Wheels for Kinesis 4S

bernie1973
bernie1973 Posts: 86
edited June 2014 in Road buying advice
I'm putting together a bike based around a Kinesis 4S frameset and Ultegra 6800 groupset and was all set to go with Mavic Ksyrium Equipe S WTS 2014 Wheelset (£350 from CRC) when I read an article suggesting that heavier riders (I weigh 88kg) should avoid lower spoke counts and stick with 32 spoke wheels. Does anyone have experience or an opinion on this? Whilst I can see the logic to it surely a decent set of lower spoked wheels will be fine - I've ridden hard off-road with Mavic Crossmax SLRs (20 spokes) for last year without a hint of damage. Any other recommendations welcomed as I don't know much about road bikes having always avoided the roads up until now.

Comments

  • borisface
    borisface Posts: 273
    You should be fine ksyriums are pretty bombproof. I used them at 90kgs when I was fat (now 77kgs) with no probs at all. They do make a stiff wheel.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    Regardless of the spoke count, the Equipe at £ 350 are not exactly a good deal... they are pretty average wheels in all respects. Some riders break spokes, others don't, weight is a factor, but it's not the only one. The thing about a 16/20 spoker is that if you do break a spoke, you need to get a ride home as the deflection of the rim is too big to go through the brake calliper
    left the forum March 2023
  • jordan_217
    jordan_217 Posts: 2,580
    Agree with ugo on this, Equipes are not 'good value' at £350, and while they are pretty robust they are not exactly a super stiff wheel. Save yourself some cash and buy the Aksiums as you won't notice any difference. Or, speak to a wheel builder…

    I recently got some Kinlin XC-279's built around Miche Primato hubs, with a 20/24 spoke count. I'm 80 kg's and was previously using Ksyrium Elites. The handbuilts are MUCH stiffer and surprisingly smoother too. They cost me just over £250 and I'm absolutely blown away with how well they ride considering the modest price tag. I'm going to stick my neck out and say that they are better than the Elites. Something which I really wasn't expecting.

    Don't get me wrong the Equipes are dependable wheels. I've had two sets and I've never had an issue with either of mine. In fact I still have a pair I use for making my CX bike road friendly. However, in the real world they are no better than the Aksiums.
    “Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.”
  • borisface
    borisface Posts: 273
    I think OP's £350 may buy the wheels and mavic tyres/tubes for £350.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    borisface wrote:
    I think OP's £350 may buy the wheels and mavic tyres/tubes for £350.

    Yes, I got that and factored it in... Mavic's tyres are not the best and they're worth maybe 40 quid a pair in the free market (that might not correspond to the inflated RRP) and still 300 quid for the Equipe is too much. They are really old dogs, which have gone worse from 10 years ago
    left the forum March 2023
  • bernie1973
    bernie1973 Posts: 86
    Folks, thanks for all the replies. Followed the advice and had a chat with the wheel builder in LBS this morning and he is building me a set of wheels for £300. £350 mavic was indeed for tyres and tubes also so £50 left for tyres. Cheers folks.

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