RS81 or Ksyrium or Fulcrum racing 3 or superstar wheels

friedpizzainbatter

Hi,
My well used RS80s buckled at the weekend rim is wrecked, I need to get a new wheelset quickly as I have the etape caledonia a week on Sunday.
I was going to go for the RS81 C35, but wondered if I'd be better off with either Fulcrum racing 3 or Mavic Kysrium Equipe S, or even a set of Superstar elite rims on DT 350 hubs that superstar are offering at the moment.
I loved my RS80s, but they're the only road wheels I've had that were not supplied with my bike, so don't have experience with any others at this sort of price range (up to around the £400 mark). Anybody any experience with these sets, or others at this price point that would be worth considering?
Thanks for any advice.

Bobbinogs

The search feature works well and should generate a heap of hits as these wheelsets come up every week.

70\ʹspenguin

Oddly I replied and it's sent a pm instead.????

dowtcha

You can get mavic Ksyrium for just over £300 shipped. Takes about 5 working days to ship from Germany.
http://www.4thebike.de/wheels/roadbike/aluminium/8756/mavic-ksyrium-elite-s-wts-wheels

friedpizzainbatter

Bobbinogs wrote:

The search feature works well and should generate a heap of hits as these wheelsets come up every week.

Thanks, I should have done that first. However after doing that, and reading the Handbuilt vs Factory, Pacenti SL23 Volta 169.99 (skip reading), and a few others, and some reviews, and I have more questions than answers.

To add a bit of background I have a low end carbon Domane, I was out getting some hill climbs in in preparation for the etape, and stripped my left crank arm and buckled my rear wheel in quick succession. So am now in a bit of a panic to get it sorted out before the etape, it is in this kind of state that I have made some of my stupider decisions in the past.

Can't find much on Superstar Volta hubs, are they any good? There are a couple of options with stans rims, pacenti as well but from what I read on tubeless and tyre changing not the way to go.
Also spotted the Zondas, at 234 quid, are these a step down from C24/C35 or Elites, or are they just as good? Happy to spend less if I can. Hence the post.

I take it there's no way I could get a set of handbuilts in less than a fortnight, and would this be worth doing if I could? I suppose I could ditch the etape if it's really worth doing.

I'd like some wheels that can give me a similar weight to the RS80s C24, although maybe a bit stiffer and a bit more bombproof. I'm around 80Kg, although aiming to get down to low to mid 70kg quickly.
Sorry for posting yet another wheel question, but I've read too much and am a bit confused.

70\ʹspenguin

The search function is dreadful. It's not returning many of the queries.

Origami02

Volta hubs are manufactured by Novatec, a well established and respected hub manufacturer . Superstar then fit them with high quality SKF bearings. So yes they're good hubs.
I also found the thread you mention confusing, but after doing my own research bought a set of Super Star wheels that feature the SL23 rim. The wheels I bought have the Icon, rather than the Volta hub. Presumably, the Volta hub is superior to the Icon, as the wheelset with same rims as I bought, but with the Volta hub (and more expensive spokes) are priced at £325 http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/p ... eelset.htm ,whereas the one's bought are priced £249 http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/p ... eelset.htm .
I also have a set of 2012 Mavic Elites and they are super stiff, light and have great bearings. They make super climbing wheels. Not sure I'd pay over £400 for them, or any wheelset, but at £300 from Germany they're definitely worth considering seriously. Not sure whether these come with tyres and tubes as they do from UK retailers, but bear in mind you'd be saving approx £150 by buying from 4thebike.de.
Another thing to consider is that, till the end on the month, Superstar have 20% off with a code you can find on their FB page . Mine where £200 net after discount and are reviewed here http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/cate ... -15-49349/ Hope this helps.

friedpizzainbatter

Thanks for the replies. I've now narrowed it down to the Ksyriums from Germany, a set of superstar wheels, or the Campag Zondas, which are the cheapest at the moment at Wiggle.
I can't find a bad review of the Zondas they only seem to have 30g on the Ksyriums (i can drop that on one of my fast days ), and are just over £50 cheaper even at the German price. Are they a step down from the Ksyriums or at the same sort of level?

drlodge

From what I've read here and elsewhere, the Zondas are regarded as the best bang for the buck factory wheels there are. They're probably the only factory wheels (other than high end carbon ones) that I might consider buying over hand builts.

Origami02

Well the difference in Uk retail price between Mavic elites and Zondas is huge, even on the rare occasions that Zondas approach£300. I've never really understood why though as they're very similar weights and, as you say, it's hard to find a poor review on Zondas. I have to say, I think the Mavics have more bling factor.
It's often mentioned on here that a major drawback of factory wheels with proprietary rims and spokes, is how hard it is to source replacement parts in the event of a crash, spoke failure, or the rims simply wearing out. That and wanting to see what the wider rim thing was about, swung me towards Superstar as their wheels use spokes and rims that are readily available from LBS's and/or SuperStar themselves.

mugensi

friedpizzainbatter wrote:

Thanks for the replies. I've now narrowed it down to the Ksyriums from Germany, a set of superstar wheels, or the Campag Zondas, which are the cheapest at the moment at Wiggle.
I can't find a bad review of the Zondas they only seem to have 30g on the Ksyriums (i can drop that on one of my fast days ), and are just over £50 cheaper even at the German price. Are they a step down from the Ksyriums or at the same sort of level?

I have possibly read every review there is on the entire internet regarding Zondas and Elites and while its a close run contest in the end the Zondas seem to come out on top. I bought a set from Wiggle 6 weeks ago and love them, comfortably stiff without being jarring, smooth and lightweight. Theyre extremely hard to beat price wise and the 3G spoke design on the rear wheel really makes them stand out among the crowd. Zondas are €299 (£215) on 4thebike at the moment. Dont mind the fact that it says theyre the 2013 model as there is absolutely no difference in them and the 2015 model (I have the 2015 model and a mate of mine bought his from 4thebike and his are supposedly the 2013 model and there are no differences in look or weight as we have compared them side by side, inch by inch)

mrb123

If you're interested in handbuilt wheels, why not ring or email a couple of wheelbuilers to see what they have in stock? People like Just Riding Along and the Cycle Clinic will often have some sets built up and ready for immediate dispatch.

Bobbinogs

There is not a lot to choose between RS80/81 and the Zondas. The RS80s are slightly smoother which is probably down to the carbon wrapped rim. The Ultegra hub is great quality for the price and the wheels seem to run well (by which I mean that if I freewheeled downhill on the RS80s I would get to speed quickly and hold it well). The Zondas feel harsher to me but running them with 25mm tyres and slightly lower pressures does overcome that a lot. I do find them a little fatiguing on long rides (then again, I try not to use low spoke wheelsets on long rides due to the inherent risk of an unrideable fault if a spoke goes...so usually ride some 28/32 spoke Excellight/Record or Open Pro/Veloce handbuilts, etc.)

If you rated the RS80s then you probably won't be disappointed with Zondas. As mentioned, they do offer a lot of bang for the buck and if you are riding on smoother roads then, at the price, they are hard to beat. Like the Shimano wheels, they are also cup/cone bearings so servicing should be a doddle in the winter months.

friedpizzainbatter

Thanks again for all the replies. After consultation with Mrs friedpizzainbatter who holds the keys to the money, I'm going with the Zondas as they're less and I have to fork out for a crankset as well. I did check a couple of handbuilt shops but they didn't have anything in stock that was similar in price and spec.

Bobbinogs wrote:

The Zondas feel harsher to me but running them with 25mm tyres and slightly lower pressures does overcome that a lot. I do find them a little fatiguing on long rides

WRT the slightly harsher ride, I was looking at the performance figures in another post of Conti 4000s II 28mm, the Domane has clearance for 28mm so is it worth getting them for a smoother ride plus lower rolling resistance etc, or will the width of the rim make the 25mm a better option?

DKay

Origami02 wrote:

Volta hubs are manufactured by Novatec, a well established and respected hub manufacturer . Superstar then fit them with high quality SKF bearings. So yes they're good hubs.
I also found the thread you mention confusing,

I'm surprised you find any of the Superstar threads confusing, considering you've posted multiple times in all of them in previous guises.

Bobbinogs

friedpizzainbatter wrote:

...
WRT the slightly harsher ride, I was looking at the performance figures in another post of Conti 4000s II 28mm, the Domane has clearance for 28mm so is it worth getting them for a smoother ride plus lower rolling resistance etc, or will the width of the rim make the 25mm a better option?

You might find 28s to be a bit too big and, when matched with Zondas, take on a distinct lightbulb profile which has drawbacks. I reckon 25mm GP4000s II's are a good match but a lot of cycling comes down to opinions. I run mine at 75/80 but I am 65kg so can get away with it whereas you will need a bit more than that to lower the risk of pinchflats.

It will be interesting to see what you think going to Zondas from RS80s, come back and let us know

friedpizzainbatter

You might find 28s to be a bit too big and, when matched with Zondas, take on a distinct lightbulb profile which has drawbacks. I reckon 25mm GP4000s II's are a good match but a lot of cycling comes down to opinions. I run mine at 75/80 but I am 65kg so can get away with it whereas you will need a bit more than that to lower the risk of pinchflats.

It will be interesting to see what you think going to Zondas from RS80s, come back and let us know [/quote]

Ordered. Yeah I did think they might be a bit bulbous for the rim. I'll stick with the 25s. Thanks.
Will post back with an update once I've had a chance to try them out.

bikingjohn

I've used RS81-C35, Ksyrium Elite S and Zonda.

Preferred wheelset for climbing: Ksyrium
For flat: RS81-C35
sitting in between: Zonda

1. If you are more than 70kg, get Ksyrium or Zonda. RS81-C35 flexes more than the others during climbs.
2. I converted both Ksyrium and RS81-C35 to tubeless with success using Ultremo ZX Tubeless with Stan's valves.
3. Brake tracks on all three wheelsets are very good.
4. The hubs on the RS81-C35 seems to be a little bit smoother than the others.

Hope this help.

friedpizzainbatter

Bobbinogs wrote:

friedpizzainbatter wrote:

...
It will be interesting to see what you think going to Zondas from RS80s, come back and let us know

Have had a bit of time with the Zondas now. I'm pretty impressed, I was expecting a distinct downgrade in comparison to the RS80s, but haven't found this to be the case at all. I've not seen much difference in speed, if anything I'd say they're a little more responsive, I've had a few PRs on Strava since fitting them.
The first time out on them I did notice a bit more chop, especially on bad road surfaces, but you get used to it, and now I can't say I notice it.
Anyway thanks for the recommendations, I'm very pleased with them, and for the price incredibly good value.