I’ve read reviews that have said “they’re a bit noisy and eat pads for the first few hundred miles, but after that they’re fine”, and others that have said “unbearably noisy; never quietened down”. I like the sound of their alleged improved wet weather braking (though that’s not a massive deal), and the fact that they are grey and therefore pretty. But I don’t want them to shriek like banshees every time I brake.

So, anyone have any real world experience with them that they’d care to share? Thanks!

There not noisy if setup correctly with a bit of toe. There is a subtle sound but its more of a woosh.. 😉

Mine weren’t particularly noisy, but they did eat pads even after around 1000km. They are awfully pretty though. The braking is pretty good compared to carbon rims in the wet, but not that much of an improvement in the dry and certainly not vastly better than alloy rims

I used mine for an Pyrenees trip and I think I did about four sets of pads in 10 days. My brother and I were 4th on Strava on the descent of Hautacam so we weren’t exactly mincing. Try finding Exalith pads in Lourdes – its a mission

Interesting thanks. Pads could get expensive if you continually go through them that quickly! Not many alpine descents around here though, so I guess not so hard on them.

I never struggled with the noise, though even when carefully set-up it’s always there, but quite pleasant.

What was less pleasant was the fact that i stripped the coating off the back rim in a single wet ride in the peaks. Grit and flint dust on the road side and Exalith rims don’t go together.

Only £300 for a new rim and a few spokes- never again…

It’ll be disc-road for me from here on in.

Agreed, and I only ever used mine in the dry. For a nice set of ‘sunday best’ wheels they were perfect, but I wouldn’t used them year round (too nice) and they’ll look proper rough if you do manage to wear through the coating. For the cost, you could get a set of Vision Metron 40s (Planet X have them cheap at the moment) and in my opinion they’re an all round better wheel, look better, are wider and just all round faster.

so the wet weather braking is better, but no one puts that into practice because you trash the braking surface in wet weather 😆

I like the noise they make – but some do squeal, this is the toeing issue.

I’d have (do have) Light Bicycle carbon instead for a Sunday best wheelset.

I had a set but got fed up of changing them when the weather turned. A friend also had a set and stripped the front braking surface after one wet ride – I sold mine soon afterwards. Now that carbon can be bought so cheaply they are making less sense.

Ah. Braking surface durability is a concern then. I’m erring towards aluminium because I want to use them year-round, and put a decent number of miles into them. Not much point in going for a pretty grey one if it will look rubbish after a few manky rides. Might be best just to go for the cheap Cosmic Pro Carbon option then I guess. Or else maybe those Dura Ace C35 jobbers… though it smarts that they’re so much more expensive than the C24 ones!

the black coating is mostly there to look nice, when it wears it looks a bit tatty

Those Cosmic Pro Carbon’s weigh a ton. They’re the ones with the carbon ‘fairing’ on an alloy rim non? I had a set and whilst nice you certainly notice the weight.

Are you after aero, lightweight, aero + lightweight or just something that looks pimp?

C’mon, lets have a what road wheels thread 🙂

Cosmic Pro Carbon’s weigh a ton

mine are 1680 ish without tyres.

that’s not bad for an aero wheel

I want aero, light, durable, pimp looking and cheap. Obviously. 🙂

A good chunk of my riding is (or will be once I’ve got a new bike) lengthy commutes from Oxford to London. Normally I pick dryish days, but it will rain sometimes. There’s lots of silly cars and junctions and stuff at the London end, so I do have to speed up and slow down quite a bit. But I like the aero look, and like going as quickly as I can when the opportunity presents.

SO, I think full carbon would probably be foolish, mainly because I use the brakes from time to time, so might find them a bit rubbish when wet, and might wear them out a bit quickly. Aeroish means a bit heavy if not going full carbon – those Mavics are not light, but then nor are others with alu braking surfaces.

Ideally I’d like something 35-50 mm deep, at least moderately wide, with a durable braking surface and not too heavy. And less than a grandish. (Though that might tighten, depending on the insurance payout!)

I guess going with some direct Chinese carbon jobber and accepting that the braking surface might wear out might not be a bad option.

SO, I think full carbon would probably be foolish, mainly because I use the brakes from time to time, so might find them a bit rubbish when wet, and might wear them out a bit quickly. Aeroish means a bit heavy if not going full carbon – those Mavics are not light, but then nor are others with alu braking surfaces.

FWIW, just to inform you, rather than a “recommend what you have” thing, my FarSports rims get similar use (periodic-largely-nice-weather-but-not-always commuting from Sussex – North London with all the traffic that entails) and the braking has really impressed me – on par, if not better (even in the wet) than the NoTubes Alpha rims on the winter bike, using Swiss Stop Black Prince pads. In the dry it’s superb, and in the wet very good indeed.

They are an absolute world apart from the vastly more expensive carbon Bontrager wheelsets I used 6 or 7 years ago (Aeolous and XXX Lite).

I’ve got 23mm wide, 38mm deep clinchers with Tune Mig/Mag hubs and CX-Rays and they’re 1320g.

May not last forever, but a replacement rim is cheaper than anything Mavic!

Hmm, that’s interesting, thanks. Would also be an easy way to make use of the Powertap hub I have here…

TBH for that sort of riding I’d probably get some alloy rims like the Panceti SL23 and build them on some Ultegra or DT hubs. Or might be tempted by some 38mm Farsports rims like njee’s.

BORING! (My Powertap is currently built up into an SL23 🙂 )

I’ve got them on my summer bike (ksyrium SLRs I think). Have done about 12000km on them with the same set of pads. They make a cool noise. The coating still looks great – no noticable wear.

The bike does get ridden in wet conditions, just not in filthy winter gritty wheel-hell conditions. The wet braking performance is similar ballpark to the cable discs on my winter bike.

I’m genuinely surprised that folk are eating through brake pads though – mine are maybe half worn, if that.

BORING!

Well you are commuting on them!

A grand is quite a tricky price point. Reckon deep section carbon starts to get interesting from about £1.5k.

Wheelsmith Aero dimpled on wheelsmith hubs maybe?

I do quite like the look of the new full carbon Ksyrium wheels, but get the impression Mavic are a PITA if they need work, and they are out of budget.

How about a Reynolds Assault and Strike combo? Full carbon clinchers, decent braking surface, test well for aero, fashionably wide, around 1500g, quite pimp, only a grand (with the extra 10% off wheelset code they have at the moment) and get decent reviews.

I want aero, light, durable, pimp looking and cheap.

I think all boxes ticked (well reasonably priced if not cheap.)

Hey, they look pretty good! I think 41 mm front and rear, i.e. Assault rather than combo) would probably be enough. Now if only the insurance company would pull their fingers out then I could do some real shopping instead of just looking at pictures…

I’ve got the Ksyrium SLR with Exalith2 I’ve done 6-8k miles in Alpes, UK, Majorca in rain and shine (mainly shine though) and still only half way through my 1st set of pads and rim surface is still unmarked and intact.

They make a really cool noise when braking, look pimp as hell and (very) occasionally squeak when brakes applied very very hard, think rear wheel in air front braking, once toed and worn in a little.

To be fair I’ll probably put the disc all-road versions on my new Bish Bash Bosh as my skinny tyre wheels. I do think they’re the best looking wheels, just not an utterly impervious braking surface. Unlike the Bontrager ceramics that came on my old Adroit, Holy 5hit they lasted three years.