Would upgrading Open Pro wheelset w/ Ultegra hubs to Kysrium SSC SLs make sense (meaning would I really notice a difference in relation to costs)? I know I would save some wait, but don't really know what else to expect. I live in the Rockies so climbing is important and it is always windy. Any other suggestions. I am 6 ft, and 160-165 lbs.

Have you checked out how much weight you would save? It's not a lot. Whether you could tell the difference without being able to see the wheels is open to question. Certainly the Ks don't offer any performance over a Chorus or DA hub with Velocity Aerohead or OP rims and a quality build. That is, unless you consider the visual aspects to be performance. There's nothing wrong with Ks except the cost/value ratio and the fact that they're not something that's easy for you to maintain in the case of a broken spoke. IMO, there are better places to spend your $$.

Thanks for the reply - Kind of my gut feeling on the cost/value ratio as you put it.

Guess my masters degree didn't do much for my spelling abilities!!

The aero benefits of the K's are not going to get you up those hills any faster. You will get a marginally stiffer lighter wheelset. If you carry your wallet while you ride that will be substantially lighter if you get the K's.

I just crawled through that long FSA wheel thread for the first time and I am intrigued. The wheelset would weigh about 1600 grams with titanium skewers and costs less than $400 at some retailers. I think that weight is definitely very competitve compared to other prebuilt wheels, and lighter than almost any Open Pro build.

Made the upgrade you described. Found new 2003 SL's which eased the cost a bit. I found an immediate difference on the flats, and some perceived climbing help (not sure if real). Mostly I found a harshness to the ride that I was not pleased with. Nevertheless, on balance I am riding faster and am happy I have my K's.

there's no aero benefits in the Ksyriums, this exists only when I need to sell a set on ebay !

As for weight, the SL are slightly heavier than the set of Hugi 240 / Revos / Open pro that I bought for $300 shipped a few months ago.

Pierre



The aero benefits of the K's are not going to get you up those hills any faster. You will get a marginally stiffer lighter wheelset. If you carry your wallet while you ride that will be substantially lighter if you get the K's.

Didn't the FSA thread say tires were a bugger to put on?
They're not mind boggling light, either. And they're not deep enough to be aero, so... Or if you've got money to burn, get some American Classic 350s or get yourself some handbuilts for about $400.
In your shoes, pre-built wheel systems offer nothing but a "cool look."

If you "found an immediate difference on the flats" then your old wheels must have had some serious bearing friction issues. Ks offer little, if any, aero benefits. Unless you've done repeated time trials on a fixed course and compared times with the different wheels, I would suggest the placebo effect as the cause of your "riding faster" claim.

I have to say, I've been doing just that (i.e., running the same course on a bike, with K-Elites, and some "regular" wheels--recovering from an injury), and I've found I really am (marginally) faster with the K's, according to the watch. Not much, but it's there. Certainly not hundreds of dollars' worth of speed, but undeniable. I also notice that the K's seem to have a bit more "quickness," in getting them up to speed. I attribute this to perhaps a bit less flex in the spokes of the K's, but I'm guessing. If I were riding for a living, with my sponsors picking up the tab, I'd be riding Ksyriums.

But since I'm not, any marginal advantage they have is pointless. (For the record, I got 'em thrown in at a Don Corleone-like price when I bought a group from my LBS.) Plus, I have also noticed that the bladed spokes make things just a bit dicier in crosswinds; not like, say, the old disk wheels, but you do have to pay a little more attention, esp. riding no-hands. And, at least according to Mavic, they're the strongest wheels they make; I top out at 220 lbs., and haven't had any problems with them. I'm not a beast, but I give them a good workout. I don't think, at my size, I'd want to go up the Ksyrium ladder, though; I just don't trust the "Zircal" and shaved rim thing, esp. for even more money.

One point which I haven't seen made is about the quality control of prebuilts. I suspect that a gifted and superior wheel builder can indeed make a comparable "regular" wheel, but I also suspect that these builders are rare, and not every shop has one. To me, it's sort of like the custom frame builders, vs. robots. The former may turn out a better product, but the latter is likely to be more consistent over time.

So thanks for replys. Doesn't seem that Ks would be much of a complement to my existing Open Pros.

Therefore, any recommendations for a good complement wheelset for lots of climbing while also dealing with wind (wicked combo). My current ride is a steel Crown Jewel with a soon to be Ouzo fork.

So thanks for replys. Doesn't seem that Ks would be much of a complement to my existing Open Pros.

Therefore, any recommendations for a good complement wheelset for lots of climbing while also dealing with wind (wicked combo). My current ride is a steel Crown Jewel with a soon to be Ouzo fork.

Do a search for threads on aero wheels. You'll be able to read as much as you can handle!

M

Do a search for threads on aero wheels. You'll be able to read as much as you can handle!

M

I sometimes feel like I am beating a dead horse when I say this, but you are looking for climbing wheels... are you stopping at the top of the climb? Make sure you don't get the absolute lightest thing on the market.. they aren't as stiff and durable as better handbuilt wheels. And stay away from carbon wheels for climbing unless you are using them for uphill time trials. You all saw what happened to Beloki on his nice light carbon climbing wheels. Jan Ullrich nearly lost his Tour in 97 because he had nice light carbon climbing wheels... they are great going up the mountain, but they suck coming down the other side.

The arguement always seems to be made that you save more going up with them than you lose coming down with them, which is an acceptable response to someone racing the Tour, but the facts are that braking is sketchy at best with them and your safety and possibly your life depend on solid wheels when you come down the fast fun side of the mountain.

I am not saying my opinion is the only one, or that it is correct, but please consider this arguement against super light climbing wheels before you buy them. Just get a nice good solid set of wheels.. you aren't superman so you may get hurt if they fail on a descent, and you aren't fast enough that they are going to make a difference anyways... if you were, you would be paid to ride them, not paying for them.

Russ

I have to say, I've been doing just that (i.e., running the same course on a bike, with K-Elites, and some "regular" wheels--recovering from an injury), and I've found I really am (marginally) faster with the K's, according to the watch.

Aren't the Elites the new-for-this-year-bottom-of-the-Ksyrium-line-$300 wheels? I looked at those and I think they were something like 2000 grams? Your other wheels must be from the stone age, or really really low end, because that's darn heavy. IIRC, a reasonable weight for ultegra/open pro/3x (available online for $180 +/-) is about half a pound lighter.

Aren't the Elites the new-for-this-year-bottom-of-the-Ksyrium-line-$300 wheels? I looked at those and I think they were something like 2000 grams? Your other wheels must be from the stone age, or really really low end, because that's darn heavy. IIRC, a reasonable weight for ultegra/open pro/3x (available online for $180 +/-) is about half a pound lighter.

That's the Mavic Ksyrium Equipe you're thinking of, basically a fancy version of the Cosmos. The Elites aren't quite so portly. My Ultegra/OP wheels weigh about 1800 grams with ti skewers, that's heavy duty bang for the buck.