Camoagnolo Zonda Vs Vento

flintlock

Just about to buy some new wheel for the winter bike and was going to get some Zondas but have just noticed I can get the Ventos for around £100 less. Is it worth paying the extra for the Zondas?

Thanks

rolf_f

TBH,if you are looking to save money, you might as well go the whole hog and get Khamsins - cheaper than Ventos but almost indistinguishable. I have both and the slight weight difference makes no real detectable difference.

TBH, I wouldn't pay Zonda money for a winter wheel anyway but my choice would be Zonda or Khamsin unless there was a great price available on the Vento.

crvfr

I bought the Ventos this week (1640gm) & they seem considerably better to me than my last wheels (not Campagnolo but weighing 1740gm, same as the Khamsins). The Zondas are about 1550gm, so the prices seem to be in line with their relative weights. Early days yet, but so far I am pleased with them.

rolf_f

crvfr wrote:

I bought the Ventos this week (1640gm) & they seem considerably better to me than my last wheels (not Campagnolo but weighing 1740gm, same as the Khamsins). The Zondas are about 1550gm, so the prices seem to be in line with their relative weights. Early days yet, but so far I am pleased with them.

Just to make clear - I think both the Khamsins and Ventos are excellent. It's just that there isn't much between them. Going from one Campag wheel to another, I suspect you'd notice Khamsin to Zonda but not so much Khamsin to Vento or Vento to Zonda.

holiver

You can get 10% off all Campagnolo wheels at Ribble this weekend which makes them all great value.

I believe the Khamsin CX version have better seals which might make them the best option for a winter bike.

flintlock

Thanks for your help everyone.

I guess I can't go wrong with any of the Campag wheels.

With the latest Ribble deal a set of Zondas are £225 down to just under a £100 for the khasmins with the ventos £135 without the G3 rear wheel. Just need to decide now before the deal ends tomorrow night.

Thanks

sloppyschleckonds

Flintlock wrote:

Thanks for your help everyone.

I guess I can't go wrong with any of the Campag wheels.

With the latest Ribble deal a set of Zondas are £225 down to just under a £100 for the khasmins with the ventos £135 without the G3 rear wheel. Just need to decide now before the deal ends tomorrow night.

Thanks

Think Halfords are doing similar deals, if you have the extra BC 10% discount.

rolf_f

holiver wrote:

You can get 10% off all Campagnolo wheels at Ribble this weekend which makes them all great value.I believe the Khamsin CX version have better seals which might make them the best option for a winter bike.

It's just the bearings I believe - they are only sealed on the outside for the normal wheels - the CX has double sealed bearings. It's a crappy distinction - the difference in bearing cost is next to nothing and the list price difference is minimal as well. Only, usually the standard wheels get better discounts. So you can get last years Ventos from Wiggle for £112 but the cheapest CX you'll get from them appears to be again last years only you'll pay £170 for those.

So, unless the price is pretty close, it isn't really worth buying a CX - you'll just be fending off for a few months a task you'll inevitably have to do on either wheelset anyway. Unless you are fortunate enough to write the CX off in the period between those needing new bearings and the non CX needing new bearings!

bluemoon17

Do Ribble have the Zondas with a Shimano freehub or just Campag?

flintlock

Just Campagnolo

cycleclinic

Also the Zonda's use Campagnolo cup and cone bearing where as the lower rung wheels use cartridge bearings. That is the main difference in the weight as the hubs weight difference is around 90g. The vento's use a shallower rim on the rear so are likely to be less stiff than the zonda's. So it will depend on how good a deal the Vento's are, either way so long as you don't break low spoke count wheels they both are pretty decent.

flintlock

Thanks Malcolm for the reply as I know you build wheels.

The 2014 ventos are £137 and the Zondas are £225.

rolf_f

thecycleclinic wrote:

Also the Zonda's use Campagnolo cup and cone bearing where as the lower rung wheels use cartridge bearings.

Which maybe the best justification so far for the OP not to go for the Zondas. On the basis that if your bearings start going on the Ventos/Khamsins, you can ignore them as long as you like and just replace them at leisure with a new set for a tenner or so off Ebay without any risk to the wheel itself whereas you ignore the cup and cones complaining at your peril.

Flintlock wrote:

Thanks Malcolm for the reply as I know you build wheels. The 2014 ventos are £137 and the Zondas are £225.

Just get these - they are as light as last years Ventos. £98 if you buy them today with the extra 10% discount.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/Campagnolo-Khamsin-ASY-Clincher-Wheels-Pair/CAMPWHFR632?utm_campaign=Googlebase&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=Googlebase&gclid=Cj0KEQjwveufBRDlsNb3kb-twMIBEiQASNH0xiLfDMYMtMeUxVGD85xbKGbOQMnFvOfACWKnJl0aRfYaAhSc8P8HAQ

flintlock

Thanks everyone, just ordered the ventos at £137.69 from ribble.

Really appreciate your help Rolf F, just couldn't resist that extra weight saving in the end.

rolf_f

Flintlock wrote:

Thanks everyone, just ordered the ventos at £137.69 from ribble.

Really appreciate your help Rolf F, just couldn't resist that extra weight saving in the end.

Lol - you have to go with what your heart tells you even if you know it's wrong!

flintlock

Lol - I'm having doubts already and might try and call and swap for the khasmins tomorrow. It's like you say I won't notice 100g.

Cheers

rolf_f

Flintlock wrote:

Lol - I'm having doubts already and might try and call and swap for the khasmins tomorrow. It's like you say I won't notice 100g.

Cheers

Swings and roundabouts - will you notice the extra £37 missing from your bank account? Is the Ribble sale still on? Assuming you got the extra 10% you might lose it doing the swap. The Khamsins might be better value but that doesn't mean the Ventos are bad value.

It is only 100g but then it is a cheap 100g to buy. But, my attitude to winter wheels is that you buy them for the days when you aren't really appreciating how light your bike is or isn't. When it's wet and windy 100g doesn't really count for anything - you are still going to have a hard, slow ride. And the saving on three sets of Khamsins over Ventos pays for a fourth set of Khamsins - and that should keep you quiet for about 60,000 miles!

I wouldn't lose to much sleep over this decision either way!

holiver

I'll be interested in your thoughts on the Ventos once you've been out on them. Do Campag still have the nice loud hub like my old Khamsins?

flintlock

Now cancelled the ventos and ordered the 2014 khasmins at £98.09. The 10% off ends today.

cycleclinic

Rolf you are wrong about Campagnolo sup and cone bearings. In a Campag hub there is not bearing cup as you find in a shimano hub for example which if that fits it the end of the wheel/hub. In a campagnolo hub (Zonda, record e.t.c) the cup is more like a race which slides on the axle then a caged bearing slide onto it and another race completes the bearing. The pre load adjuster keeps everything running with play. So if you leave a Zonda hub to pit the races you just change them with the hub renewing kit which is more expensive than the cartridge bearings but you will not toast the hub that's impossible with Campagnolo design. In this way Campagnolo sup and cone hubs are the best out there.

rolf_f

Thanks for the info Malcolm. It doesn't sound as though the description 'cup and cone' should really be applied to these wheels - from what you describe the setup is very similar to a headset bearing. I knew they were a bit different to Shimano in as much as the adjustment method is vastly superior but I assumed the inner gubbins was much the same.

What is the price of a hub renewing kit? All I've found online is a price for a set of bearings - Campagnolo HB-RE023 Wheel/ Hub Bearings - for a bargain £95!

mfin

On a Zonda, 10mins to strip it all out if you're servicing it including cleaning, lubing and reassembling. You just use new cups/cones/bearings as needed. Nothing complex here. Bearings about a fiver.

The only thing beyond a lot of people would be freehub jobs like replacing a pawl spring or whatever that little bit of wire is called. Fiddly.

g00se

Also, adjusting the play out of campag bearings is simple, no need to take the wheels off. Just losen a hex bolt on the cap, turn the cap and retighten.

cycleclinic

hub renewal kits are £57.99 but an online price should be around £48. The bearings are £5 but as they normally get run into the ground the whole kit is normally needed. Even the old Campagnolo hubs with threaded axles have replaceable bearing cup which are pressed into the shell. The best thing is Campagnolo still make them but only one of the three U.K official distributor imports them.