Ksyrium Elite vs Tempest II

My new bike had a set of Ksyrium Elite wheels on it. The rear wheel kept going out of true, so the bike shop said they would waranty the wheel and get me a new set or give me a set of Tempest II wheels. Most posts I've read here really like their Ksyriums, so I think the bad wheel I got was just a fluke. I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. Here's what I know about the wheels from the web sites:

Ksyrium Elites:
1690g
Front rim 22 mm, rear 25 mm

Tempest II:
1560g
30 mm rims front and rear

I'm about 180lbs. I ride about 3-4 days a week and have done several centuries in the last year and a half, and plan on doing several more this year.

What is your take on these two wheels? Is one going to be a harsher ride? Based on weight and aerodynamics the Tempest win. But what else should I consider? I can't ride the Tempest first, so I'm hoping someone else here can help out...

Thanks!

Your getting a good deal if they exchange for the tempest IIs!

I would think there are more posts complaining about the under performance to marketing ratio of mavic than those singing the praises.

beisdes you drop 130grams!!!

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Precision Sports

The Tempest II is more aerodynamic and lighter. I'd call that a clear win unless the Easton set had a reputation for unreliability, which it doesn't.

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"All that we see and seem is but a dream, within a dream..."

No wheel building 'guru' at the shop? Somebody that can design and build a wheelset specifically for you and your needs?

"Getting a bad wheel" means Ksyrium doesn't have good quality control. IMO, Mavic shouldn't be sending any bad wheels out the door at the prices they charge.

Your riding style sounds about like mine, and we all want to knock 15 minutes off last years century challenge time. But I think you should consider quality and durability of the wheelset, and forget about any miniscule aero or weight advantages. Saving a couple of watts at 30 mph may be important to an elite TT competitor, but I'd rather invest in a wheelset that will give me years of care-free riding.

I've had good experience with the Velomax (now Easton) Circuit wheels. They have been rock-solid for 16K miles, without ever needing a truing. The hubs aren't well sealed, but bearings are cheap and easy to replace. I'll buy Orions or Tempest next time without hesitation if the Circuits ever wear out.

EXACTLY!! That's what I was trying to say, but you put it much better than i did. I know they are lighter and more aero, but I'm not fast enough to really feel that difference. I want a wheel that is going to last me a while, and something that will have a good, smooth ride for long distances.

From the last couple posts, sounds like the Tempests probably fit that bill, plus have the slight added benefit of aero and weight savings...

Have you looked at the Orion II also? I've seen them at my LBS and like the finish. Tempest is really a deeper section rim, with fewer spokes: more oriented to TT IMO. I'm 180 lbs also, and the Orion would be my choice for an all-round wheelset. I like the offset rim design in back which allows a more even spoke tension, the round spokes (vs aero-section), and the spoke count. Plus, the weight-savings. Consider how much faster you'll climb those long century hills on a wheelset that's 80 g lighter

My preference would be to swap the Ksyriums for a set of Record hubs and Open Pro, Velocity or DT Swiss rims and have a nice set built. The weight will be right there with either set you mentioned, and you'll have a fast, sturdy and serviceable wheelset for many years.

Why don't campy offer hubs in 28 and 24 holes?? 32 and 36 hole limits them to "training wheel" builds. Even then those of us who don't ride on pave a 28/24 spoke set is ideal. If they had more options with thier hubs (like shimano ) then they would pick up more hub sales outside of thier prebuilt wheels (which are some of the best out there).

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Precision Sports

Probably for the same reason they don't offer Chorus hubs anymore. They would rather sell you a $600-$3,000 set of wheels than a $250 pair of hubs that you will use with someone elses rims and spokes.
I do agree that their pre-built wheels are excellent.

I think that is a mistake. What if you don't want the exact combination they sell? What if you don't want to pay stupidly high amounts for spokes? You then buy form somebody else and they get nothing, and the opposistion gets stronger.
I also feel there is a market for a cost reduce record hub with cup and cone bearings. Campy seems to be shrinking out of the market as the competition expands and multiplies.

One of the few things campy has done right is form Fulcrum. Take campy technology, make it some where cheaper with a brand that doesn't HAVE to be italian, and sell the "nutral" brand to shimano/sram users. Maybe Fulcrum can make the hubs with more spoke hole options, and MTB hubs

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Precision Sports

Or 20, or 16?
I couldn't agree more. Now that they can make very solid 16/20 spoke wheelsets, I don't see the point of spending any kind of money on a custom build with more than 24 spokes. If you're going to go 32, then throw them on a cheap 105 hub. In any case, I've found cheap Shimano hubs to last a very long time with reasonable maintenance.

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"All that we see and seem is but a dream, within a dream..."

Using a Record 32 hole hubset I can make a wheelset that weighs less than some of the 18/20/24 hole wheelsets. Taking 14 spokes away(about 100 grams) and then ADDING 200 grams to the rim to make it reliable doesn't mean the whel is 'faster'.

Well, all other things being equal, it does make it faster because the aerodynamics are improved. I'm not concerned particularly about weight - for me you spend the money to get the aerodynamics.

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"All that we see and seem is but a dream, within a dream..."

But are you sure fewer spokes are more aero? The lowest-drag wheels are solid discs (in zero crosswind), so isn't it possible that more spokes are better? In any event, are we talking about anything significant here,eg, exceeding a watt or two savings at 30 mph? I don't know the answers here, except that aerodynamics is a tricky subject.