Which wheelset?

What about Dura-ace WH-7801

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campy wheels on a dura ace bike is a crime whether its compatible or not :p . zipp's are just too fragile. Ksyrium elites are still very nice wheels and are what im looking at for a set of race wheels, so if you need me to take them off your hands 🙄 😄 we might do a deal. If you are going to upgrade from elite IMO you have to go the whole way and get some ES's, I dont know much about the fulcrums.

frkm0005 said:

I just bought my dream bike. A Look 481 SL Jalabert edition with a Dura-Ace groupset, FSA K-Wing Handlebar, FSA OS-140 Stem and a Fizik Arione saddle.

Here's the kicker. I salvaged the wheels from my old bike before I sold it which are a pair of Mavic Ksyrium Elites. I've been told i'm riding a Dura-Ace level bike with Ultegra level wheels. Now i'm looking to get a better set but I'm not sure which ones. Keep in mind that most of my riding is around 100 km a day but i don't race (at least not yet). The models I'm looking at are:

Mavic Ksyrium SL (2006)
Mavic Ksyrium ES
Fulcrum Racing 1
Campagnolo Eurus
Zipp 404 or 303

With all that said I've heard that the Fulcrums are stiffer than the Ksyriums and the ES's are not worth the extra $200 over the SL's. I haven't heard much about the Campy Eurus (I'm just curious how they would perform on a Shimano cassette). I've heard great things about the 404's but the price is turning me off. I'm basically looking for a comfortable, stiff pair of wheels that perform better than my Elite's.

P.S. If there is a pair you would suggest let me know.

Campy Eurus are great wheels - light and super strong. These wheels are of the same calibre as your dream bike as they are spec'd only on high end machines. I agree with your comments on the Mavic K-ES, Zipps and Fulcrum. I would rate the Fulcrum1 to be in the same league as the Mavic K-SL.

With the choices you have enumerated I will go for the K-SLs but maybe you want to check the ZIPP Team CSC clinchers as someone in the forum has great experience with them. Here's the link to the thread:

http://www.cyclingforums.com/showthread.php?t=320270&goto=newpost

dm69 said:

campy wheels on a dura ace bike is a crime whether its compatible or not :p

That's why they introduced the Fulcrum line. Campy quality without the guilt. Compatability with Dura-Ace isn't a problem if you get them with the right cassette body.

frkm0005 said:

I just bought my dream bike. A Look 481 SL Jalabert edition with a Dura-Ace groupset, FSA K-Wing Handlebar, FSA OS-140 Stem and a Fizik Arione saddle.

Here's the kicker. I salvaged the wheels from my old bike before I sold it which are a pair of Mavic Ksyrium Elites. I've been told i'm riding a Dura-Ace level bike with Ultegra level wheels. Now i'm looking to get a better set but I'm not sure which ones. Keep in mind that most of my riding is around 100 km a day but i don't race (at least not yet). The models I'm looking at are:

Mavic Ksyrium SL (2006)
Mavic Ksyrium ES
Fulcrum Racing 1
Campagnolo Eurus
Zipp 404 or 303

With all that said I've heard that the Fulcrums are stiffer than the Ksyriums and the ES's are not worth the extra $200 over the SL's. I haven't heard much about the Campy Eurus (I'm just curious how they would perform on a Shimano cassette). I've heard great things about the 404's but the price is turning me off. I'm basically looking for a comfortable, stiff pair of wheels that perform better than my Elite's.

P.S. If there is a pair you would suggest let me know.

For training just stay with the Ksyrium elites. If competing run with the Zipp 404's. None of the others are worth changing to in my opinion.

-Bikeguy

Or you can get some wheels built up for you from Oddsandendos.com

- I love mine! 🙄

I had the 06 SLs put on my carbon Soloist and I love them.

I love all this feedback guys. Now I'm throwing a wrench into the mix here. I found the Ksyrium ES's for $920 CAD (about 800 US) including delivery. That's an awesome deal. The SL's are $830 CAD (about 725 US) from the same vendor.

I know somebody told me that the ES's were not worth the extra $200 over the SL's but that was from a LBS that was gonna charge me $1200 for the SL's and $1400 for the ES's. Is it worth the price difference considering the deal I can get on the ES's or should I stick with the SL's for $830.

I guess you can see that I'm leaning towards the Mavics. Unless anybody knows an amazing deal on 404's (somewhere around the $1200 CAD mark.. LOL)

A suggestion, you might want to consider the Easton Asent IIs. I have them on my Look 585, I have put about 3000 miles on the set I have and just LOVE them. They are 1420 grms, climb well, very comfortable to ride, very low rolling resistance with the bearing set up they have, and they look nice too.

I have a set of Mavic SSC/SLs that I have put about 6,000 miles on, and, in my opinion, the Eastons beat them in every area. The Mavics are heavier, have a much harsher ride, and they are a total adventure in a stiff crosswind with the bladed spokes.

My .02.

My LBS charged me $645.00 for the 06 SSC SLs, which is a great deal, and I'm sure your LBS can meet that. Also, if anything ever goes wrong with the wheels (which I doubt will) my LBS will replace, no questions asked. My LBS has numerous wheel sets I was able to switch out and test before deciding, which is great. As far as the crosswind on the bladed spokes I disagree. It's very windy on the coast and I have had no problems. As far as for a harsh ride, it depends on what kind of bike (frame) you are putting the wheels on. I love the SLs ride on my bike, no regrets. The Eastons are very nice but its a matter of choice you'll have to make.

I have a set of Rolf Vector Pro's, which are pretty much the equivalent of K's with an aero rim. Definitely fast wheels, but stiff - brutally stiff. My hands took quite a pounding, and that's on a Trek Y Foil frameset, a carbon beam frame that's one of the smoothest riding framesets you can get. Even with padded gloves, I was getting numb hands after a couple of hours. Not my first choice for distance riding.

I changed to a set of Campy Zonda's for long rides, which have the same aero rim section, but milder spoking. They seem to be a good compromise between efficiency and comfort, the ride was decidedly less harsh.

Grabbed a set of 404's in tubie that appeared on ebay, for the fairly modest price of $650. This is one superb set of wheels. Lightning fast on the downhills, cruising speed is a bit higher, accelerates quick, and the ride is velvet smooth. I've forgotten my gloves, and have put in a 4 hour ride with no discomfort. The deep 58mm rim definitely catches the wind - crosswinds can bat you around a bit, but so far, no real danger. Fragile? Possibly, but so far I've had no problems. Hit a 2" deep channel that had been cut into the road, the wheels took a pretty hard shot (I can still hear that whack!), but emerged intact. Much as I hate the thought of flatting a tubular (only happened once last year), it's hard to take the Zipp's off of the bike. They just feel fantastic.

If you're just out riding, I'd suggest you think long and hard about getting an uber stiff set of wheels. Great for climbing, but your hands and butt will pay a price, and that wheelset may end up gathering dust as my Rolfs did.

If you are doing a lot of riding on the flat then "aero" wheels like the Zipps are your best best. If climbing a lot, light wheels help. Lighter wheels also accelerate faster. Somewhere in the all the threads about wheels there's info. that shows the 40mm or greater wheels are your fastest and the extra speed on the flats and descents more than makes up for any disadvantage in the climbs or catching crosswinds. Although lightweight riders have to be careful of the crosswinds.

frkm0005 said:

I love all this feedback guys. Now I'm throwing a wrench into the mix here. I found the Ksyrium ES's for $920 CAD (about 800 US) including delivery. That's an awesome deal. The SL's are $830 CAD (about 725 US) from the same vendor.

I know somebody told me that the ES's were not worth the extra $200 over the SL's but that was from a LBS that was gonna charge me $1200 for the SL's and $1400 for the ES's. Is it worth the price difference considering the deal I can get on the ES's or should I stick with the SL's for $830.

I guess you can see that I'm leaning towards the Mavics. Unless anybody knows an amazing deal on 404's (somewhere around the $1200 CAD mark.. LOL)

I'd definitely put Mavic's on that bike. All those wheels are great, but Mavic's would just seem "right".

Walrus said:

I'd definitely put Mavic's on that bike. All those wheels are great, but Mavic's would just seem "right".

2006 Campy Eurus. i just got mine and they are just great. i would not care about having Shimano drive train and campy wheels. that is just B.S.

You will not regret it. they are more comfortable tham the Mavics and i think they are more responsive.

jut my 2 cents. 😎

bbattle said:

If you are doing a lot of riding on the flat then "aero" wheels like the Zipps are your best best. If climbing a lot, light wheels help. Lighter wheels also accelerate faster. Somewhere in the all the threads about wheels there's info. that shows the 40mm or greater wheels are your fastest and the extra speed on the flats and descents more than makes up for any disadvantage in the climbs or catching crosswinds. Although lightweight riders have to be careful of the crosswinds.

That's a lot of BS. Light wheels help very little....so little, that it's debatable whether a person would even notice.....on climbs. In fact studies have shown that aero is the biggest concern on climbs, at least until the grade becomes very steep.

Deep rims do make a bike more sensitive to crosswinds. Some people are unsettled by that, and some aren't.

Just bought a set of Tubular 404s ($1400, USD @ LBS), wow, what a wheelset, I also had a powertapSL Open Pro built. I don't want to take off the 404s to use the PT, my only suggestion is that if you went with a carbon wheelset go tubular, its seems like a waste to have an aluminum rim bulking up a light carbon wheelset. Oh did I say fast, very fast, and I am pushing 195 lbs

That was exactly my sentiments when I picked up my 404 tubies. Why pay all that money for a lightweight wheelset, and then hamstring it with an aluminum rim for the sake of convenience? Besides, patching a tubie is a rite of passage. You're not a true cyclist until you've patched a tubular.

Fast, aren't they? I can't take them off the bike, they just feel too good.

rbtmcardle said:

Just bought a set of Tubular 404s ($1400, USD @ LBS), wow, what a wheelset, I also had a powertapSL Open Pro built. I don't want to take off the 404s to use the PT, my only suggestion is that if you went with a carbon wheelset go tubular, its seems like a waste to have an aluminum rim bulking up a light carbon wheelset. Oh did I say fast, very fast, and I am pushing 195 lbs

frkm0005 said:

I just bought my dream bike. A Look 481 SL Jalabert edition with a Dura-Ace groupset, FSA K-Wing Handlebar, FSA OS-140 Stem and a Fizik Arione saddle.

Here's the kicker. I salvaged the wheels from my old bike before I sold it which are a pair of Mavic Ksyrium Elites. I've been told i'm riding a Dura-Ace level bike with Ultegra level wheels. Now i'm looking to get a better set but I'm not sure which ones. Keep in mind that most of my riding is around 100 km a day but i don't race (at least not yet). The models I'm looking at are:

Mavic Ksyrium SL (2006)
Mavic Ksyrium ES
Fulcrum Racing 1
Campagnolo Eurus
Zipp 404 or 303

With all that said I've heard that the Fulcrums are stiffer than the Ksyriums and the ES's are not worth the extra $200 over the SL's. I haven't heard much about the Campy Eurus (I'm just curious how they would perform on a Shimano cassette). I've heard great things about the 404's but the price is turning me off. I'm basically looking for a comfortable, stiff pair of wheels that perform better than my Elite's.

P.S. If there is a pair you would suggest let me know.

If the cost is keeping you from the Mavic K ES, try ebay. I was able to get a brand new pair with all tools and wheelbags for $819 out the door. There are a few pairs out their and if someone lists one with buy it now and you get to it first, you can save some nice change.

Slisk