I am about to choose a wheel set for my road bike. I’ve got around £1000 to play with (its a big birthday present). So I’m tempted with the Mavic Ksyrium-SLR. I don’t need proper aero, so any thoughts from the single track mind?

If I had £1k to spend on a pair of wheels, I’d buy Mavic.
Nothing beats them in terms of weight, stiffness & reliability IMO.
You’ll also still be able to get spares in several years time, unlike some manufacturers.

My thoughts;
1.) Don’t spend that much on wheels.
2.) Mavics get a bad press from people who prefer handbuilt wheels.
3.) They only wheels I’ve had trouble with have been handbuilts.
4.) Mavics are expensive and difficult to get fixed, but seem to be well built and strong.
5.) Don’t spend that much on wheels.

…Or get some Zipp 404s… 😀

Ah “crikey” I note points 1 and 5 and would ask whether you’ve been talking to mrs Kiril?

I’ve been looking at the Dura Ace ones on Merlin for far too long! C35’s probably. Will eventually hit the buy button. Don’t think you can go far wrong with those.

Edit: linky

I have Mavic Ksyrium SLR’s, they’re perfect for Clydesdales and MTB’ers who are getting into road cycling.

I’m a fairy hefty unit and have no problems cranking along on the flat. So when it came to choosing new wheels for the ‘Sunday best’ bike aero wasn’t that big a deal but low weight and stiffness were, these areas are where the Ksyrium’s major.

The Exalith braking surface is ace as well, the extra modulation and power is genuinely impressive. Just be aware that the first set of brake pads will get munched in no time as the rim beds in, during the bedding in period they will also howl like banshees under braking, it gets better, trust me.

I’ve probably done about 900 miles on these now so if you have any questions feel free.

As a matter of interest: How many miles do you reckon you would get out of a set of £1000 wheels before the rims need replacing?

That is too much for a set of wheels. You are being milked like a cow.

Whilst I’m a fan of Mavic road wheels and have Ksyrium Elites on my summer bike they are very stiff so not a great choice if you have a harsh-riding frame. They’re not exactly impressively light for the money either and far from aero. The SLR’s exalith brake track makes the whole wheel look great though + it works (although there are some concerns being raised over it’s longevity).
Personally I’m going to switch Pacenti SL23’s on some bling(ish) hubs to replace mine as there’s no weight penalty + I can run tubeless (and intend to convert once Schwalbe finally release the tubeless Ultremo). If tubeless isn’t something you’re interested in though then the SLRs would be a good choice.

That is too much for a set of wheels. You are being milked like a cow.

Surely whether a set of wheels is too much money is subjective to the purchaser?

I have a pair of Ksyrium Sl’s. Very impressed, been running them for a year or so. My only gripe is the paint on the hubs isn’t that durable.

As a matter of interest: How many miles do you reckon you would get out of a set of £1000 wheels before the rims need replacing?

Good question, these are very much my ‘Sunday best’ wheels and are looked after accordingly, the grim weather last year is why these have only done 900 miles or so. The Exalith coating seems to be lasting very well so far. The payback is that the special pads for them do seem to wear quite fast.

That is too much for a set of wheels. You are being milked like a cow.

I feel the same way about people with iPhones or who fly business class, each to their own.

I have a pair of kyserium sl permiums on my ‘best bike’ and they really are a fantastic set of wheels. I’ve not had any paint issues with the hubs.

I wouldn’t hesitate to buy the same again.

That’s really helpful; has anyone had any problems with them being sensitive to gusts of wind?

Too much for wheels, I guess it’s an unjustifiably large amount. Like the amount I spent on the mtb so I don’t attempt to justify it. However we went on holiday to Sicily last year and I saw a load of white haired Italians on gorgeous bikes cycling up Etna. I thought sod it, why wait, I can afford it.

I was looking at getting a set of the Ksyrium SLR’s but I noticed the Ksyrium SLS’s are a few grams lighter and a bit cheaper without the hassle of only ever having to use mavic brake pads which aren’t stocked by all shops.

The SLR’s definitely look nicer but I do think that’s what you’re paying for over the SLS’s.

If you do go for mavic it’s worth paying for their MP3 protection which covers any damage including crashes for two years.

You don’t have to justify it, except maybe to yourself ( and your wife, obviously 😆 )

After much deliberating, I got DA C24s. In terms of value for weight, there’s nothing else close. The C35s don’t really seem very good value in comparison.

The Mavics look lovely, but I couldn’t justify spending almost twice as much purely for cosmetic reasons.

1350gms for about 600 quid… Spend the leftover on some nice clothing. 🙂

I have been looking at road wheels lately also.

I like the look of the Mavics, but that model is far too pricey for little weight reduction in my opinion.

My first question would be what bike are you going to put them on?

then how much do you weigh?

How many miles per week and on what type of roads?

I would probably go for a lower cost wheel that might be only 100g more in weight. Like someone else said, spend the rest on clothing or something else.

i looked at the fulcrum 3 2 way fit. After this wheel the next model is a huge step up in price and only 50 grams lighter. I can buy these wheels and then get a new seat, stem and post, still have spent less and have a much better weight reduction.

All fair comments, it depends on what your priorities are, mine were

1. stiffness
2. high strength to weight ratio
3. braking

The SLR’s ticked those boxes very nicely and for what I want they’re perfect, others have different requiremernts and should buy differenm wheels.

oh and crosswinds aren’t an issue, the rims are pretty low profile.

I’m a big fan of Ksyriums, but I’d suggest looking into the cost of re-rimming them when they do wear out and the hassle element – quite a few wheel-builders won’t touch them, which means sending them back to Mavic who, I think I’m right in saying, will completely rebuild them with new spokes as well as rims, which makes it a pretty expensive process.

You should also bear in mind that if you break a spoke, the low spoke count means that the wheel will distort enough to jam in the fork or rear triangle. Fortunately the one time it’s happened to me, I was only about five miles from home and a mate very kindly came and picked me up. Finding a new spoke was also a bit of a hassle, Pedalon stock them online, but as the wheels get older, replacements are harder to find, or that’s my experience with CrossMax XLs anyway.

Great wheels in a light, fast, stiff way and the Exalith thing makes sense to me, but not without drawbacks.

[sigh…]

Hey Shibboleth,

I just read your note about the DA C24s. I checked them out and I think this could be the wheel for me! 😀

Thanks for the comments; all useful. So will I Mavic or not? I’m not sure 😉

Well for a gran you could probably buy something better from the competition.
RR21 Dicut or RC38 spline if you want Carbon rims. Or RR1450 tricon. All from DT

£750 certainly isn’t too much to spend on wheels.£2.5k for zipps/envy/reynolds is unless you are minted/very good/deluded.
SLS’s are the pick of the bunch,as long as you don’t mind white.You don’t get much for the extra money with Slr’s/Rsys and Equipe/Elites are a bit overpriced tbh.
We’ve sold 30+ sets of Sl/Sls’s in the last 12 months to so err some ‘less than subtle’ riders and bar accidents (of which there have been a few and have all been turned arounds <5 days by the now UK based Mavic service centre) they have all been spot on.Sl rim is £170-c24 is £250 iirc
And Mp3 means 3 years of no worry for very little outlay.
The only other option I see is Shimano DA C24’s (which I’ve run) but they need a bit more looking after and certainly are’nt as stiff (although ride quality is a wee bit better).

Left field but Giant P-SLR 1’s.DT made with star ratchet hubs,scandium rims (spoke tech from tricons) and tubeless ready.Not crazy light at 1390g BUT giant dealers HAD to take them as part of the buy in.RRP is £750 but I bet you can get them a hell of a lot cheaper than that if you pester.
Just need to see past the Giant branding (which is the only reason they hav’nt sold in the first place).

Hey Shibboleth, I just read your note about the DA C24s. I checked them out and I think this could be the wheel for me!

I really don’t think you can go far wrong with them. They’re not the most exotic wheelset on the market, but in terms of getting the job done well, there’s nowt better in that price bracket.

The difference after riding Ultegras and Open Pro handbuilts over winter is amazing, if anyone says they’re not particularly stiff, I’d really have to wonder what they want out of a wheel – they’re plenty stiff enough for an 80kg rider like myself. And they spin up so fast, I have to get used to tapping it up a sprocket before getting out of the saddle.

I’ve said it many times before, but look at what pro teams use – particularly the ones that have to buy their own kit. 80% are on Shimano wheels this year.

Shibboleth,

Now I got a dilemma, The C24s are way up on my list. But they are right next to Fulcrum R1s,

Any one made the comparison?

Now getting spares for Fulcrums IS a right pain in the ‘arris.£8 a spoke and god help you if you have to replace a nipple! (inner rim is’nt drilled!!!).And £40 for 2 freehub bearings (which are propritary).
Fail….which is a shame cos they look just like mavics.

I have Fulcram 1’s and RS80’s…..Both are good wheels, I do prefer the feel of the 80’s…for the last 8 months I’ve been riding with the RS80 on the front and the Fulcram on the back….

Hey Lazybike,

Would recommend the R1s? what are the good and bad points? I am looking for a wheel for the alps.

Mine are 3yr’s old and they’ve been fine, stayed true, bearings spin forever, they’re stiff, rims are wearing well…on smooth alpine roads they’d be pretty good…I’m 74kg, and I find them a bit harsher than the RS80’s.