Wheel advice

stueys

Training for the etape next year and looking to (hopefully!) put a good performance in. If I look at my trusty rig (Canyon Ultimate slx) then the two bits worth upgrading are probably the engine and wheels. The engine is getting a painful six months which leaves me with wheels.

My thought process so far has been to get some light clinchers. I figure that my riding is really divided into two scenarios; training which is broadly solo, (when I don't mind some extra effort) and sportives where I'm probably drafting for large chunks of time. Sportives are where i care more about speed, I don't TT so I'm discounting aero as being much of a requirement.

So, looking at light clinchers, I'm thinking these options;
1. C25 7900, looks like it presses all the buttons, also not a bad price currently
2. Mavic r-sys slr, looks like a great wheel and I'm guessing has more rigidity than the C25. But a lot of cash for not much marginal gain (?)
3. A handbuilt number, probably an Alu rim as I keep hearing scary stories about wet alpine descents on carbon....
4. C35 7900, good price currently but considering my riding I think I'd rather save the slight weight and get the c25.

I've browsed the Internet and picked up conflicting advice. There's a comment on wheelsmith that suggests a 50 rim is a great choice for climbing because of the stiffness it gives you. Which makes sense but runs against a lot of advice I see, so I'm getting slightly confused.

Anyone got any comments on my thought process or recommendations on wheels? All input welcome, I'm stopping researching!

ugo.santalucia

If you are not super confident in alpine descents, better to stick to alloy... You don't know which weather you will face.

I would say Ksirium Elite if you want factory built, otherwise speak to your local builder. I suggest you go for a local one, so you can have your wheels checked before flying to the alps, for extra peace of mind. You don't want a broken spoke to spoil your day.
Stay away from SYS and other stuff that use unreliable spokes made of Zicral alloy or carbon fibre.
3-400 pounds is plenty for a quality, well performing set of wheels... Anything more buys you very little

cycleclinic

Thats good advice.

loukest

I feel your pain, a nice problem to have but i spent months making this decision. In the end i went for hand built, purely because you get something that is a) unique and b) aligned to you, not just your style of riding but your weight etc, factory built is obviously made for the masses and average weight, power etc. i ended up with some IRD 30mm rims, sapim cx ray spokes built on red chris king hubs. I bought the from wheelsmith. I love them, the ride is fantastic and they look wonderful, i went for some red nipples to add the finishing touch. They went back after one ride as one spoke had slipped slightly, derek was very good about it and turned them around quickly. They've been on the road for about 750 miles now including a trip to the alpes. Worth the money!

ugo.santalucia

loukest wrote:

, i went for some red nipples to add the finishing touch!

... Ignoring any advice we keep providing free of charge on this forum... :evil:

I have just replaced all the alloy nipples to a set of wheels ( not my build, i dont use them) Only six months old and all seized.
My advice is to keep them very very clean

LiberataERedenta

The Devil's wife has alloy nipples. His hands have no fun trying to unsieze them. One of cycling's stupid inventions! Or alloy threads/bolts almost anywhere actually!

stueys

Thanks for the advice. Interested to hear about the SYS reliability, I know they struggled first time out but thought sorted now?

napoleond

Stueys wrote:

Thanks for the advice. Interested to hear about the SYS reliability, I know they struggled first time out but thought sorted now?

Just a perpetuated Internet myth.

The rsys spokes are incredibly strong. In fact they have the strongest deflection of any of the spokes used on mavic wheels.

Just a royal PITA if any do break...

dennisn

NapoleonD wrote:

Stueys wrote:

Thanks for the advice. Interested to hear about the SYS reliability, I know they struggled first time out but thought sorted now?

Just a perpetuated Internet myth.

The rsys spokes are incredibly strong. In fact they have the strongest deflection of any of the spokes used on mavic wheels.

Just a royal PITA if any do break...

I've got to go along with non standard spokes being a PITA.