Fulcrum racing 3's vs Ksyrium SL's

SteveR_100Milers

For a rider of 90 kgs, for TT ing, and sportives, and maybe some RR in the future. IMO stiffness over low weight is required as I'm no lightweight and never will be. Any heavyweight riders compared them, or got any good/bad experiences?

Brian B

Dont have the Sls but have the ES models and at 85kg I am not that far below you. My Fulcrum 3s lasted aprrox 500 miles with a couple of descents on Ventoux thrown in before the loctite on my back spokes came off and the spoke nuts cames loose.

I upgraded to the Mavic Es wheels and they were SO much better than my Fulcrum 3s in terms of stiffness and after a year they are still true. I have 2 pairs of the Es wheels now and can rate them highly enough.

My mate has the SLs and the ES models and apart from looks he reckons they are on par. I have heard good things about the Fulcrum s and my experience was probably a one off affair but they are not in they same league as the Mavic Sls IMO.

craigenty

Brian is right.

You are not actually comparing like for like.

Ksyrium SL's and ES's are well over £100 - £150 more expensive than the Fulcrum 3's and lighter.
I just ordered some Fulcrum 3's for training. The ES's seem to be the most popular racing wheel over here and have definately superceded the SL's in the last 18 months.

Maybe have a look at the Fulcrum 1's as an alternative.

miketherower

I'm about 100kgs and my fulcrum 3's have been flawless for 18 months and 3,000 or so miles. Great wheels, IMHO.

Kléber

For the less cash, you can get some handbuilt wheels. Get some Mavic Open Pro rims, some DT Revolution or Sapim CX-Ray spokes and match to some fine hubs. For less money you can get cheaper, lighter, stronger and more aero wheels. More individual too.

This way you can match the wheels to your requirements, eg 36 spokes on the back wheel, crossed spokes on the non-drive side (Ksyriums use radial spoking on non-drive side which is more risky for heavier riders but Mavic's idea is that the thick Zircal spokes can take compression better).

Find a good builder and handbuilt wheels are superior.

wildmoustache

steve, it sounds like TTing is going to be a major use of these? If so, then you should really be considering a deep section wheel. Unfortunately the options are a bit limited on deep section clinchers (if that's what you want).

The model with the strongest track record is the Mavic Cosmic Carbone, which is very stiff and aerodynamic. Do NOT worry about the 250g it carries over something like the ES ... in your case rider + bike is goiing to weigh something around 100kg so 250g equals 0.25% of total system weight. And of course, in a TT a heavier wheel will carry more momentum so is not necessarily a disadvantage and could even be an advantage.

Fat Head

i have totally busted the bearings on my rear Racing 3 wheel drive side after two years and about 3,500 miles. found them fine enough up till this point though

SteveR_100Milers

You're right about confusing Ksyrium SL's and ES's. I recall one of the bike rags testing one of them, and recommending them for heavier riders, must have been the ES's. As for handbuilts, I am not ruling them out, but have read open pro are better again for lighter riders, plus they are not the most aero profile going. I have looked at CXP33's on Ultegra hubs for example, but on balance the view seems to be that machine built wheels are good quality, and better value.