Comparitive Road wheelset test

P

paulie

Likes Bikes
Lots of info. Although I am a little more confused about what to do for a new wheelset. For crits I guess I need a stiff, fast, fast accelerating......errr
 
Grover

Grover

Likes Bikes and Dirt
two things standout

the first i've been saying for ages - ksyriums suck - why they're so popular i'll never know, i hope the mavic marketing man is on a big salary, he's earned it.

the second thing is what i suspected - shimano's wheels are damn good. if you're only going to own one wheelset for all road riding/racing get shimano wh-7801 sl's, carbon's if you can be bothered dealing with tubulars, carbon 50's if you don't do the hills thing.

unfortunately they haven't tested the dt swiss rr1450 which i think would perform very well. not a complaint with mine.
 
Last edited:
Sumgy

Sumgy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Interesting on the Ksyrium's.
My wheel builder tells me that the Ksyrium rim is very soft and I personally can feel them flex on climbs.
Oh well. I will ride them until I get a new bike or I kill them (whichever comes first).
 
P

paulie

Likes Bikes
Yeah the simano wheels are definately intersting. Even the low end shimano wheels do pretty well.

I think I am just going to build up my next set of wheels using ultegra hubs, Mavic Open Pros 32H and DT revolution spokes. Wont be the lightest set of wheels at about 1650g but should be pretty reliable and cheap when all the bits are ordered from OS. At least if a rim dies I have alot of options with other rims. Not like being locked into a rim with some of the wheelsets available.
 
dunk

dunk

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I was looking at buying some Ksyriums not long ago, and in the end went for Tune 160/70 hubs , DT Swiss 1.1 rims, and Sapim CX Ray spokes. Light at just under 1450 grams. Stiffer and cheaper than Ksyriums. When my current training wheels die (Shimano R550) I'll probalby go the Ultegra/open pro option as my next training wheels as well.
 
Dumbellina

Dumbellina

Likes Dirt
I am surprised by the performance of the low end Shimano 560's (equivalent to the 500s and 550s).

On the road, and being a big fella (120 kg), I do find the 550's (the rear especially) very flexy, hard to keep trued, and very difficult to true (so I give the LBS that pain). To the point I can hear spokes creaking under load on climbs and sprints.

I get jack of equipment being made with pathetic weight limits like 80 kg. FFS the average Australian male weighs about 80 kg and female weighs about 67 kg (2001 National Health Survey). So a substantial proportion of the Australian population is excluded from using that products - at least 50% of all men. Do their advertisements tell you that? Does the distributor or retailer? Or is it on the Tech Manual that didn't come with the wheel, or in the small print on the website or downloadable PDF tech manual.

You probably find out that your ultra expensive wheelset was not warranted for your weight when you hit a pot hole at speed, the wheel fails, you get seriously injured and the retailer and distributor and manufacturer suddenly pull out the weight limit warning. Thank god for the Trade Practices Act (misleading and deceptive conduct) and Fair Trading Act (fitness of product for its intended use).

Rant over - my Shimano 550 have no weight limit and the test results show its no better or worse than any other.

I am thinking of getting a handbuilt 32 or 36 spoke rear wheel - probably a ultegra hub, DT spokes, and DT rim.
 
L

liamo

Likes Dirt
Dumbellina said:
I get jack of equipment being made with pathetic weight limits like 80 kg.
Click to expand...
But they aren't made with intention of excluding guys like yourself.

Say a manufacturer makes a wheelset with no weight limit and it weighs 1700g, now some 60kg whippet comes along and says, "that's a frickin tank, why should I carry around a wheelset designed for someone twice my weight. It's a racing bike, I want something lighter"

So the maker goes and builds a 1500g wheelset for that guy, slaps a 80kg limit on it. Now you BOTH have a good wheelset option for your needs.
FFS the average Australian male weighs about 80 kg and female weighs about 67 kg (2001 National Health Survey). So a substantial proportion of the Australian population is excluded from using that products - at least 50% of all men.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but I don't see the other 50% who can use those products rushing out to buy them :) Heck, I'm less than 80kg and do some racing but don't own anything rated for my weight.

Remember the test is looking at high end racing wheelsets. For a top level road cyclist the aim would be to find minute, incremental improvements AND their weight is quite likely to be lower than 80kg.

Liam
BTW, if the 80kg you mentioned from 2001 is the average not the median then your stats could be seen as a little misleading. :p
 
DaGonz

DaGonz

Eats Squid
Dumbellina said:
I get jack of equipment being made with pathetic weight limits like 80 kg...

<snip>

You probably find out that your ultra expensive wheelset was not warranted for your weight when you hit a pot hole at speed, the wheel fails, you get seriously injured and the retailer and distributor and manufacturer suddenly pull out the weight limit warning.
Click to expand...
With all due respect, if you're a big bloke, a 20 or 24 spoke, or otherwise uberlight race wheel ain't gonna cut it. This a little bit of a "well derrr..." aspect there surely. The average higher end road wheel set are going to be made for the average higher end roadie. If you put extra meat in to handle that some big bloke might buy it then they stop being a higher end wheel set. The average male in australia might be 80kgs, but the average expert to elite road racer is more like sub 70. They're certainly not going to factor in the said big bloke hitting a pot hole or anything at any sort of velocity...

So if you're on the higher end of the weight scale use your nogg'n and avoid the ultra light bits. Hell even the sprinters in the tour etc... who are usually a little bigger tend to have more beef in their wheels & kit... (stuart o'grady had a couple of syncros MTB bits on his tour bike... )

*shrug*

Cheers
Gonz
 
Oddjob

Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
:cool:
DaGonz said:
With all due respect, if you're a big bloke, a 20 or 24 spoke, or otherwise uberlight race wheel ain't gonna cut it. This a little bit of a "well derrr..." aspect there surely. The average higher end road wheel set are going to be made for the average higher end roadie. If you put extra meat in to handle that some big bloke might buy it then they stop being a higher end wheel set. The average male in australia might be 80kgs, but the average expert to elite road racer is more like sub 70. They're certainly not going to factor in the said big bloke hitting a pot hole or anything at any sort of velocity...

So if you're on the higher end of the weight scale use your nogg'n and avoid the ultra light bits. Hell even the sprinters in the tour etc... who are usually a little bigger tend to have more beef in their wheels & kit... (stuart o'grady had a couple of syncros MTB bits on his tour bike... )

*shrug*

Cheers
Gonz
Click to expand...
Anyone recommend a wheel build for a big bloke then? Weights not really an issue but I would like to keep the cost reasonable.
 
Dumbellina

Dumbellina

Likes Dirt
Ok I can't delinate average and median...

But my point is that being a big fella and riding for many years, I know what will generally take my weight and what I should just forget about.

However, bike components can be misleading. Spruikers in magazines and bike stores can be even more misleading. Bike wheels are more obvious when it comes to weaker stuff - eg 20 spokes is not going to be as strong as 32 or 36 spokes (when made with the same material). But the tests showed that 20 spoke wheels can be strong and withstand the loads the larger riders are putting the wheels under.

What about other components that have weight limits - pedals, cranks, forks - where it might not be so obvious, especially to a newbie or someone easily persuaded by the spruikers.
 
H

horsey

Likes Dirt
I weight 95kgs and have been riding a set of DT rr1450's for about 6 months. they are a beautiful set of wheels; smooth, stiff and haven't even had to tighten a spoke.

they use standard hubs, spokes and rims so maintenance is cheap and simple. unlike most factory wheelsets.
 
rek

rek

Likes Dirt
Another yay for DT stuff. I custom built a wheelset with 240s hubs, revolution spokes, RR1.1 rims, and alloy nipples; laced 32/3-cross rear, 28/2-cross front. Actual built weight is 1447g, and they deal with my 95kg heft very nicely over the nice and not-so-nice streets of Melbourne and surrounds.

(I have no idea why they weigh less than the quoted weight for the RR1450s. I'm quite certain that DT are conservative with quoting their weights on things, I've found just about everything I've had of theirs to be at least slightly underweight. Unlike some other wheel companies I can mention...)

Don't understand some peoples' obsessions with Ksyriums either. I tend to think it's a Beach Rd 'bling' thing. (as much as I hate to say the word 'bling')
 
Grover

Grover

Likes Bikes and Dirt
agreed rek. i'm on 240s hubs, aerolite spokes, alloy nips and 1.1 rims - 28 2x front, 32 3x rear. superb. cannot understand why people would buy ksyriums over a build like this.

real weight is 1467grams. i'm guessing the extra weight over yours is due to the campag compatible rear hub, or possibly you used the 1.5/1.8 guage revo's instead of the 1.5/2.0 guage.

being lighter than the stock 1450's could also be due to using 2x front, the radial hub is heavier than the standard.
 
A

ash_on_mtb

Likes Dirt
Grover said:
two things standout

the first i've been saying for ages - ksyriums suck - why they're so popular i'll never know, i hope the mavic marketing man is on a big salary, he's earned it.

.
Click to expand...
"As nice as FSA, Easton, and Zipp carbon wheels are to ride, it’s tough to beat Mavic’s Ksyrium wheel, the best combination of strength and durability, balance of weight and rigidity, and simplicity of service and set-up out there". - Eric Tonkin from http://cyclocrossworld.com/News.cfm?Action=Edit&MenuKey=1009&theKey=1009&back2=home

:rolleyes:
 
Grover

Grover

Likes Bikes and Dirt
OK, suck was a strong word - they are good wheels. But for the money, you can do better. If you're spending that sort of money on a wheelset that isn't superlight then you'll get better bang for your buck with a custom build based around some DT Swiss 240s hubs.

I guess Ksyriums appeal to OEM 'speccers', easier to buy wheelsets than all the individual components and get them built. And then lots of people are seen riding them, other people think they're the 'bees knees' and we have a snowball.
 
dunk

dunk

Likes Bikes and Dirt
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top