Mavic Elites/Velomax Circuits worth extra $ over OP/CXP with D/A?

[M.T.]

I'm (finally) replacing my Shimano 535's with a decent set of wheels and I'm not sure which route to go. First option is a decent set of pre-builts, either the Mavic Ksyrium Elites or the Velomax Circuits. OR, get some built wheels, still debating between CXP33 or Open Pro's built around Ultegra or Dura-ace (I just upgraded to D/A 10, so Im leaning towards the Dura-ace hubs).

Just for reference, I weigh 170, don't ride on particularly rough roads very much, and plan on doing some racing with these wheels. I ride hard enough to flex the 535's (which I imagine is not that hard) as I can hear the brakes rub on the rims when I stand up to sprint or climb fast, so I'm not sure if the Open Pros will be stiff enough (want to stick with 28 or 32 hole at most to keep weight down).

The Elites or Circuits would cost me about $200-$250 more from my LBS, so I'm just wondering if it's worth the extra $$? Thanks

 

[graf zeppelin]

I'm (finally) replacing my Shimano 535's with a decent set of wheels and I'm not sure which route to go. First option is a decent set of pre-builts, either the Mavic Ksyrium Elites or the Velomax Circuits. OR, get some built wheels, still debating between CXP33 or Open Pro's built around Ultegra or Dura-ace (I just upgraded to D/A 10, so Im leaning towards the Dura-ace hubs).

Just for reference, I weigh 170, don't ride on particularly rough roads very much, and plan on doing some racing with these wheels. I ride hard enough to flex the 535's (which I imagine is not that hard) as I can hear the brakes rub on the rims when I stand up to sprint or climb fast, so I'm not sure if the Open Pros will be stiff enough (want to stick with 28 or 32 hole at most to keep weight down).

The Elites or Circuits would cost me about $200-$250 more from my LBS, so I'm just wondering if it's worth the extra $$? Thanks

I dont know what your budget is, what it would cost you to get a set of wheels built through your LBS, and I didnt do the research to figure out what weights you are ending up with on those wheelsets. I did at least want to point out another possible option for you: have Dave at Speed Dream build you a set of AR20's.

I have ridden on his Aerolites for the past couple years. 20k miles on some rough roads and I never trued them once. They still run true as when I got them. I loved these wheels so much I went with a 1340g/pr build of the AR-20's to rebuild my main bike, moving the others to my training bike. I chose these over SSC-SLs and Neutrons. Maybe a bit more than you want to spend, but worth a look: www.speeddream.com

If nothing else, call and talk to the guy. He knows wheels, will think about and answer honestly anything you can ask him about the subject and loves to talk shop.

 

[dhk]

I'm (finally) replacing my Shimano 535's with a decent set of wheels and I'm not sure which route to go. First option is a decent set of pre-builts, either the Mavic Ksyrium Elites or the Velomax Circuits. OR, get some built wheels, still debating between CXP33 or Open Pro's built around Ultegra or Dura-ace (I just upgraded to D/A 10, so Im leaning towards the Dura-ace hubs).

Just for reference, I weigh 170, don't ride on particularly rough roads very much, and plan on doing some racing with these wheels. I ride hard enough to flex the 535's (which I imagine is not that hard) as I can hear the brakes rub on the rims when I stand up to sprint or climb fast, so I'm not sure if the Open Pros will be stiff enough (want to stick with 28 or 32 hole at most to keep weight down).

The Elites or Circuits would cost me about $200-$250 more from my LBS, so I'm just wondering if it's worth the extra $$? Thanks

Got the Circuits with my new frame as they were less expensive than 32 spoke OP/DA built-up wheels (from Wheelsmith), not more. I like them fine, but wouldn't pay $200-250 more for them over a well-built set of 32 spoke wheels.

The Velomax Ascent/Orion would be a different story..those I'd pay the difference on. Maybe your LBS can swing a deal on them for you.

Those speeddream AR20's look pretty sweet also on the website. Haven't heard of them before, but a well-built set of wheels has to be a good investment long-term.

 

[daveornee]

I'm (finally) replacing my Shimano 535's with a decent set of wheels and I'm not sure which route to go. First option is a decent set of pre-builts, either the Mavic Ksyrium Elites or the Velomax Circuits. OR, get some built wheels, still debating between CXP33 or Open Pro's built around Ultegra or Dura-ace (I just upgraded to D/A 10, so Im leaning towards the Dura-ace hubs).

Just for reference, I weigh 170, don't ride on particularly rough roads very much, and plan on doing some racing with these wheels. I ride hard enough to flex the 535's (which I imagine is not that hard) as I can hear the brakes rub on the rims when I stand up to sprint or climb fast, so I'm not sure if the Open Pros will be stiff enough (want to stick with 28 or 32 hole at most to keep weight down).

The Elites or Circuits would cost me about $200-$250 more from my LBS, so I'm just wondering if it's worth the extra $$? Thanks

Are both front and rear rims rubbing the brakes?
How close are they set?
How true are they?
Are the bearings properly adjusted?

Stiffness comes from number of spokes & their cross-sectional area + the cross sectional area of the rim + the spoke support angle.
New Ultegra and DURA ACE hubs have a stiffer hub as well... at least for the front wheel (6600 + 7800 compared to 6500 and 7700) that contributes more stiffness.
CXP-33 is a little stiffer than OpenPro.
The quality of the build also contributes to stiffness, but is limited by the physical abilities of the components.
DURA ACE and Ultegra hubs are great quality, reliability, durability, and serviceability. Standard butted spokes from DT, Sapim, and Wheelsmith are hard to beat.
If you want more information and data on wheel stiffness see URLs:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/wheel/index.htm
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/wheel/data.htm