see alot of the mavic ksyrium wheelsets out there.
i neeed a new set of training wheels for the road, and then have them switch over to 'cross racing wheels..

would you suggest the equipe? or the elite??

the elites are a little lighter and are a 20 spoke rear, 16 front
little worried about them being strong enough

thanks

of the elites and I'm 230. I don't use them on 'rough courses' but they are strong. have them mounted w/ 30 mm Tufo Tub Clinch, only problem is they are tricky to retrue. They get most use in off season when I switch to raod tites and commute. (I run Tubs in most races). I haven't had any issues yet. have a set of SCC's on a roadie (again came w/bike)
as I'm too frugal to spend $800 on a wheelset and they are doing just fine under my bulking mass. I don't think I'd suggest for cross unless you have a money tree or sponsor.

I raced Elites last season and had no problems...until somebody jammed a pedal into my rear wheel during a particularly psychotic start. It bent a spoke pretty bad and even "bubbled" the rim where that spoke entered. :(

But it can happen to any wheel. For me that was a fluke thing and I don't think twice about running lightweight wheels, even on trail rides, but then I'm pretty easy on my equipment. With cross wheels especially, don't run anything you can't afford to replace in a weekend.

This...http://www.cyclingnews.com/teamtech04.php?id=tech/2004/probikes/mccormack_felt


about the wheels..

That's good reading. With that in mind, run the lightest Ksyriums you can if a.) you can afford to ruin them, and/or b.) you have Mark McCormack's skills.

last summer about a friend of mine going off road into a drainage ditch and crashing into a storm drain at about 25 plus (he was going over 30 before he went off roading). Hit the drain entrance (similar to a 12-14" curb) head on. Quite the crash. I stayed with the bike while he went to the hospital (broken collarbone). When my wife came by I loaded his bike in our car and then rode to the hospital.
He asked me "How's the Bike?" "Good News is your Brand New Ksyrium SCCs are fine"
I replied. "Bad News is your C-Dale Optimo folded so badly it tore through both the top and downtubes"

I have a set of 4 year old ssc's that are still strait, mostly. I've crashed them, smashed them and raced them into the ground. They are tough wheels, just check a few of the bikes posted on the mtbr.com 29" message board. However the ride on these are not as nice(stiff) as the everyday set nor are they as stiff laterally. Maybe they've improved in the last few years. Are they cool looking and give you that special feeling when you put them on your bike.... yeah but your better off spending your $ on a nice set of custom wheels from daves speed dreams or a good local wheel builder.

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that it takes about $200 for Mavic to do a rebuild. you'd be better off w/ something more easily and cheaply fixable.

I have had great luck with repairing the top level Ksyrium wheels at the shop where i work. They are very easy to true and replacing bent/ broken spokes is a breeze. The hubs are some of the most durable and easily adjustable around. I was very sceptical of aluminum spokes when these came out but I'll be damned if they don't hold up well, especially under bigger and more aggressive racers. This is the wheel I'd recommend if you have the $$$ and you want a stiff wheel. As a race wheel, these are the best choice for bigger guys who want light and reliable, a hard to find combo to be sure! The less expensive models are equally or more durable. Sure, to have the wheel completely rebuilt by mavic is expensive, but the wheel is just like new and mavic stands behind their repairs.