Easton EA90 SLX vs Shimano Dura Ace 7850 CL

ericthered

I'm trying to decide on a new set of wheels for my Tarmac SL which is currently shod with Ultegra 6600s. The choice is now down to the Easton EA90 SLX versus the Dura Ace 7850 C24 CL. Both are about the same price thanks to CRC so is it a no brainer to go with the Shimanos or are the Eastons in the same league ?

I weigh about 72kg and my riding is mostly 50 or 60 mile weekend spins with lots of hills and plenty of sportives over the summer usually including a trip to the Alps for the likes of the Marmotte or Etape. I don't race.

Any opinions ?

markos1963

Go with the Shimanos, never hear a bad word against them but I think there has been issues with the Eastons freehub chewing up due to soft metal.

dombo6

Go with the Eastons. They are fantastic wheels, very light.
I have them and have done Etape, a couple of Dragon Rides and had no problems with "chewing up due to soft metal" (where do people get this stuff?)

markos1963

Dombo6 wrote:

Go with the Eastons. They are fantastic wheels, very light.
I have them and have done Etape, a couple of Dragon Rides and had no problems with "chewing up due to soft metal" (where do people get this stuff?)

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=37981

Read the review. Have seen others elswhere and have said similar

dombo6

Oh yes, one unlucky guy. Better not buy them then. Mine are 2008s

Here's another review, 28 actually:

http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/wheel ... 90crx.aspx

Check under Bikes and Gear on this site too.

strodey

Its a close one, i had to make the same decision and went for the shimano's.
Main reason was that the Eastons will only take a dura ace cassette and i wasnt going to fork out for one!
Shimano's overall in my opinion better, Eastons do have a sweet ceramic hub though!

ScottieP

I have the Eastons (2008) and they have been brilliant. I run 9 speed shimano - so the comments about 10 speed only isn't true - they make 3 different freehub bodies (including Campag - which I don't think Shimano do). I've done 3000 km and my freehub is fine, only minor and acceptable wear (and for about £30 I can buy a new freehub if I want) - they are still as true as new and have been much better wheels than my handbuilt open pros with Hope hubs. The bearings in the rear wheel have failed after 750km on the Hope hubs.... not good. It's true that some people have had issues with Easton wheels - but I do think they are a minority. I've also read reports of the occasional Dura Ace user having the rims fail quite early - but again that's the exception rather than the rule. The Eastons also use standard Sapim spokes - so would be easier to repair than the Dura Ace ones (I think).

Bottom line - they are both great wheels. Choose the ones you like the look of best and would rather have out on your bike. Deals help too - I got my Eastons for over £100 less than I would have had to pay for the Dura Ace wheels. Check Merlin for Shimano pricing - I think they are doing these wheels for about £450.

Good luck!

dombo6

I run an Ultegra cassette on my Eastons and have even been as low as.....105! which was the stock cassette on the original Bonty Race wheels that they replaced.

The Eastons are also very easy to maintain, and finally, they have a very cool website showing how they make and test them.

NB To reduce rim wear, get rid of the Shimano brake pads and replace with softer ones eg Salmon Kool Stop. They work better in the wet also.

flanners1

Dombo6 wrote:

I run an Ultegra cassette on my Eastons and have even been as low as.....105! which was the stock cassette on the original Bonty Race wheels that they replaced.

The Eastons are also very easy to maintain, and finally, they have a very cool website showing how they make and test them.

NB To reduce rim wear, get rid of the Shimano brake pads and replace with softer ones eg Salmon Kool Stop. They work better in the wet also.

Do shimano pads wreck rims then? Never had problems.

ScottieP

I use Koolstop Salmon pads too but not because of rim wear - just because they stop better in all conditions than the shimano ones I had before. The Koolstops are great pads and I don't find they wear quickly either - 4,000kms on a set now and they've still got plenty of life in them.

hopper1

+1 for the EA90 SLX's.... Love 'em.

appletrees

Don't know if you (or indeed anyone) cares, but TotalCycling have EC90SLX's for £714 - they were £1200 originally IIRC.

ericthered

Thanks all for the advice. I guess its confirmed what I already knew - that both wheelsets are great products and there's no bad choice here. So call me crazy but I've just ordered both wheelsets from CRC (Merlin's extra discount doesn't apply for wheels anymore). When I get to see them in the flesh I'll decide which to keep and send the other set back before the missus discovers all the extra wheels stashed around the house

Dolan57

Eric the Red
have you made your decision yet? I have been going through the same predicament. EA90SLX or 7850CL? Price, same, Weight, same, Aesthetics, well arguably the EA90s. But what do you think now you have had BOTH! Also, I have read some reports about the 7850 freehub sounding muffled, whereas most topend wheelesets have a freehub with a high number of pawls in the ratchet pickup and hence are very loud or clicky. This was the same on my Hopes and Hadleys or Chris Kings Ive previously had on my MTBs. So what is your opinion on these issues as was going to buy wheels soon, would be glad to see any pics if you took any whilst you had chance?!

cheers
Dolan57

Evil Laugh

Can't comment on the Eastons but I strapped some of the DA wheels on yesterday and was totally blown away.

The hubs are silent, which I wanted having had stealthy Shimano wheels before.

They don't look very blingy, quite understated but look good on the bike and sometimes the light catches the carbon rims in a very pleasing way.

The whole thin braking surface thing seems bollx. Looks pretty thick to my eyes.

Going up hills is a joy and really easy to pick up speed on flats. Acceleration is a dream.

Bike now "feels" half the weight.

Lovely.

rogerthecat

1+ for the Eastons they are the mutts nutts.

blorg

I have the Easton EA90SLs. These are the same as the EA90SLX except with the addition of a few spokes for strength. At your weight and for your use you wouldn't need them. They are very nice wheels indeed, roll very well.

The "cassette chews up freehub" thing is probably not without foundation; it is an issue with ANY wheel that uses an aluminium freehub body to save weight. I haven't had the issue (yet) on my Eastons but I did have it with a DT 240S hub, running Ultegra. The Eastons came with a warning saying you CANNOT use a cassette with individual sprockets- I think the DA cassettes have the big ones mounted on a carrier (as do SRAM), that is why it is "DA only."

The Dura Ace wheels use a titanium freehub body, I believe this is less suceptible to the chewing problem if that is a concern.

Personally if I was buying now and they were the same price I think I would lean towards the Dura Ace. These are supposedly 1,380g while Easton seems to be a bit confused as to whether the EA90SLs are 1,398g or 1,472g... Up until very recently they were listed as the latter. They may have been lightened for 2010, but you may not get the new model if buying on sale from CRC.

Bottom line though both are good wheels.

HonestAl

I've got the 90SLXs, they're great. The freehub problem is, as mentioned before, due to the fact that the shimano compatible wheels come as default with a dura ace compatible freehub. This gets chewed by, eg, ultegra cassettes. To be fair the Easton site tells you this (though I didn't notice this before buying), there's an extensive thread on here about this topic

I Bought mine from CRC, who, at the time I bought them were selling them without stating "Dura Ace only". They changed the freehub FOC for an ultegra compatible cassette for me. So a vote for both Eastons and CRC