Ksyriums Elites - Best Price?

Coach H

Whilst I have done as much pricing homework as I can myself, has anyone out there in internet land help with a best price for in stock 2012 Ksyrium Elites in Black with Campag freehub

Best UK price I have found is Merlin at £409.95
Best EU price at Jedi Sports at E399.99 (but not sure if I can spec black)

Does anyone know of any deals to beat these?
Much thanks for any help.

maddog 2

bike24 would be £390ish

what's ribble got them at?

Coach H

maddog 2 wrote:

bike24 would be £390ish

what's ribble got them at?

Ribble £427.50
CRC £419.99 (could also still use £10 voucher - just)

Bozman

Haven't they still got 10% off everything at Merlin, you'll probably get the Elites for about £370 when you go through to the checkout

Coach H

Bozman wrote:

Haven't they still got 10% off everything at Merlin, you'll probably get the Elites for about £370 when you go through to the checkout

Well done that man
You are right, when you go to checkout a further 10% is deducted to £375.45

Now just need the wife to agree this is a bargain :roll:

nochekmate

Coach H wrote:

Bozman wrote:

Haven't they still got 10% off everything at Merlin, you'll probably get the Elites for about £370 when you go through to the checkout

Well done that man
You are right, when you go to checkout a further 10% is deducted to £375.45

Now just need the wife to agree this is a bargain :roll:

I think that your wife might baulk at the 45p never mind the £375!

Coach H

nochekmate wrote:

Coach H wrote:

Bozman wrote:

Haven't they still got 10% off everything at Merlin, you'll probably get the Elites for about £370 when you go through to the checkout

Well done that man
You are right, when you go to checkout a further 10% is deducted to £375.45

Now just need the wife to agree this is a bargain :roll:

I think that your wife might baulk at the 45p never mind the £375!

You obviously don't know her as well as you think. I am pretty sure she would shrug off £75.45 its the additional £300 she would have problems understanding for just wheels

jibberjim

You can get the black here for 369
http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k632/a ... black.html

Not much cheaper than Merlin with the discounts and the 4 quid shiping to the above. But you're willing to spend 50quid to get the black over the Jedi price? You're bonkers...

Coach H

jibberjim wrote:

You can get the black here for 369
http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k632/a ... black.html

Not much cheaper than Merlin with the discounts and the 4 quid shiping to the above. But you're willing to spend 50quid to get the black over the Jedi price? You're bonkers...

Saw these, but they only have them with an M10 (Shimano) freehub.

And thanks, I am bonkers!

2alexcoo

As an alternative, have you considered the Campag Zondas? Currently £272.96 at Ribble which is silly cheap

ugo.santalucia

2alexcoo wrote:

As an alternative, have you considered the Campag Zondas? Currently £272.96 at Ribble which is silly cheap

The ones with 21 holes and all the related rim replacement issues? I think investing big bucks into something that is difficult if not impossible to fix is false economy. Don't you just hate when the spotty boy down at the shop tells you it can't be fixed? of course it can, but who's going to do it?
Campagnolo used to have a reputation, you can probably still find spares from the 1980s in the aftermarket, but try to find a spare for what they did last year...
They released a groupset without the tools to take it off, that says it all...

Coach H

2alexcoo wrote:

As an alternative, have you considered the Campag Zondas? Currently £272.96 at Ribble which is silly cheap

I have considered the Zonda's. I currently have some old Sirocco's, that need new bearings but with rims that could probably go for another winter, that I intend to use the rear for turbo use. Replacing them are some 2010 Vento Reactions from my good bike. These are OK but not really a best wheel.

The thing about these, and therefore the Zonda's, is that I have fallen out with the look of the G3 spoke pattern. It really is as shallow as that :oops:

I would say that ugo has a vaild point, but that would also count out the Ksyriums.

ugo.santalucia

Coach H wrote:

2alexcoo wrote:

As an alternative, have you considered the Campag Zondas? Currently £272.96 at Ribble which is silly cheap

I have considered the Zonda's. I currently have some old Sirocco's, that need new bearings but could probably go for another winter, that I intend to use the rear for turbo use. Replacing them are some 2010 Vento Reactions from my good bike. These are OK but not really a best wheel.

The thing about these, and therefore the Zonda's, is that I have fallen out with the look of the G3 spoke pattern. It really is as shallow as that :oops:

I would say that ugo has a vaild point, but that would also count out the Ksyriums.

Sort of... Ksyrium spares do exist at extorsion prices... if you have to replace two rims and get a new set of spokes + labour, you're better off getting a new wheelset and make some toilet roll holders with the hubs

gabriel959

I would say the Zonda's for £272 and amazing value. Similar weight to the Ksyriums too.

ugo.santalucia

gabriel959 wrote:

I would say the Zonda's for £272 and amazing value. Similar weight to the Ksyriums too.

Indurain wouldn't approve...

gabriel959

ugo.santalucia wrote:

gabriel959 wrote:

I would say the Zonda's for £272 and amazing value. Similar weight to the Ksyriums too.

Indurain wouldn't approve...

He used to ride Campagnolo didn't he? I have ridden Fulcrum Racing 3's for 3 years now and they are still true and still amazing. Love those wheels

As a sign of absolution I have just bought a pair of handbuilts!

ugo.santalucia

gabriel959 wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

gabriel959 wrote:

I would say the Zonda's for £272 and amazing value. Similar weight to the Ksyriums too.

Indurain wouldn't approve...

He used to ride Campagnolo didn't he? I have ridden Fulcrum Racing 3's for 3 years now and they are still true and still amazing. Love those wheels

As a sign of absolution I have just bought a pair of handbuilts!

He did... I was running encouraging him as he melted on the ascent to Oropa in the Giro 1993. He nearly lost the jersey to Ugrumov that day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN1EFsRpdaM

It takes me 45 minutes to do that climb... I think they did it in 22 or so

gabriel959

I remember that day!!! Its ridiculous watching them go up hill almost quicker than I can go downhill!

ugo.santalucia

gabriel959 wrote:

I remember that day!!! Its ridiculous watching them go up hill almost quicker than I can go downhill!

And with handbuilts!!!
It was the pinnacle of EPO and blood transfusions, everybody had 60% red cells in the blood... they went much faster than today. Contador looks slow motion compared to Pantani

janwal

I've been looking around too and contacted David Hunt wheels and he sent me this reply which may be of interest and save you £100!....
I offer custom wheels, so I have no real pricelist. I tend to offer wheelset options depending upon my customers needs/desires. I am actually in the process of writing a guide which should walk people through the various options.

I guess it depends on what you consider to be a lot of money. Here has been a popular selection for my customers who themselves are not overly heavy on wheels and want serious weight saving:

NovaTec A291/F482 hubs - £99/pair
Kinlin XR-300 rims, 20h front, 24h rear - £40 each
Sapim Laser spokes - £45/build
Sapim SILS Alloy nipples - £8/build
Continental Easytape - £4/tape
UPS48 with £50 insurance - £10

All in that comes to £303. The wheelset weight is approximately 1450g which is about 350g lighter than the set you are currently using.

Now, the technical bit. The Kinlin rims are made out of Niobium alloy which is notoriously difficult to work with. However, it has improved strength/weight ratio over standard 6061 aluminum. That means a thinner section for the same strength and that means weight saving. The XR-300s have a 30mm section which allows for a stiffer wheelset than shallower section and then allows for spokes to be removed from the wheelset to save further weight.

The Sapim Laser spokes are some of the lightest on the market, however they are also excellent value. They are a double butted spoke that was developed specifically for high tension builds. This wheelset will be built to 120kgf (Mavic rims can only handle up to 90kgf). I have yet to have a single Laser spoke fail on me and they go out on approximately 40% of my builds.

The SILS alloy nipples are made from 7075 alloy which has a special anodising coating on it. This makes it corrosion resistant, strong and durable. It also has an integrating locking system to prevent spokes from loosening. It saves weight over standard nickel coated brass nipples.

The NovaTec hubs have uprated bearings and freehub body over the standard NovaTec hubs. The bearings themselves are sealed cartridge units which can be replaced easily and prevent damage to the hub shells (unlikely cup and cone bearings).

Continental Easytape is simply the best on the market. It makes the installation and removal of tyres easier and can take a fantastic pressure.

The disclaimer: I am not pretending that these wheels are the most durable, strongest or stiffest out there. I do not recommend them if the rider is particularly powerful, if the road surface is poor, if they ride through consistently poor weather conditions. I do not recommend them if the rider is over 90kg and they are not suitable for touring. However, they do offer good stiffness. They are very light. They are strong, especially considering the weight and the durability is fair. Maintenance is also possible to extend their life. I would still expect many thousands of miles out of them, especially in good weather.

What you can expect from them: a wheelset that spins up well. That has good aerodynamics. It will climb well and will be fairly good for sprinting. They should be stiffer than the Askiums. At least as strong and at least as durable. So a geniune upgrade on them in every respect.

Popular alternatives include heavier rims and more durable hubs, such as the Ambrosio Excellence with Royce hubs. However, they are heavier and more expensive (around £550). These are normally selected by people who do very high mileage and want a more classic looking wheelset. Normally they are less concerned with performance. Alternatively something like the FCS28 rim is used for very powerful or quite heavy riders.

Please let me know how you would like to continue. If you have any further questions please ask. If you know what you want, tell me and I will put together an invoice for you.

Also found these
http://www.stradawheels.co.uk/shop/velo ... -wheelset/
cheers

ugo.santalucia

Yes, I am along those lines too. Only thing I don't rate the novatec a291 front hub that much. I prefer to use the A141. I have taken the 291 apart and you really see why it weighs 76 grams. All cheap alloy and a very flimsy axle. I like novatec hubs, just not that one. The 482 rear is good though.

Coach H

Well the Ksyrium Elites are on (thanks Bozman and Merlin with your extra 10% )
Shod with Pro 3 Race they certainly look fast, I hope I can keep up with them.
The decals will have to go though. Far too big and blingy. Might leave Mavic over the valve though.

Just need a weather window in the morning to try them out.