I know, another wheel upgrade

spatt77

hi, i`m thinking of upgrading my current DT SWISS CSW 2.0 wheels which came on my Cube Agree,i`m currrently 90kg and have kind of narrowed it down to Fulcrum racing zero dark label or some Mavic ksyrium SLS, This is the first time ive upgraded wheels so slighty in the dark here but just wanted to know which would suit me more and is there going to be a big difference from what i have? thanks in advance for any help

mpatts

I;ve rapidly come to the conclusion that they are all the same. Get the ones that look the best!

Mike Cotty

spatt77 wrote:

hi, i`m thinking of upgrading my current DT SWISS CSW 2.0 wheels which came on my Cube Agree,i`m currrently 90kg and have kind of narrowed it down to Fulcrum racing zero dark label or some Mavic ksyrium SLS, This is the first time ive upgraded wheels so slighty in the dark here but just wanted to know which would suit me more and is there going to be a big difference from what i have? thanks in advance for any help

Hi Spatt77,

What sort of riding do you generally do?

The main thing is to identify a wheelset that will compliment this. The Ksyrium SLS offers a high level of performance and is versatile enough for all types of terrain (from the flat to the mountains) due to its lightweight and shallower rim profile, and weather conditions - e.g. predictable in both the wind and rain. If you're generally riding on the flat then a wheelset with a deeper rim profile may offer an aero advantage over your current set-up (and the Ksyrium SLS) so may be something to consider too.

If you have any specific questions as to what wheel in the Mavic range may be best for your riding then by all means feel free to contact me directly and I'll do my best to help where I can.

Ride safe,

Mike Cotty

cycleclinic

If you look at Fulcrum Racing zero's and the mavic equivelent they are very similar. The hub in the fulcrums though is cup and cone and infinatley servicable. No pressed in cup to wear, just caged balls and two races. When assembled it is like a cartridge bearing so for that reason alone the fulcrum's if factory wheels are your thing. I am sure they will work well for you they a round that helps.

ugo.santalucia

Spatt... do you really want to spend well over 700 pounds the Ksyrium SLS?
If you read into the numbers, the rim is a glorified Open PRO with fewer holes and no eyelets and it has exactly the same performance (same width, same depth, same alloy used, same machining process). The difference is that a spare SLS rim, if at all available will cost in the region of 200 pounds, while an Open PRO is 45 RRP and available everywhere, including your local shop. If you buy the SLS, then you have to buy the extended warranty cover too, otherwise anything that goes wrong (crashes... rim wear etc) will leave you with no wheels

buckles

mpatts wrote:

I;ve rapidly come to the conclusion that they are all the same. Get the ones that look the best!

I've rapidly come to the conclusion that if you need to ask what wheels to upgrade to, you don't need to upgrade.

If you don't need to ask what wheels to upgrade to, then you know you don't need to upgrade.

spatt77

well as i said in my OP, i`m a bit in the dark here so would welcome any advice, what kind of hand built could i get for the same money and how would it differ? any thoughts on the fulcrums ?

ugo.santalucia

Don't need be hand builts... let's put it differently, at 700+ pounds, what do they give you on top of the Ksyrium Elite that only cost 400+?

1) Zicral spokes that have more reported failures than the stainless used in the Elite
2) Lighter hubs, but not better hubs, the Elite are good hubs
3) RIms that are in essence the same thing
4) 150 grams of weight shaved here and there, which is not a lot and you will never benefit from

spatt77

ok, i`m coming round to your way of thinking Ugo;) firsty, i remember you advising somebody else with the same wheels as mine, whats your personal opinion of the DT SWISS CSW 2.0, and secondly any thoughts on the fulcrums?

cycleclinic

Ask yourself is there anything wrong with the wheels you have? Are they breaking spokes? if the answer is no then the most you will gain is a little weight saving and may be not even that (as I do not know how much those DT Swiss wheels weigh or what they are like). Saving 100g is not an upgrade really. So you may not gain by "upgrading your wheels" Ugo's comments above are spot on. The SLS wheel does not offer much over the "lower spec" version. And Zircal spokes are alumium spokes, expensive and alimium fatigues quite well hence those spoke have to be thick to stop them falling apart.

With handbuilts you can spend alot less than £700 spend alot less but given your weight most builder being quite conservative will suggest a 28 spoke or 32 spoke rear wheel.
Think handbuilts built sensibly to be in the 1600g-1800g range. Price would be in the £250-£500 price range depending on the rims and hubs used.

Given the Mavic and fulcrum options are lighter, handbuilt is probably not the way you want to go. The fulcrum's zero's are a decent wheel but again you could spend less and have one of there lower range wheels and get nearly every you get with the zero's unless you find the Zero's on a deal then ....

ugo.santalucia

spatt77 wrote:

ok, i`m coming round to your way of thinking Ugo;) firsty, i remember you advising somebody else with the same wheels as mine, whats your personal opinion of the DT SWISS CSW 2.0, and secondly any thoughts on the fulcrums?

Your wheels are decent and it's unlikely that any so called upgrade will be life changing. Keep them until spring and see if there is something specific you want to address.
Everybody seems to be obsessed about the ultimate speed decimal they can load on their Strava profile, but ultimately it's all crap which peer pressure and a rotten industry is indoctrinating you it's important.
The gain to be had with high end wheels are marginal, say 1-2%... the potential problems involved in running such products can be costly... on balance a "speed upgrade" is a waste of money, unless your salary depends on speed... a reliability upgrade can be money well spent instead.
Either way you want to look at the matter, neither the Fulcrum Zero nor the SLS represent a good investment.

spatt77

well thanks for the advice its appreciated, might just stick with the original plan and change my shimano br451 calipers for some ultegra 6800, im sure there is plenty of scope for improvement there eh?

ugo.santalucia

spatt77 wrote:

well thanks for the advice its appreciated, might just stick with the original plan and change my shimano br451 calipers for some ultegra 6800, im sure there is plenty of scope for improvement there eh?

If your brakes are crap, a brake upgrader is money well spent... before upgrading, check that they are perfectly fitted, aligned etc... most of the times people bin very good brakes as they can't be bothered to spend some time to align them properly

rolf_f

ugo.santalucia wrote:

spatt77 wrote:

well thanks for the advice its appreciated, might just stick with the original plan and change my shimano br451 calipers for some ultegra 6800, im sure there is plenty of scope for improvement there eh?

If your brakes are crap, a brake upgrader is money well spent... before upgrading, check that they are perfectly fitted, aligned etc... most of the times people bin very good brakes as they can't be bothered to spend some time to align them properly

Do Shimano even make bendy brakes? I wouldn't have thought so but you never know. TBH, I'd assume minimal scope for improvement with a caliper replacement assuming the pads are upgraded to the best available.

cycleclinic

Pads will make the biggest difference the kind with metal holder and replaceable cartridges.

spatt77

well ive changed the pads,just put some clarks on but a noticeable difference from the stock ones.at this rate i`m not gonna have any xmas present to myself and end up putting the money towards a car/engagement ring! and nobody wants that :):):):)

ugo.santalucia

spatt77 wrote:

well ive changed the pads,just put some clarks on but a noticeable difference from the stock ones.at this rate i`m not gonna have any xmas present to myself and end up putting the money towards a car/engagement ring! and nobody wants that :):):):)

I can give you some pretty good advice on engagement rings too... the Diamonds Factory... you can get excellent quality and certified diamonds at the price you pay for some low quality stones on the high street. There is nothing like a bad diamond... :?