Dura Ace 7900 c24 / 7850 cl 24 - R-SYS Premium - Ksyrium SL

chris217

Ok , quite a bit of talk about wheels recently and i have been responsible for some of these threads , i have tried these wheelsets,and heres my conclusion !

Dura Ace [/u
weight - F - 609g R - 795g = 1404g
Ride - very responsive, lively, hubs smooth and very comfortable, not quite as stiff i.e Big ring slow climbing however i believe the hub is slightly wider now therefore stiffer ? but otherwise more forgiving on rough roads. - i really rate these as you may discover , would go so far as to say ride is sublime !!. i have also ridden the Wh7850 which are fantastic and identical weights

R-SYS
weight - F - 590 R - 830g = 1420g
Ride - initial stamp on the pedals , very quick acceleration, noticable stiffness immediate reaction, hubs dont feel as smooth running, although out of the saddle is undeniably quick but over rough surfaces obviously more feedback. not sure if the 'aerodynamic ; issue comes up here but once up to speed just dont feel as quick or smooth, there is a feeling of lack of momentum. feeling as if they dont hold speed, i also get the feeling that over a longer distance it may take more out of me ?? my usual ride was no slower than with the Dura ace wheels but somehow felt as if it was !!!

Ksyrium SL 2011
Weight - F- 645g R - 857g = 1502g
Ride - least impressed although slightly shorter ride - stiffness noticable but coming from the Dura Ace it was noticable how 'lacking in character the wheels were. yes there stiff and probably hard wearing but for the money feel they are not hugely impressive. i had a set of 06 SL and also a set of ES that i rated higher. ride was slightly wooden and no where near as smooth as the Dura Ace wheels

so conclusion is choose the DA wheels everytime , some great deals and well thats my two penneth ...kenneth !

Gazzaputt

Absolutely love my R-Sys premiums.

Light and so very stiff. Really match with my Canyon CF pro frameset which is a stiff frame.

Best wheels by far I have ever ridden (and have ridden a lot) and at the current price imo cannot be beaten.

FransJacques

One word. Ardennes.

Skerryman

Been looking at the Dura-Ace 7850 CL's the last few days. Was originally planning on waiting until weather improves closer to Summer before upgrading. I am currently riding on the Easton Vista SL's wheelset that came with my bike. Can get the Dura-Ace for around £475 from Merlin currently. Anyone know if they will be had for similar prices closer to Summer or should I pounce while the price is good (Only started researching them the last week so not sure what they usually go for). Also will they be a very noticeable upgrade from what I'm currently riding.

Opinions appreciated, reasonable amount of dosh on the line here.

ShutUpLegs

FransJacques wrote:

One word. Ardennes.

It may be useful to add a few words like the OP has

northpole

Can get the Dura-Ace for around £475 from Merlin currently. Anyone know if they will be had for similar prices closer to Summer or should I pounce while the price is good

My guess is buy now whilst the 7850 are available - I don't imagine they will continue in production now that the 7900 have been brought to market.

With regards to the OP's observations, I'd be interested in knowing if all test wheel sets had the same tyres fitted. I was on a run yesterday in Surrey Hills and my R-Sys Premiums with Vittoria Corsa's were really sublime. I'm not sure but I think the Corsa's have a large contribution to my perception, my commuter wheels having GP4 Seasons fitted.

Peter

Skerryman

northpole wrote:

Can get the Dura-Ace for around £475 from Merlin currently. Anyone know if they will be had for similar prices closer to Summer or should I pounce while the price is good

My guess is buy now whilst the 7850 are available - I don't imagine they will continue in production now that the 7900 have been brought to market.

With regards to the OP's observations, I'd be interested in knowing if all test wheel sets had the same tyres fitted. I was on a run yesterday in Surrey Hills and my R-Sys Premiums with Vittoria Corsa's were really sublime. I'm not sure but I think the Corsa's have a large contribution to my perception, my commuter wheels having GP4 Seasons fitted.

Peter

Thanks for that. I was thinking they were gonna be getting scare once the 7900 came in stock. The 7900's are about £80 more the the 7850's with the 10% discount at Merlin. Not a huge jump and I'm guessing they'll be on offer again before the Summer (hopefully). Anyone know if their worth the extra money for the 7900's.

Hadn't planned on splurging on wheels this early in the year but if their a good price I don't want to be paying more £'s closer to the Summer for the same thing. Every week I tell myself that's the last splurge and something else pop's up on the radar. "Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in"

chris217

Peter, previously had Dura ace CL24 7850 for about a year, Fantastic, and just got some 7900 which are even better !!

the thing about the DA is the ride quality , they are extremly comfortable wheels and not bad on stiffness the 7900 feel more responsive and yet still extremely smooth.

i too had a dilema in buying decent wheels this time of year but i only have one bike and if it comes to it i may even get a cheap pair of Aksiums or something to see me through the bad weather but i would jump on the Dura Ace wheels as i doubt whether they will get any cheaper.

blumin great wheels - £539 from Merlin !!!

p.s. i agree about the tyres and was using the same tyres on all wheels but these were Pro Race and not the great Vittoria cx which add to ride comfort ...

Skerryman

Chris217 wrote:

Peter, previously had Dura ace CL24 7850 for about a year, Fantastic, and just got some 7900 which are even better !!

the thing about the DA is the ride quality , they are extremly comfortable wheels and not bad on stiffness the 7900 feel more responsive and yet still extremely smooth.

i too had a dilema in buying decent wheels this time of year but i only have one bike and if it comes to it i may even get a cheap pair of Aksiums or something to see me through the bad weather but i would jump on the Dura Ace wheels as i doubt whether they will get any cheaper.

blumin great wheels - £539 from Merlin !!!

p.s. i agree about the tyres and was using the same tyres on all wheels but these were Pro Race and not the great Vittoria cx which add to ride comfort ...

Thanks for that. Chris 217. Seeing as you've experience with the 7850 and 7900's would you reckon I'd be better off going for the 7850's now for that price (£475) while they are still up for grabs, or wait until I've a bit more cash to go for the 7900's in a couple months (presuming Merlin will have the 10% discount again in the near future). Do the 7900's have much on the 7850's? I've only one bike myself and will be relegating my Easton Vista SL's to Winter/ training wheels if I go ahead with the Dura Ace wheels.

chris217

they are both a bargain for the price and there will always be deals to be had.

i woupd say the 7900 feel slightly stiffer and more responsive and apparently they have altered the hub slightly ( wider ) but the difference is negligable.

i am 6'2 and not a lightweight and was looking for something slightly stiffer although the 7850 are by no means flexy just great smooth comfortable wheels and really light.

they are lighter than Ksyriums and only 12 g heavier the the R-SYS premium

i would plump for the 7850 you wont regret it !!

FransJacques

ShutUpLegs wrote:

FransJacques wrote:

One word. Ardennes.

It may be useful to add a few words like the OP has

Well they've been lauded here in 2-3 threads over the last 4/5 months. I got mine in late 2008 to replace some 2006 ESs and they were an improvement in all categories!

The OP just needs to get his mitts on a pair and do some back to back rides as I was able to. Trouble is not many people get the whole pressure thing from the get go - 95-100psi with Contis, PR3s or Vittorias seems to be the sweet spot. Cornering is one of the areas they really killed the narrower rimmed Mavics.

Aero-wise they make very little noise, which in a round about way you can equate to turbulance, because that's what wind noise is. They feel very fast with a stiff head wind with or without a bit of apparent angle to it.

They're quite light - 611g and 774g actual front/rear (another category where they beat the ESs) although I've read that weights have crept up a bit in recent years. Best thing is you can have a pair for £450 on offer from a well-known shop on line (he said not to plug anyone too obviously).

flanners1

Why can't you plug the retailer? I am after a set of something different so spill the beans

RDB66

Some on the For Sale Classifieds aint there ? The Ardennes that is.

motdoc

Red spokes.
Awesome.
Red makes you win, well knon pop psychology.

FransJacques

Ok, check out La Bicicletta in Sheffield (as opposed to the one in Toronto). They run the Hed UK site (I think it's called hedwheels.com or something)

They have some for £450 in limited quantities (whatever that means).

Percy Vera

FransJacques wrote:

Ok, check out La Bicicletta in Sheffield (as opposed to the one in Toronto). They run the Hed UK site (I think it's called hedwheels.com or something)

They have some for £450 in limited quantities (whatever that means).

Now sold out