Baffled by wheel upgrade options

Goodenough

Hi there,

As a relatively inexperienced cyclist I've officially now caught the bug and want to spend some money to improve to my bike. I'm looking to take on London to Lands End next year with 3 days of 100 miles and also enter some sportives but I mainly aim to do longer social rides than actual racing. I'm 5'11 and approx 80kg.

I bought a Cannondale Supersix 105 last year (Which I'm really happy with) and everything's standard apart from upgrading the tyres to Continental GP4000 S recently.

I've now spoken with three different local bike shops about wheel upgrade options and have received differing advice in each. Not wanting to really spend more than £600 I figure I can get a massive improvement on the Shimano RS10s the bike came with but one shop has recommended SRAMs, another Mavic Ksyriums and another Fulcrums. Having not ridden any of these and wanting good value for money that will last is there another options I should consider or can anyone recommend one of these over the others?

I also understand Mavic's new range are out shortly and therefore wanted to know if it's worth waiting until then to buy in case they make improvement to the Elite?

Any pointers/advice would be really appreciated

gabriel959

If you want handbuilts for easy of maintenance and durability you can contact ugo.santalucia on this forum. He should be able to spec and build you something for your needs.

If you want something that looks good I would recommend the Mavic Ksyrium Elites and the Fulcrum Racing 3. They are reasonably well priced and light.

But, if you want something for touring (like your planned 3 day jaunt) I would get handbuilts. If you break a spoke on your factory builts during the ride you will need to call it a day whilst with a handbuilt you can always pop in to a cycle shop and replace it or even better replace it yourself during the ride if you take a spare spoke or 2.

Grill

They've already previewed Mavic's 2013 range and no announcement on the Ksyrium Elites. Considering that this is one of their most popular ranges I would expect they would have announced any changes to them. I've been on Elites for a while and absolutely love them. For quality/weight/price it's really difficult to do better.

rolf_f

Goodenough wrote:

Not wanting to really spend more than £600 I figure I can get a massive improvement on the Shimano RS10s the bike came with

I hope your 'massive improvement' isn't based on what the shop told you. As far as I can see, RS10s weigh about 1.8kg for the pair. You might save 400g with new wheels but I often switch between 1.8 and 1.5 kg wheels and I wouldn't say the difference is massive - and it is most noticeable directly after a swap (ie the relative weight is more noticeable than the absolute). The light wheels do feel nice to be fair but it doesn't even really translate to any clear gain in average speed.

Bobbinogs

gabriel959 wrote:

But, if you want something for touring (like your planned 3 day jaunt) I would get handbuilts. If you break a spoke on your factory builts during the ride you will need to call it a day whilst with a handbuilt you can always pop in to a cycle shop and replace it or even better replace it yourself during the ride if you take a spare spoke or 2.

^^ This. If you pop a spoke on most factory built wheels then your tour will probably be over. There are very few spare spokes available in any LBS and, with low spoke count/high tension wheels, you may not be able to finish the stage let alone the tour.

Goodenough

Thanks for the quick responses all.

Grill, one of the bike shops said the Elite S would be an improvement but as you say I've also seen an overview online and there was no mention of this.

Thanks for the advice on customs Gabriel, hadn't considered them as I don't really know enough about what's best for my needs.

Is it fair to say that a discounted 2012 model might be a good way of getting a lighter/higher spec wheel as the 2013 range is released?

Grill

Yup. If the Elite S rumors are true you'll probably save a max of 50 grams a set which probably won't be worth the additional 150+ quid you'll have to pony up for them.

Like many I know that hand-built is the way forward when looking at price/performance, but I like the comfort of knowing I have factory built wheels in case things do go wrong. Silly perhaps, but just one of those things.

napoleond

Have a look at www.wheelsmith.co.uk
Give Derek a call, discuss your needs and I'm sure he'll come up trumps
I have a really light front wheel with an Extralight hub, IRD cadence rim and CX ray spokes, it is 100 grams lighter than my Ksyrium Elite but still incredibly stiff and very stable (not needed trying in 18 months)
I've just sent my powertap hub off to be built onto the same rim/spokes...

rolf_f

Grill wrote:

Like many I know that hand-built is the way forward when looking at price/performance, but I like the comfort of knowing I have factory built wheels in case things do go wrong. Silly perhaps, but just one of those things.

If you want comfort if things go wrong, you are almost certainly better off going for handbuilts.

Grill

LOL, I can't get a break today! All of my logic is being picked apart and proved fallacious. Oh well, different strokes for different folks. I suppose handbuilts are currently out of my "comfort zone". Perhaps that will change in time.

ugo.santalucia

An "upgrade" doesn't have to be lighter at all costs, better, yes!... for me an upgrade is a set of quality hubs... generally speaking, as you go for a sub 1500 grams wheelset, you get small bearings that don't last very long... a mini bearing with a 9mm bore can't deal with Britsh roads for very long.
The day I'll decide to upgrade my disc fitted wheels, I'll probably ask Royce for a set of new hubs, rather than foraging for the lightest piece of junk money can buy.
Unfortunately the general perception is that lighter is an upgrade... sometimes it's not, sometimes it's just lighter censored .

The downside of standard wheels fitted on most bikes off the peg is not in their weight, but often in the fact that the spokes are made of cheap steel, the hubs have rubbish bearings, the nipples are made of inadequate alloy and the rims are censored and have loose tolerances. The problem is not the 2 Kg... one can build a 2 kg set of wheels on Dura Ace hubs and good quality rims/spokes which are a dream to ride, even uphill!

napoleond

FWIW I have some Ksyrium elites, they are absutely excellent, but an expertly made set of custom handbuilt wheels is something special...

unixnerd

I'd get Ksyrium Elites. If you're doing LEJOG get a few spare spokes and pop them in your luggage for insurance.

Goodenough

All really interesting points, thank you!

I also had the same mindset about going for big brands over handbuilts but that's only based on my lack of knowledge. Also just figured something bespoke would be more spendy.

Thanks for the suggestion about extra spokes though unixnerd, don't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere and forced to take a train home!

1981.

Can I ask, have you purchased anything yet - am in exactly the same predicament and haven't a clue what to go for?

Current list:
Mavic Cosmic Elite - 'cause I like the look of them (yes, I can be that shallow)
Fulcrum Racing 3 - look kind of like the Cosmic's, but come in at 1500gramms
Mavic Kysrium Elite - seems to come in top of all online reviews
Wheelsmith.co.uk - ring them up, saying I like all of the above and what could they do/recommend?

Also, saying that - the Fulcrum 3's are seemingly hard to find at the moment, must be new stock on the way.

ugo.santalucia

1981. wrote:

Can I ask, have you purchased anything yet - am in exactly the same predicament and haven't a clue what to go for?

Current list:
Mavic Cosmic Elite - 'cause I like the look of them (yes, I can be that shallow)
Fulcrum Racing 3 - look kind of like the Cosmic's, but come in at 1500gramms
Mavic Kysrium Elite - seems to come in top of all online reviews
Wheelsmith.co.uk - ring them up, saying I like all of the above and what could they do/recommend?

Also, saying that - the Fulcrum 3's are seemingly hard to find at the moment, must be new stock on the way.

I have just taken into parts an Easton EA90 SLX for a rebuild (worn hub ratchet)... I was actually surprised by finding a decent build, tensions were spot on, only downside the rear non drive side has bent spokes by design, which is probably the reason of many reported snaps...
Anyway... nice wheels, but in essence they are exactly the same as a set of Velocity Aero Head with double butted spokes... just with bigger logos... the price of the Easton is much much higher though. You can find the former for 300 pounds while for the Easton you are looking at well in excess of 400.
Save your money, get the Velocity and buy some big stickers

unixnerd

Mavic Kysrium Elite - seems to come in top of all online reviews

Those.

Just saw my mate's 1100g Campagnolo Boras this morning. I'm not spending enough on my bike......

APIII

I have kysrium sl's and Fulcrum zeros, both are good wheels, light and stiff. However, I almost always prefer my velocity aeroheads because I don't have to think about my wheels when I'm riding them. I don't have to sit up and stretch after a couple of hours and think, Christ, these roads are rough, they just seem to soak it up. They're the cheapest wheels I own (record hubs and DT Comp spokes) but I love them.

napoleond

Read this-

http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/faq

juankerr

NapoleonD wrote:

Read this-

http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/faq

FAQ item 26 raised a LOL..

Goodenough

Haven't pulled the trigger yet 1981. Will let you know when I do.

Was in an Evans store yesterday and so asked their advice and the guy threw Eastons in the mix which I hadn't looked at.

I didn't think I could actually get handbuilt for the budget but will call Wheelsmith for their advice.

Thanks all