Wheelset for Climbing

pechacheli

Afternoon

I will be attempting a few climbs this year in the alps and want to be buy a lightweight wheelset to assist.

I have been offered a pair of Mavic Kysrium SLR's for £550 which are a good deal however wanted to know if there were any other options to consider for the same money.

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks.

P

ugo.santalucia

SLR or SLR R-SYS?

The SLR Exalith rim is definitively a step up in terms of braking power, heat dissipation etc and the wheels are obviously very light.
The problem with a second hand set is that you are not covered by any manufactuer warranty and any repair at the Mavic service centre will be very very expensive with these. However, if you are handy with your toolset, Mavic wheels are generally easy enough to repair at home if needs be and decent bike shops should be able to do that for you.

I am not a big fan of the R-SYS version, I think even Mavic is giving up on those as I see they have reduced the range that fits this technology. It is a royal PITA... if you want to true the wheel you need to disassemble the hub and in theory even replace the retainer ring and the clips every time!!... which are not overly expensive, but still nearly 20 quid.

Enough?

pechacheli

thanks for the quick response and the advice.

they are the SLR version thankfully given what you have said about the R-SYS!

i have 3 sets of mavic's and touchwood they have all been superb. i've never had to replace anything but there's always a first!

i've always had my eye of the SLR's but could never justify the price tag! the one's offered are 2013 model and been used for approx 800miles. i haven't seen them yet but from the photos the braking surface looks clean and unmarked which i guess is a good sign after 800miles. i have heard of the finish on the braking surface coming off on some wheels. not sure why or whether this is a problem?

imposter2.0

Depending on what wheels you have now, it's worth considering how much 'assistance' you will get from some new wheels, and how much real world difference it will actually make to your ability to climb. I suspect the answer will be in a range between 'not much' and 'bu66er-all'...

ugo.santalucia

pechacheli wrote:

i have heard of the finish on the braking surface coming off on some wheels. not sure why or whether this is a problem?

Some people are very anal about the look of their wheels and can't sleep at night if there is a scratch or a chip in their brake track... it can happen of course and it doesn't compromise the function at all. It's a hard ceramic coating, but nothing is completely scratchproof

pechacheli

that's very true imposter... i currently have 2no. sets of cosmic carbones and a pair of askiums for winter. i love my cosmics and have considered using these for climbing however thought a pair of shallow section wheels would be better.

ugo, the pics i saw looked were as though the coating had come off rather than being scratched. i wasn't sure if the brake tracks were merely coated or whether the "black finish" carried all the way through?

have you see the kysrium SLE's 2015? they're retailing for £750 which might be option in order to get a warranty?

ugo.santalucia

pechacheli wrote:

ugo, the pics i saw looked were as though the coating had come off rather than being scratched. i wasn't sure if the brake tracks were merely coated or whether the "black finish" carried all the way through?

have you see the kysrium SLE's 2015? they're retailing for £750 which might be option in order to get a warranty?

It's a coating.
The higher you go in price, the more options the market offers.

thegreatdivide

Exalith 2 is meant to be a better surface treatment than the original. I've got a pair of RSYS-SLR's with the E2 coating and they've made it through 16 months with only one tiny ding from a stone (they were never ridden of winter though). If you’re looking for stiffness then these can’t be beaten IMO. They’re even stiffer than my Racing Zeros and they’re stiff as a stiff thing! But if you want to save some weight for the Alps – sorry to bring this up again – don’t eat for a month :-)

pechacheli

thanks thegreatdivide....

i'm with you on the "no point having a lightweight setup if you can shift some lbs" but i don't think i'll get too much lighter unless i join team sky

thegreatdivide

pechacheli wrote:

thanks thegreatdivide....

i'm with you on the "no point having a lightweight setup if you can shift some lbs" but i don't think i'll get too much lighter unless i join team sky

LOL no worries.

pippi_langsamer-2

I've got a pair of the older Ksyrium SRs (similar deal in most ways to R-Sys), which I use in the summer for hillier rides. Any maintenance complications aside (I've never had any), they are an awesome set of wheels for climbing- particularly on the shorter, sharp climbs. The rear is stiff as hell, and not the comfiest as a result, but they are super efficient I find...

Other than a race wrecked rear wheel, I've never had to true any of the Ksyrium variants I've ever ridden. When they do go though, they.....go.

cycleclinic

The wheels are the start of a general diet of bike and rider. 400g saving (not sure how much theese wheels weight but I will assume 1400g), next to the askiums will help a very small ammount. The biggest help will be the increased lateral wheel stiffness. Given the carbones are decently stiff to begin with the advantage in climbing these expensive new wheels will give is in the braking, not the climbing. You still have to work hard.

If you want to climb faster try saving several kg of bike and rider. That is expensive if it comes from kit. If it all comes from the rider but riding lots you have the added bonus of being fitter too. The comfort issue you state with the mavic wheels is more than likely down to the aluminium spokes not the rim. Otherwise all those stiff rims like the Archetype woudl give a really rough ride, they don't.

JoostG

The reason I will take another set of wheels to the Alps is going up, but coming down. As you don't know upfront how busy the road will be during your descent, you won't know how often or how hard you need to brake. Overheated rims can happen to all of us. I decided to go for a tubeless set up (in my case Campa Eurus 2wf): more grip as result of less pressure in the tyre, no exploding inner tubes because of overheating (as there are no inner tubes), less risk on punctures (of latex will do the job or will make sure you have plenty of time to notice the problem), and the tyre is less likely to come of immediately as a clincher in case of a sudden tyre blowout.

Mr Dog

Good advice from JoostG. You'll hardly notice 200g going up the climbs... but unless you have great handling skills then an alu brake track prevents things going bang.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-ultegra-6800-wheelset/ Out of stock at the moment but at £230 what more could you ask for!

pechacheli

Really appreciate the advice guys and for the alternative thought of going tubeless. Food for thought and I'll not be rushing into anything for a while me thinks.

matt-h

agree with the others here.
I used my Archetypes with Miche hubs and 25mm Vittoria Corsas in the Alps.
They are not the lightest but i knew i would have exceptional handling and braking - which to be honest is where the fun is.
I also own a set of 6800 wheels running tubeless and despite one hole that was too big to seal, i have covered 1k miles with just that puncture

Matt

ravenvrider

Been reading with interest as am riding Alp 'd ' huez in the summer and not sure about upgrading my wheels. Decided to stick with my dura ace c24 ' s for now..seem reasonably light and pretty stiff so hopefully good enough.