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Afternoon All,
I'm after a new pair of road wheels to replace the stock R501's on my bike. I have a budget of £200 ish, maybe £250 if pushed.
So far I have seen the following and wondered if anyone had any options on them and/or if there is something else obvious I have missed:
Mavic Ksyrium 2010's at Merlin
Flucrum Racing 5
Mavic Aksium S
For various reason's I don't want to go down the hand built route and I really don't want Shimano hubs. The usage will be standard 3 - 4 hour road rides with the odd sportif thrown in, no racing though.
I'm doing the same at the moment, my list is pretty much the same as yours - with the addition of some Shimano Ultegra hubs. I really don't like loose ACBs, and cup and cone, but it's on a road bike, so I'll just keep an eye on them if I went down that route.
The other option would be Planet X AL30s.
Most seem to say the Aksiums are the best bet at £200.
My mate was in the same dilemma and he went for the Ksyriums from Merlin.
Good wheels ,good price.
Had aksiums on the road bike, replaced them with Fulcrum 5s. Both great wheelsets for the price. Personally I prefer the Fulcrums.
Similar boat to OP and i'm either looking at the 2010 Merlin Kysirums or these:
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/wheels/road-wheels/factory-road-wheels/supra-ra30-wheels.html
Which for the money look bloody good!
For something that looks modern then Fulcrum racing 5's all day, if you want want something that looks more traditional then you could get some mavic open pro's on 105 hubs for that as well, i have both for different bikes and like them both.
These on Merlin for £234: http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/wheels/road-wheels/factory-road-wheels/shimano-ultegra-6700-wheels-grey-pair.html
Askiums deffo
spend a bit more money and get these:-
http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=77&products_id=520
disgracefully cheap for what they are. the stans 340 rims are fantastic and will place you in good stead for the rapid influx of tubeless road tyres which are now hitting the market.
my brother has just bought a pair of stans 340 rims laced to dt swiss 180 hubs... he paid nearly 4x the price of the superstar wheels for bugger all difference (okay, so the dt swiss hubs are cutting edge, have great bearings and are seriously light, but still...).
a genuine 1350g wheelset that is tubeless ready for under £300 is storming value... end of.
Freddie - I'd be buying those wheels if they were stiff and had good braking performance. Which according to a mate they are not.
What about the other Superstar road wheelsets, look good value for money, and plenty light...
http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=77&products_id=409
http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=77&products_id=684
Not wishing to start an Octopus-fest, but my SSC 29er wheels have been spot on so far, after a good re-truing / tensioing at home.
Askiums deffo
Nope. The Ksyrium, even though they're older will be nicer than the Aksiums. Bit of a muchness between the Fulcrums and the Ksyriums, but I'd go with the Fulcrums.
The SS Stans wheels above are superb value, but unless you're uber lightweight they probably be too flexy.
I'd say take a good long look at the pro-lite braccianos. I was a bit sceptical reading all the excellent reviews in the mags as I had never heard of pro-lite, but bought a set just before xmas and I'm seriously impressed. Seem really stiff, roll really well (I'm noticeably quicker when freewheeling downhill compared to mates of a similar weight), and they are light at <1500grm. Thye make a nice whooshing noise as well!
Last few Aksiums I've had/mates have had have been a mixed bag quality-wise. I'd go Fulcrums myself, or the Ultegra tubeless.
pro-lite braccianos
Not available anywhere I can see, apart from Campag hub......
Anyone seen them elsewhere?
Look at the Fulcrums, I have some that I just brought for a bike project.
*Shamless plug part* Change of plan though and I am now selling the bike. I may split it all. Have a look at my ad in the profile and if your interested maybe we can do a deal on the wheels. 🙂