looking to put a new wheelset on my cannondale r700 for the upcoming racing season in the spring.. i'l be racing in mostly crits and road races. I want to spend under 800 dollars. Any ideas as to what direction I should go? I've heard some people tell me that the ksyrium SL's are the best wheel for that price range.

Many on the board here prefer hand-built wheels.

I have raced on a set of SL's all year, TT's, Crits, and RR's and they have been excellent for me. I weight about 178 and the wheels are as true as they were out of the box 2500 miles ago. Easy to mount tires, good feel on the road, decent weight-about 1550g or so.

There are shops selling new SL's on ebay for about 600 or so.

You might wanna concider the Fulcrum Racing Zero, Racing 1 or Racing 3?
Or Campagnolo Eurus or Zonda? I know many have mixed feelings about the Ksyrums, but have never heard bad things about Fulcrums, or the mentioned Campywheels.

Edit: Typo...sigh

Nothing wrong with the K wheels except their price. Are you going to be racing cat 5's?
As mentioned above, prebuilt wheels don't offer an advantage over nice handbuilts, and cost more.

They are the ubiquitous "race wheels," however, and their resale value is solid if you don't break them.

if nothing wrong = not that stiff, not aero, not that light, too few spokes and overpriced i agree w/ the above.

sorry if i seem like a mental patient on this, i just do not like Ks. oh well, thats good since every1 else seems to want to ride them, and i don't like 'me too' stuff on my bike.

they don't seem like a good race event wheel either (for amateurs), mainly for the lack of aero and cost and lack of redundancy. stuff gets damaged in races, particularily when ppl go down. u wanna be able to go to the LBS and get a new rim and a few spokes and rebuild your wheel inside a day if it happens. Good luck doing that w/ prebuilts.

You might wanna concider the Fulcrum Racing Zero, Racing 1 or Racing 3?
Or Camagnolo Eurus or Zonda? I know many have mixed feelings about the Ksyrums, but have never heard bad things about Fulcrums, or the mentioned Campywheels.

I like the fulcrums, but they are very pricey. Especially the 1's. I like the Eurus and Zonda's too, but the spoke patteren made me nervous.

I like the fulcrums, but they are very pricey. Especially the 1's. I like the Eurus and Zonda's too, but the spoke patteren made me nervous.

I'd have a Eurus or Zonda anyday over any Ksyrium. In fact, Neutrons would be about perfect.

I'd have a Eurus or Zonda anyday over any Ksyrium. In fact, Neutrons would be about perfect.

Believe me, I am partial to campy, but couldn't get past the rear spoke pattern and at the time they were more money. So far the K's have been good to me, but then again I haven't had to replace a spoke or anything yet. Finger's crossed. :)

if nothing wrong = not that stiff, not aero, not that light, too few spokes and overpriced i agree w/ the above.

they don't seem like a good race event wheel either (for amateurs), mainly for the lack of aero and cost and lack of redundancy. stuff gets damaged in races, particularily when ppl go down. u wanna be able to go to the LBS and get a new rim and a few spokes and rebuild your wheel inside a day if it happens. Good luck doing that w/ prebuilts.

What he said!

looking to put a new wheelset on my cannondale r700 for the upcoming racing season in the spring.. i'l be racing in mostly crits and road races. I want to spend under 800 dollars. Any ideas as to what direction I should go? I've heard some people tell me that the ksyrium SL's are the best wheel for that price range.
I just got a set of brand new Fulcrum Racing Zero from http://www.bike24.com for $820! And this set is Zero not 1 or 3.
I own a set of Ksyruium SL and I like the Zero better.
If you are planing on doing a lot of crits I think just about any wheels will do (as long as they don't weigh a ton). I'd recommend a set of Reynold DV 46 (preowned on eBay) if you are planing on doing a lot of road races or trying to do a lot of breakaway during crit.
I've seen some nice set of DV's going out at a good price (between 800 to 900) lately.
By the way get your self a set of Cane Creek Speedbar (http://www.canecreek.com/speedbars.html). They are inexpensive and it will add some speed when you are out front breaking the wind.


Good luck!

I weigh about 155 lbs.. desire a stiff semi-light wheel that will accelerate quickly and climb decently.. any further suggestions?

I would rather race with a camelback and baggie shorts than be seen riding with speedbars.


By the way get your self a set of Cane Creek Speedbar (http://www.canecreek.com/speedbars.html). They are inexpensive and it will add some speed when you are out front breaking the wind.


Good luck!

I weigh about 155 lbs.. desire a stiff semi-light wheel that will accelerate quickly and climb decently.. any further suggestions?

well, it seems your info is conflicting... u want crit RR wheels or climbing wheels? or something that can do both well?

are you open to custom or do you want factory wheels?

aero - Nio30s Cx-rays WI hubs = c.1450g much more aero than Ks more spokes rebuildable. Should be less than $600USD (at your weight u could prolly get away w/ a 20/24 build - low spoke, aero and still more spokes than Ks) 30mm profile = aero & stiff. If you are willing it can be had much cheaper with 'off brand hubs'.

Climbing/lightweight = Velocity aeroheads + 28/28 Dt revolution + WI = c.1420g and with quailty hubs and plenty of spokes for your weight, no reason why they can't last for ever. Can also opt to build the DS with heavier comp spokes for a really durable wheel. Still eigh under 1500g.

Hybrid. Velocity fusion (25mm profile) Kinda aero, but not as heavy as Deep Vs (not needed at your weight). 24/28 Cx-ray, WI hubs - Now this will last forever, bombproof at your weight, stiff yet not too heavy. c.1530g.

- all these can be lighter/cheaper with conventional round spokes light Dt revos or the heavier comp. Also can opt for cheaper taiwanese hubs if you like (not a bad idea for disposable race wheels)

if you want factory look at campy - great wheels !

hybrid = Zondas/Eurus... Perfer Zondas for the money, record level hub, 24f/28r profile rim c.1610g

climbing - love the protons - but these days its neutron. basically a 22/24 Velocity build complete with OC rear. weight = 1550g (in truth the velocity is better - pretty much the same rims, more spokes and around 100grams lighter, can be had cheaper as well!!)

food for thought. As you can plainly see, all of these are better on all counts than Ks. Obviously, i prefer the custom wheels. Cheaper and rebuilable, and YOU choose the spoke count/type.

hey, anyone has any idea on when the 08 DA hubs are coming out? my current wheels are 1840g and i am desperately looking at some 1.4-1.5kg wheels for crits...if the wait for the 08 DA hubs/OP/DT Rev custom will be too long, i might have to go for the racing 3s option...

Might wanna try out the DT 1450 or 1450 Mon Chasseral. And yes, 1450 stands for the weight of the set...:cool:
Great climbingwheels, and strong 'nuf for criteriums

Don't let the hand-built wheel proponents dissuade you.

The Ksyriums do exactly what they are designed for and they do it well. They are a more than reasonably light/aero/stiff combo in a wheel that can be used day in and day out as both a race wheel and a training wheel. They are great for crits since they corner very well.

Now that they have come way down in price they are also a great deal. At one time they were twice the price of the custom builds but are now at only a small premium, and it is money well spent.

Also, at one time parts may have been an issue but any decent bike shop now keeps a supply of Ksyrium spokes on hand for those rare occasions when they require service. The reason that they seem to be everywhere is more than the bling factor, they do what they are intended to do and they do it well.

I spent the summer on the Reynolds DV46C carbon clincher and lately the Mavic R-Sys and everytime I go back to the Ksyriums I am always pleasantly surprised at how exceedingly well they still compare to other high end wheel sets. And yes I do have a set of standard Open Pro/ Ultegra 32/3x wheels but I never grab them since they are heavier and less aero, they have beeen relegated to trainer duty, which is what they do best.

Side note from a happy SL owner. I picked up a set of Hed alps(04 version) from ebay and they seem to "feel" stiffer than the SL's when I stand and get on it. Less flex in the front. Keep in mind I'm using the "feel" word. :)

They look great when you are wearing a yellow TDF jersey and white shorts......on a bike path.

My Ksyrium SSC SL's (the black ones) were getting long in the tooth, so I sold them before before I started getting rim wear and bearing issues.

Ended up buying a pair of the newer Alta Races (with the DT spokes and redesigned hubs). Pretty light at 1590 grams. 31 mm deep profile. Very affordable at $270/pair new.

Been riding on them for the past month and have had zero issues.

Anyone have any negative experiences with these?