My review of Shimano RS20 wheelset.
My Shimano RS20 wheelset arrived on Friday . I had the LBS fit my Shimano 8 speed 12-23 rear cassette and the bike was ready to go. The wheels look great and are lighter than the wheelset which came as standard on my Trek 1000 double front ring racer.
One very positive experience with the RS20 was just how easy it was to get tyres on. My Continental Utragator skins 25`s went on even without the need for tyre levers and much swearing under the breath.
Went out riding on a 30 mile coastal trip. The bike just feels more responsive, agile and lighter. I found hills that I knew very well could be ascended without anything near the effort required using the other wheelset. The first half of the journey was into the wind at the coast and I got to the halfway point with an average of 17.5 mph. The point where the in your face wind reverts to behind behind you is a steep decline and I gunned it . The trek just felt so much more like a racer should and the power from the the crank was picked straight up by the rear hub and the bike just took off like a scalded cat.
I rode along the stretch , which at the start was against the wind , but with the wind at my rear I was cruising along at 26 mph and I wasnt even breaking sweat. I crossed the starting point and checked my average speed on my Cateye Strada bike computer , it was an average of 18.9 mph.
Had I have been going for it a bit harder I know it would have closer to a mid 19`s average , im happy enough though as the first 50% was against a niggling wind .
So the RS20 look good, feel good, deliver power quickly, bike is nicely balanced and agile and most important of all.................its a barrel load of fun. Great value for money wheelset that are in another league to the standards that came on the Trek 1000, I can honestly say that I am very very satisfied with them . They cost me £159.99 from ultimate pursuits , I had to have them shipped over to N.Ireland.
Hope this review is of interest to some and thanks for reading.
JimmyK
One very positive experience with the RS20 was just how easy it was to get tyres on. My Continental Utragator skins 25`s went on even without the need for tyre levers and much swearing under the breath.
Went out riding on a 30 mile coastal trip. The bike just feels more responsive, agile and lighter. I found hills that I knew very well could be ascended without anything near the effort required using the other wheelset. The first half of the journey was into the wind at the coast and I got to the halfway point with an average of 17.5 mph. The point where the in your face wind reverts to behind behind you is a steep decline and I gunned it . The trek just felt so much more like a racer should and the power from the the crank was picked straight up by the rear hub and the bike just took off like a scalded cat.
I rode along the stretch , which at the start was against the wind , but with the wind at my rear I was cruising along at 26 mph and I wasnt even breaking sweat. I crossed the starting point and checked my average speed on my Cateye Strada bike computer , it was an average of 18.9 mph.
Had I have been going for it a bit harder I know it would have closer to a mid 19`s average , im happy enough though as the first 50% was against a niggling wind .
So the RS20 look good, feel good, deliver power quickly, bike is nicely balanced and agile and most important of all.................its a barrel load of fun. Great value for money wheelset that are in another league to the standards that came on the Trek 1000, I can honestly say that I am very very satisfied with them . They cost me £159.99 from ultimate pursuits , I had to have them shipped over to N.Ireland.
Hope this review is of interest to some and thanks for reading.
JimmyK
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Comments
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Sounds good - I'm considering these (as a snappy new R550 replacement) or if the budget stretches, Fulcrum 5's.0
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Anyone who is thinking of getting some of these make sure they pay less than 160 quid which is overpriced.
£104 from Ribble, which is a bit more like it IMO. Glad you like them JimmyK.0 -
I'm not overly impressed with my RS20's.
Broke a rear spoke within 500 miles, wheel replaced, thanks ribble.
I find when accelerating hard uphill they flex and rub against the chainstay bridge, fine otherwise but this is the one time I dont want to be wasting effort.
Anyone care to reccomend a more rigid wheel, fulcrum 3's? (12stone and mash rather than spin)0 -
My fulcrum 3s are amazing but they're the first decent wheel i've tried so nothing to compare them to. The don't flex, don't rub, go like the clappers and look nice, if that helps
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I replaced a pair of RS10s with the RS20s a couple weeks ago and can't say I've noticed a massive difference except they look a lot blingier in black and might be a touch more rigid. I only have experience with cheap wheelsets though so wouldn't really know what to expect from a really expensive set.
What did make a massive difference was using the old pair of RS10s to replace some Vuelta Starlites on my other bike. That has totally transformed the ride. The wheels don't rub the brake pads on corners and the bike feels way faster and more maneuverable. Also the rims aren't made from tin foil that rub massive grooves and bits of metal into the pads and make a horrible grinding squealing noise on braking.0
