New Wheelset Dura Ace C24 vs Mavic Ksyrium Pro SL

davieb78

Hi folks. Been on this site for years, but first actual post! Please be gentle.

I'm considering a wheel upgrade for my Tarmac Expert (2015). It came with Fulcrum Racing 4 wheels, which have done well and have been nice and reliable. There are no specs on these but they seem to be a fudge of the Fulcrum Racing 3 and 5s, which are nothing fancy. I suspect they weigh about 1750-1800g based on the 3 and 5 specs.

I'm considering an upgrade to either Shimano Dura Ace 9100 C24 (£750-£800), or the Mavic Ksyrium Pro SL (~£650-£700). They are roughly the same weight (1390g). The Dura Ace is a bit pricier. It looks "cleaner" and would keep me kitted out in Shimano (current Ultegra groupset)! There do seem to be some comments however about poor reliability on the new 9100s (the 9000s are out of stock). I know less about the Mavics but the reviews are good. They come with specific tyres (I currently run Continental Grand Prix 4000S II). The wheels look a bit more robust but they have an annoying yellow spoke!

Does anybody know these wheels and have any advice/recommendations, or tips for other aluminium clinchers around the £700 mark. I'm a wee lightweight guy (5'6", ~60 kg) and into my climbing. I'm considering these for a big Alpine adventure this summer and more in the future. Cheers!

robbo2011

I would say you might be a bit light for Mavic Ksyriums, could be a quite a hard ride.

How about these DT Swiss wheels. Look interesting with the ceramic treated rims

https://www.dtswiss.com/Wheels/Road-Whe ... DICUT-OXiC

Have had good reviews so far. The also do a non ceramic coated version if the price is too high

bmxboy10

Can't comment on the proposed wheel choices but FWIW I weighed my racing 4s recently and they are 1840g without scewers. Also my experience with the Mavic Tyres you get with their wheels is not good as I found them very poor in the wet plus they come up very narrow.

davieb78

robbo2011 wrote:

I would say you might be a bit light for Mavic Ksyriums, could be a quite a hard ride.

How about these DT Swiss wheels. Look interesting with the ceramic treated rims

https://www.dtswiss.com/Wheels/Road-Whe ... DICUT-OXiC

Have had good reviews so far. The also do a non ceramic coated version if the price is too high

Thanks Robbo. Stupid question, but why would the ride be harder for me because I'm light? The DT Swiss ones look good.

davieb78

solboy10 wrote:

Can't comment on the proposed wheel choices but FWIW I weighed my racing 4s recently and they are 1840g without scewers. Also my experience with the Mavic Tyres you get with their wheels is not good as I found them very poor in the wet plus they come up very narrow.

Cheers solboy. I was never quite sure what bits to include in the weight!

mrb123

Have you considered handbuilt wheels?

You have a decent budget. As you are a light rider you could look at a lightweight rim such as the Ryde Pulse Sprint.

Then your choice of hubs. Dura Ace if you want Shimano. Plenty of other options though, White Industries, Aivee etc. CX Ray or D-Light spokes and you should be in the same ballpark in terms of weight to the wheelsets you are considering.

mrb123

Have a look at these for example...
http://www.stradawheels.co.uk/product/a ... -in-stock/

stueys

If you want one set of wheels I would take a look at something a bit aero, 40mm deep tends to be good at everything.

Bobbinogs

Personally, I just don't understand why anyone would buy the DA 24C. The RS81 is basically the same rim and spokes but uses an Ultegra hub instead of DA. Hence, for a very large chunk of change one gets to save a few grams off the hub. Thing is, one of the main selling points for DA hubs is their durability if serviced well...but these wheels will probably go in the bin when a rim gets shot (which really won't be too long away if the wheels are used all year). I had the RS80s (same wheel as the RS81, different stickers) and found it galling to throw away the excellent Ultegra hub when then rims were worn out because the hubs were still in excellent condition and could have been used for thousands more miles...but the unique drilling pattern meant that an after market rebuild just wasn't an easy/cost-effective option.

The Shimano wheelsets are looking like they are desperately in need of a revamp as they just don't seem to have caught up with the wide/profile changes over the last few years.

My 'go to' wheelset cost about £500 originally but has been rebuilt since: DA hubs, 24/28 D-Light spokes & DT Swiss RR411 rims. All supplied by the cycle clinic. Haven't weighed them but suspect they are not too far above 1550g and they even go up/down hill, brake well and evenly in all weathers and provide a nice quality of ride when matched with 25mm Schwalbe Ones. My 'race weight' is about 65kg, btw.

robbo2011

davieb78 wrote:

Thanks Robbo. Stupid question, but why would the ride be harder for me because I'm light? The DT Swiss ones look good.

Mainly because they are a very stiff wheelset. Maybe you would prefer something with a little more 'give' and something with wider rims so that you can use bigger tyres at lower pressure.

PS. For info, Mavic wheelsets are always 50-100g heavier than they say.

drlodge

Bobbinogs wrote:

My 'go to' wheelset cost about £500 originally but has been rebuilt since: DA hubs, 24/28 D-Light spokes & DT Swiss RR411 rims. All supplied by the cycle clinic.

Similar here...hand built by Ugo my goto wheels are Hope Mono RS hubs, DT Swiss RR440 rims, 20xCXRay front and Alpine III/D-light rear. Cost about £500 too. Also bought a pair of carbon wheels from the cycle clinic, as Ugo no longer builds wheels, TCC would be my choice for a new set.

Hairsy

I'll add to the hand built recommendation. I was considering the DA C24 for some time but then sought advice from dcrwheels.co.uk and eventually bought. I have been absolutely delighted with the wheels I got. They are lighter than the C24s and cost half as much. They come with a lifetime guarantee. The only downside is the need to get your place in the build queue and then wait for our wheels to be ready - mine took 2-3 weeks.

I have no connection with the company - just a happy customer.

davieb78

Ok, thanks all for the great suggestions. I'll look into the hand-built options.

imposter2.0

Hairsy wrote:

They are lighter than the C24s and cost half as much.

Sounds interesting. Would like to know the spec - or a link ?

robbo2011

probably his DCR hub and rim combination, or perhaps the DCR hubs with Ryde Pulse Sprint rims.

Hairsy

Imposter wrote:

Hairsy wrote:

They are lighter than the C24s and cost half as much.

Sounds interesting. Would like to know the spec - or a link ?

There's lots of reading material on his website but this would be a good place to start : http://dcrwheels.co.uk/custom-wheelsets ... estions-2/

I went for the £395 option below, and when I weighed them they came in a bit below claimed weight. Of course it's possible that the C24s could come in below spec weight as well.

DCR standard road, DCR 23mm alloy, Sapim D-Light spokes, alloy nipples (20:24)
£360. Approximately 1420g.
As above with CX-Ray spokes (silver)
£395. Approximately 1385g.

He responds well to emails but be prepared for a few days turnaround if he's busy - or give him a call. He's a lovely chap, very personable and very willing to answer questions.

mrb123

Hairsy wrote:

Imposter wrote:

Hairsy wrote:

They are lighter than the C24s and cost half as much.

Sounds interesting. Would like to know the spec - or a link ?

There's lots of reading material on his website but this would be a good place to start : http://dcrwheels.co.uk/custom-wheelsets ... estions-2/

I went for the £395 option below, and when I weighed them they came in a bit below claimed weight. Of course it's possible that the C24s could come in below spec weight as well.

DCR standard road, DCR 23mm alloy, Sapim D-Light spokes, alloy nipples (20:24)
£360. Approximately 1420g.
As above with CX-Ray spokes (silver)
£395. Approximately 1385g.

He responds well to emails but be prepared for a few days turnaround if he's busy - or give him a call. He's a lovely chap, very personable and very willing to answer questions.

I would also add that I've been very pleased with the performance of the DCR hubs I've got. I believe they may be originally made by Bitex. They're pretty light and mine haven't missed a beat in 2 years of service. Haven't tried his rims but they appear competitive in terms of weight and spec.

WallSt

I have the Dura Ace C24s.

It's a strong solid wheel set. It came up amongst the top in a not long ago test on clinchers. I chose it for lightness, yet stiffness & reliability. I would definitely recommend them.

They also look amazing on the Scott Addict I have them on.

WallSt

FYI read

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/wh ... c24-wheels

I can't find the All Wheel test that even looked at Zip 101s.

Maybe some can add the graph etc

Bobbinogs

WallSt wrote:

FYI read

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/wh ... c24-wheels
...

In 2011 they probably seemed like a decent wheel but, even then, the review made no attempt to put the £800 asking price into context merely extolling the virtues of a light, stiff wheelset. At the time, one could buy the Zondas for about £300 which were also light and stiff. The problem is that things have moved on but the C24s have stood still. The Zondas now come with a 17mm internal width and are not much more than the £300 they were...so for £800 my expectations would be a damn sight higher than the previous Zondas but with nicer stickers

StillGoing

I have Fulcrum Racing 3s on the winter bike and Dura Ace C35s on the main bike. The Racing 3s roll better, but the C35s feel nicer and offer a balance between aero and lightweight for hills. I managed to pick my C35s up dirt cheap at just under half price, when a customer returned them to the dealer soon after purchase with a minor fault, that was easily fixed.

bikes`n`guns

Wheelsmith Race 30s on Dura Ace hubs.

WallSt

Bobbinogs wrote:

WallSt wrote:

FYI read

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/wh ... c24-wheels
...

In 2011 they probably seemed like a decent wheel but, even then, the review made no attempt to put the £800 asking price into context merely extolling the virtues of a light, stiff wheelset. At the time, one could buy the Zondas for about £300 which were also light and stiff. The problem is that things have moved on but the C24s have stood still. The Zondas now come with a 17mm internal width and are not much more than the £300 they were...so for £800 my expectations would be a damn sight higher than the previous Zondas but with nicer stickers

Hahaa nice reply. Fulcrum have nice enough wheel sets. I picked up Shimano Ultegra 6800 set for a decent price. It's the same thING but slightly heavier.

I don't know the Zonda's.

WallSt

https://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/shimano- ... eview.html

Info on the ultegra alternative

svetty

WallSt wrote:

https://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/shimano-ultegra-6800-wheelset-review.html

Info on the ultegra alternative

Except that the 'Ultegra equivalent' would be the RS81 not the 6800......

bmxboy10

Are the Zonda C17s Tubeless ready?

Ernesider

Bobbinogs wrote:

WallSt wrote:

FYI read

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/wh ... c24-wheels
...

In 2011 they probably seemed like a decent wheel but, even then, the review made no attempt to put the £800 asking price into context merely extolling the virtues of a light, stiff wheelset. At the time, one could buy the Zondas for about £300

£540 I paid for mine - Merlin January 2013

matt-h

The fact that the Dura Ace C24 is only .7mm thick on the brake track would put me off.
I dont think they represent good value at all

Matt

Vino'sGhost

matt-h wrote:

The fact that the Dura Ace C24 is only .7mm thick on the brake track would put me off.
I dont think they represent good value at all

Matt

i was worried about that too, 30,000 miles ago.................

imposter2.0

matt-h wrote:

The fact that the Dura Ace C24 is only .7mm thick on the brake track would put me off.
I dont think they represent good value at all

Matt

You've misread that. The wall thickness of the upper rim surface (the laminate part) is 0.7mm, but the depth on the braking track is much thicker. 0.7mm on the brake track would not be structurally safe.