Advise on wheelsets please

Since 2001, over 90,000 cyclist's have joined Cycling Forums to discuss topics from general cycling to equipment, training, racing and travel or vacation destinations (especially in europe during the tour de france). We also feature an great deals in our online store, 100's of articles, classifieds and product reviews.

Just wanting some feed back please ....

I am trying to source some training wheels for my Trek , looking at around 250-350 km a week on them .

I am looking for first hand experiances with the

MAVIC ELITE
and the
FULCRUM

price wise they are in the same sort of ball park , both have sealed bearings and I am sick to death of dealers running this rim down cause they don't sell them .

Thanx in advance

You need to specify which Mavic wheel and which Fulcrum wheel.

You need to specify which Mavic wheel and which Fulcrum wheel.
As the above post says .... MAVIC "ELITE "
and the FULCRUM 5

As the above post says .... MAVIC "ELITE "
and the FULCRUM 5
There is no Mavic "Elite". You did not state Fulcrum 5 in your original post.
Do you mean Mavic Ksyrium Elite or Mavic Cosmic Elite?

price wise they are in the same sort of ball park , both have sealed bearings and I am sick to death of dealers running this rim down cause they don't sell them .

Then why don't you go to a dealer who does sell them, and they won't run them down.

Sounds like you already know what you want to hear, you're just looking for some validation from random internet people. It's your money, just buy what you want :)

Fulcrum 5's are a budget wheel. There are better options out there - Mavic Aksium for one. Fulcrum 5 do come in red though, so they look pimp.:p

Ksyrium Elites aren't a bad all round wheel but aren't cheap.

Cosmic Elites have too few spokes IMO, unless you are a lightweight.

Fulcrum 5s are not in the same class as the Ksyrium Elite. At the price point of the Elite - around A$850-$900 the Fulcrum 3 is the one to compare to. I have a set of Fulcrum 1s which I got for less than Ksyrium SLs which are the equiv.

Fulcrum 5 = same as Aksium in the pricing and performance stakes.

FWIW my bike came with Ksyrium Elites and they are a decent wheel but the Fulcrum 1s are way stiffer and accelerate better as a result - bit lighter not that it is a huge factor in performance. Lastly the Campy hubs on the Fulcrum are better than the Mavic FSL arrangement.

Where im located you either have Mavic dealers or Fulcrum dealers .... I asked about Velocity they both had negative things to say .
The two rim sets are what was recommneded to me , so i really only have that advise to go on .
Im running Bontrager race lights now but they have been replaced under warranty and the warranty is now up and they are not looking too good .

It is not that i have made my mind up , I just have a budget of around the $600 mark ... the Mavic Elite's are a second hand set from a dealer but have less than 150km on them the Fulcrums would be brand new .

I just want a good stiff responcive rim , with sealed bearings , the money is hard earned so i need the purchase to count .

The Fulcrum Racing5 Evolution wheel is a much better wheel than the Aksium. I think it is better the Ksyrium Elite. In crosswinds it's better than the Racing3. The thicker spokes of higher end wheelsets are imo over-rated. If you are not racing then get the Racing5 Evolution.

For $600 I would grab the Elites - better wheel than the Fulcrum 5 (which is a lesser wheell = Mavic Aksium). Riding the Fulcrum 1s in the Melbourne winds I find they handle very nicely - better than the Ksyrium Elites that they replaced.

I am sure the 3 and 5s are ok. But I stick by my view that Mavic Elites that compete with the 3s. Aksiums with the 5s.

The Fulcrum Racing5 Evolution wheel is a much better wheel than the Aksium. I think it is better the Ksyrium Elite. In crosswinds it's better than the Racing3. The thicker spokes of higher end wheelsets are imo over-rated. If you are not racing then get the Racing5 Evolution.i have both the Fulcrum Racing 5 Evo and the Mavic Aksium (used on different bikes). Having used Campy wheelsets (Proton and Zonda), I would expect the Fulcrum, which is made by Campy, to be of the same performance. However I have found that the hub on the Racing 5 Evo not to be as smooth as what I have experienced on Campy wheelsets.

Also, the bladed spokes on the Racing 5 Evo is not as broad as those used on the Aksium. So while the Aksium might be a heavier wheelset, it probably has a better aero advantage over the Racing 5 Evo.

Personally, I don't think the Racing 5 Evo is better than the Aksium, or at least from my experience.

boon

Thanx for the replies guys this is what im after , good critisims on both sides !

I have a mate with Fulcrum 5's on his ORBEA , i have ridden his rims on my TREK and they ran a whole lot better than my Bontrager Select's .

The Mavic for the price is great , so i will be more than likely going to get them .
I won't be racing , not for a good 12 months anyway I need to get more km under my belt .

The guy at one shop as soon as i told him about going with the Mavic's for price jumped straight onto the old "Well I do have some Bontrager Race Lite's you can have for that sort of money , and they are far superior to the Mavic's "

Arrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh they drive me mad

Throwing another brand into the equation what about Miche's new range of wheels & actually supposed to be made in Europe which the others aren't . Italian Alpina brand bladed spokes & an eyeletted Ambrosio brand rims. The Concept model looks nice at 689.00AUD & middle of their range.

http://www.hillbrick.com.au/components/com_phpshop/shop_image/product/ca04a4d3728bbf7aa3d181c205730585.jpg

Throwing another brand into the equation what about Miche's new range of wheels & actually supposed to be made in Europe which the others aren't . Italian Alpina brand bladed spokes & an eyeletted Ambrosio brand rims. The Concept model looks nice at 689.00AUD & middle of their range.

http://www.hillbrick.com.au/components/com_phpshop/shop_image/product/ca04a4d3728bbf7aa3d181c205730585.jpgFulcrum is made in Italy and Mavic is made in France (except for the Aksium, which is made in Romania). As far as I am aware, Italy, France and Romania is still part of Europe.

boon

Ample opportunity to mention MADE IN ITALY plus come & browse some images of our factory , a bit like the Pinarello & Ridley websites really . Mavic wheel levels we are talking about here won't have much European content except assembly.



FULCRUM WHEELS s.r.l.


Fulcrum Wheels s.r.l. designs wheels for racing bikes and distributes them in over thirty countries.
The company is based at Arcugnano amid the Berici Hills in the environs of Vicenza.

Fulcrum Wheels s.r.l. was founded in July 2004 from an idea and from the passion for bikes of three aerospace engineers.The strong points of the young company are: the use of unique patents, continuous technological research and attractive youthful design.


In its first year in business, Fulcrum Wheels s.r.l. earned revenues of Eur 6 million, and exported 70% of its products abroad.

Fulcrum wheels were created for road racing but the real novelty in 2008 will be Fulcrum off-road wheels, suitable for the most impervious terrains.

Fulcrum Wheels s.r.l. only uses ultralight materials such as aluminium, carbon fibre and polyaramide, but ensures that the wheel's strength is never reduced.
Unique worldwide are its Two-to-oneTM system for doubling the spokes in critical points, the Dynamic BalanceTM system for obtaining a balanced rotation dynamic all the time and the MoMagTM system.

Fulcrum wheels gained the trust of great champions right from the beginning and have already crossed the world championship finishing line twice in just two years: with Tom Boonen in 2005 and with Paolo Bettini in 2006.


http://www.fulcrumwheels.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://www.fulcrumwheels.com/images/spacer.gifFulcrum is made in Italy and Mavic is made in France (except for the Aksium, which is made in Romania). As far as I am aware, Italy, France and Romania is still part of Europe.

boon

there are so many of these threads... perusing them at leisure to gain some kind of idea into what defines a wheelset leads me in circles... there are a few on the boards who seem to have a solid grasp on physics along with some basic english (pardon my lack of capitals - i prefer small text) skills who are able to project a coherent voice (artemidorus springs to mind) but they are all but drowned out by ppl who have something to say. which i guess, is the purpose of the forums, but it makes for a difficult task in selecting a wheelset or even identifying properties (or complete names) of a wheelset that are beneficial. o_O... why isn't there a sticky with some nicely priced, reccomended wheelsets for 'those who have established the type of riding they do (road) and want to upgrade to something that they might occasionally race on over summer' :P. or even 'better wheels than bontrager select which yes, did flex like a coathanger just after you bought the bike'...

help me out here, i'm drowning! :O

help me out here, i'm drowning! :O
How much do you want to spend, and how much of a pounding do you intend to give them?

How much do you want to spend, and how much of a pounding do you intend to give them?

well that's where i'm not too sure... would prefer durability at the expense of weight, and the same for stiffness over weight... dont think i wanna spend more than the bike ~2000... so there you have it; around 1000-1600ish that are reasonably tough and good enough to sprint on. if they are slightly aero i will smile more. :D

and thanks for the reply! muchly appreciated

happy if it is a bit less too... otherwise i will have to save more before purchasing...

around 1000-1600ish that are reasonably tough and good enough to sprint on.That's one helluva a wheel budget. You can get top of the line factory wheelsets for that sort of money - or you could easily pay somebody to build you an indestructible pair from uber-light parts.

n