upgrade to Mavic Ksyrium SL wheels feels like a downgrade

taimur

Bike Setup:
Cube Litening Super HPC 2010 Di2 frame with Easton EA90 SL Tapered Fork
Syntace Seatpost
Ultegra+ Ultegra Di2
Easton EA70 Handlebar
Easton EA90 Stem
Michelin Pro Race 3 tyres + Continental race tube
Fizik Arione manganese Saddle
Dura Ace 7900 carbon pedals
Ebay Carbon Bottle cages

Wheels were Easton EA 70 (GBP 300 Value)

The wheels were fantastic after two warranty claims resulting in replacement 1st and then service /spoke replacement second time, i decided to sell and replace the wheels.

Read some raving reviews on Mavic Ksyrium SL, looked for deals, and finally bought the 2011s on sale (GBP 900 value).

Since i sold the Eastons3-4 months back i was riding on borrowed entry level Mavic Aksium rear and Alex rims 500 which was over 5 years old with 15k+ kms on it .

switchin to Ksyrium SL i was expecting day/night diference but was expecting some improvement. immediately noticable was that they are briliant on the climbs. But i can not help but feel that they are slower than both the other setups i have been exposed too over the year. I am heavier than team mates so even without pedaling on descents i roll down much faster that others. i was surprised that i was slow vs others in with the new wheels. :roll:

SO i am worried that after switching to GBP 900 retail valuing wheels i cant shake the last two setups worth 300 and 100 were faster. Mavic discontinuing the SLs in 2013 is a hint..?

Googling for information suggested people getting better performance after a service on the hubs.
1. Is that recommended on a wheelset thats just seen 4 rides and 300kms?
2. or should i expect the performance to improve over time?

thanks for reading the long post :P

napoleond

Have you checked your brakes aren't rubbing?

taimur

yeh that was the first thing i checked before i got on the bike, after the install. At the break, checked again further centered the calipers just to be sure before getting back on the saddle.

They wheelset is not bad but just doesnt seem to performing great compared to the last two pairs that were worth 1/3rd or 1/8th of what these wheels retailed for.

napoleond

Take the back, there must be a problem as they are fantastic wheels.

rrsodl

If you know somebody with the same wheels, ask him to try your wheels for a test. He should be able to tell you if yours are not performing as expected.

Monty Dog

Expect some bearing seal-drag with new wheels - they should free up after a few hundred miles, but Ksyriums are pretty rubbish aerodynically.

davidof

Light wheels, great on climbs like you say but less flywheel effect on the flats.

You could try fitting fishing weights to the ends of the spokes :-)

Bozman

If mine went pop i wouldn't hesitate to buy another pair. A quality wheelset that up to now have been bomb proof, they don't seem as free-wheeling as C24s or RS80s but they're a damn sight stiffer.

g00se

Using the same tyres as before?

Monty Dog

FWIW I'd never buy Mavic wheels again due to their rubbish spares policy - in 5+ years and you've worn out your rims they'll be worth diddly-squat as Mavic policy is not to supply spares. My Ksyrium SLs were junk after 6 years due to a knackered rim. Buy Fulcrum Racing 1s if you want something better.

taimur

g00se wrote:

Using the same tyres as before?

Yup same tyre

@montydog after the easton experience, if these wheels last 5 years without trouble, I will frame these and take a vow to never buy any product that mavic has an alternative too.

mallorcajeff

i have just got some ksyrium elites and are fantastic on the climbs and way better to ride day to day than my dura ace c50s.

majormantra

Monty Dog wrote:

Ksyriums are pretty rubbish aerodynically.

+1. I suspect the OP's issue is psychological but the Ksyriums have the aero properties of a house brick.

cycleclinic

How a bike feels is so subjective and does depend on how you feel. I think the differences noticed are phychological as you expected the wheel to perform better but they didn't so they felt worse.

It just goes to show what £900 buys you or not as the case may be. Mavics spares policy is alos the reason why I would not buy there wheels and the cost of spares from shimano, Easton, fulcrum e.t.c is the the other reason why I build my wheels.

Herbsman

Buy a power meter instead and obsess over wattage numbers. This will distract you from the wheels' apparent deficiency in performance.

taimur

Herbsman wrote:

Buy a power meter instead and obsess over wattage numbers. This will distract you from the wheels' apparent deficiency in performance.

Haha touché

Actually on average I put up the best times for the 70 km Sunday route because it was the fastest I have been on the three climbs on the route.

Power meter sounds good but I am invested in the wheels already.... Guess I can still go for powercal and begin my obsession.

centimani

Monty Dog wrote:

Expect some bearing seal-drag with new wheels - they should free up after a few hundred miles, but Ksyriums are pretty rubbish aerodynically.

At a lower end of the spectrum, my Racing 5s seemed, were, as stiff as hell when I first got them, just didn't freewheel well at all. New bearings and seals, it should free up with some mileage.