Looking to purchase new road wheels and I’m considering rs81, dura ace c24 or fulcrum racing zeros. Any thoughts opinions or others to consider?

Campagnolo Shamal Ultra

Had shimano RS80’s in the past, nice wheels but very flexy out of the saddle when giving it the beans and been through two freehubs due to water getting in. On both occasions water had got in to the drive side bearings as well. None drive side were perfect. Not sure if the 81’s address this issue but I wouldn’t invest in another pair.
I have mavic ksyrium elite S’s now and they are solid and I mean solid. I have had them off road, raced on them and generally battered them and they are as true as the day I unboxed them. You can also take out Mavic mp3 crash replacement on them so when they are looking and feeling tired you can send them off and Mavic and they will work their magic on them.

What do you want from them?

Stiff, aero, light, reliable, pimp?

I have the RS80 and like them. On a summer bike so they rarely see bad weather. One bearing change in 2 years and they are fine. I don’t find them flexi but I’m more climbing whippet than sprinter and tend to stay seated. They are noticably more comfortable to ride than my hope hoops which I bought for reliability when I’m not racing. The hoops 32h, j bend spokes so parts can be replaced and they can be ridden if I break a spoke. Good for long summer rides and cycling holidays. Stiff and not too heavy (maybe 150g over the shimano?). Fine in Majorca in the mountains – not much to look at if that is a concern.

My Fulcrum Racing 1 set have been brilliant over the last two years including trips to the alps- stiff, light and bombproof so I’d go with the Racing zeros. They’ll certainly be stiffer than the others on your list.

Ksyriums if you want factory wheels. Or Archetypes if you want handbuilts.

RS80 & RS81 here, they’ve been reliable & I would recommend them.

However after running tubeless this summer at 75-80 psi I would highly recommend going tubeless for the increased comfort.

I’ve been using 38mm Carbonal carbon rims, on Novatec hubs with Sapim X-ray spokes (1420g) built by Spokeman Wheels for £550.
2 layers Stans yellow tape with Bontrager R3 tubeless tyres & sealant – never touched them since mounting other than to check pressures & top-up.
SwissStop Black Prince pads in the brakes.

RS80s here, I’m 95kg and don’t find them flexy at all. Also got Ultegra tubeless which I’ve not had long but they seem like a real bargain.

Pacenti SL23 rims as another alternative to the H Plus Son Archetype

Cheers for the replies. I currently use RS11s which came on my supersix and I find them stiffer than the Hope Pro3s with Open Pro rims which are on my aluminium Synapse. Jonba, I’m looking for them to be reliable, stiff and reasonably light.

Anybody tried ailerons yet?

Reliable, stiff and ok on weight for me would mean handbuilts – for the simple reason that you can get brass nipples rather than alu. One of the ways a lot of companies reduce weight is to use alu nipples, shave 20g off the wheel weight easily, then say how awesome they are – but when they bind to the spoke, you can’t adjust them. I’d look at any of the decent wider rims like pacenti, H Plus Son or HED (but they’re a bit overpriced), talk to a wheelbuilder about your weight and riding style and see what they recommend for spoke count and then get a hub that fits your need & budget. Light would be tune hubs, reliable (and a bit slutty) would be chris king and decent all rounders would be hope.
That’s what I did anyway, ended up with pacenti SL23 on chris king hubs with CX ray spokes – think it came in 1550g on the pair. Both the hubs and spokes were me being tarty rather than an actual need.

Chris King hubs are likey to be out of reach. Always liked Hope for their customer service and their hubs are easy to service.