokes. The bladed spokes really catch the sunlight, now.

How do you stop the rust then? I'd love a pair of Ksyriums with mirrored spokes.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by petal666
How do you stop the rust then? I'd love a pair of Ksyriums with mirrored spokes.

Original Ks and SLs have bladed spokes that are aluminum, IIRC. The Elite and new Equipe spokes are steel, I think. The high end ones won't "rust," but they might oxidize in some climates. It might be that once you polish them, you'll have to repeat the process, but I'll bet it'll be infrequent.

Be careful not to remove too much material. I'd wonder about voiding the warranty.