Best wheelset for c£500 ? Suggestions please .

Lucky Luke

At the moment considering either Mavic Ksyrium SL Premiums or Shimano Dura Ace CL , would welcome comments and/or opinions .


Cheers

Monty Dog

Weight / riding style / what do you want to use them for?

Lucky Luke

For 80kg rider on club rides , sportives to replace 2006 Kysrium SLs that I have been happy with . Preferences are for a light comfortable wheel .

Cranks

For that money you should really be thinking custom build.

www.roadacecomponents.co.uk, amongst many others.

inseine

I've been riding the dura ace CLs for the last few weeks and I love them. I was riding some 1250g handbuilts (Tune etc) which were good after I had them rebuilt with stronger spokes (then the were 1350g ) but the Shimanos are nearly as light, but feel smoother and more rigid. The also seem to 'woosh' along and are silent when you freewheel (unlike the Tunes which scare horses).

aberdeen_lune

I have the Dura Ace carbon laminates. Great wheels but!!!!!! I wore the rims out in 2000miles. Replacement rims are £250 each ouch!!!! So great wheels if you are only using them for events but not suited to lots of miles unless you dont use the brakes much. I reckon the DT Swiss 1450s are a much better buy. Ive had mine for a couple of years and they have stood the test of time.

James_London

Of the two, the DA carbon laminates are more comfortable because of the higher spoke count (tyre choice and pressures being equal). Also slightly less prone to crosswinds and better hubs IMO. The Mavic hubs are fine but nothing special. Not to mention the DAs are £525 versus £639 for Ksyrium SL Premiums from Merlin on the Comic lying on my desk...

James_London

Aberdeen_lune wrote:

I have the Dura Ace carbon laminates. Great wheels but!!!!!! I wore the rims out in 2000miles.

Wow! You must have had bad weather, lots of metal shards in your pads and/or some extremely heavy braking! I can't conceive of wearing out a pair of road rims in 3 months. If you insist on 1400g wheels I guess there isn't much metal for brake tracks! :-)

guilliano

Easton EA90 SL! Bang on the £500 mark and superb IMO. I went for them after using Mavik Aksiums for a couple of months and can't fault them. Stiff, light(ish) (about 1550g I think) and look pimp too.

maddog 2

Ribble have the Ksyrium SLs for bang on £500

there's also the DA 7850 SLs to think about (Merlin @ £475). Tubeless ready too...

redddraggon

Shimano R500

rjh299

Put over 2000 miles on my Shimano CLs and no problems. Quality wheels i'd definitely recommend.

Chip \'oyler

A pair of handbuilt IRD Niobium rims on Dura Ace 7900 built with CX Rays just over 1400grams from this guy?

www.wheelsmith.co.uk

giant_man

Chip \'oyler wrote:

A pair of handbuilt IRD Niobium rims on Dura Ace 7900 built with CX Rays just over 1400grams from this guy?

www.wheelsmith.co.uk

Great except for the hubs. I would go for tune mig/mags personally.

Chip \'oyler

giant mancp wrote:

Chip \'oyler wrote:

A pair of handbuilt IRD Niobium rims on Dura Ace 7900 built with CX Rays just over 1400grams from this guy?

www.wheelsmith.co.uk

Great except for the hubs. I would go for tune mig/mags personally.

Good choice - but they would be well above the OP's budget! Personally I'd go for the Extralites

Marko1962

guilliano wrote:

Easton EA90 SL! Bang on the £500 mark and superb IMO. I went for them after using Mavik Aksiums for a couple of months and can't fault them. Stiff, light(ish) (about 1550g I think) and look pimp too.

I have been put off buying these wheels because I have read of instances where the cassette has bitten into the freewheel, don't know if this is a widespread problem or even if it's still a problem with the current years wheelsets.

incog24

How about RS80s instead of Dura-ace CL's? Same wheels aside from the hubs. Slightly heavier, but since all the weight is at the hubs it makes little difference to the performance, and you save some cash.

Frank the tank

guilliano wrote:

Easton EA90 SL! Bang on the £500 mark and superb IMO. I went for them after using Mavik Aksiums for a couple of months and can't fault them. Stiff, light(ish) (about 1550g I think) and look pimp too.

+1 Easton EA90 SL very good hoops, I've been riding them all spring/summer on my Kharma I'd happily recommend them.

ScottieP

Another Easton fan here - I have a pair of 2008 EA90SLX and have been very pleased with them. In fairness like Marko1962 I've seen an occasional negative post about them - but the vast majority of owners love them. If you look at any wheelset (or most other things as well) you'll find some unhappy owners - but mostly very happy people. I would happily buy another pair of Eastons. The 2009 version have ceramic bearings in the hubs whereas the 2008 don't. Chainreaction have both versions I think 2008 for about £380 - which is well under your budget.

ScottieP