Wheels - CR420 vs. Eurus vs. Ksyrium vs. Topolino

[herbert.nrp]

I am buying a new bike and am choosing wheels. I am choosing between American Classics CR 420s, Campy Eurus, Mavis Ksyrium SSC SLs and Topolinos. I have eliminated Spinergy, Velomax and Zipp from consideration because I read horrible postings about their durability and customer service on roadbikereview.com.

Those wheels cost $650 (Eurus), $700 (AC) and $850 (Mavic and Topolino). The ACs and the Topos weigh about 200g less than the other two. The ACs appear to be the most aero by a good margin.

I've read good things about each of these wheels. Any personal experience with durability, frequency of need to re-true, etc.? (I've read postings comparing the ride quality of various wheels, but I can't imagine that wheels could make any noticeable difference in ride quality given the much greater importance of tire choice.)

Thank you for your responses.

 

[njeitner]

Originally posted by herbert.nrp
I've read good things about each of these wheels. Any personal experience with durability, frequency of need to re-true, etc.? (I've read postings comparing the ride quality of various wheels, but I can't imagine that wheels could make any noticeable difference in ride quality given the much greater importance of tire choice.)

Thank you for your responses.

I can't say much about the others but the Eurus are a fabulous wheel IMHO. Although I approached them from a performance point of view and less for comfort.

I would normally lose a race because I couldn't bridge a 10 metre gap. When I upgraded to the Eurus wheels, the increase in acceleration meant I could be there for the final sprint.

On one occasion I bonked badly in a race, lost concentration and went straight into a traffic island. The traffic island has 15cm cement border surrounding it, which I hit head-on at >30kph. Yes, the front wheel did have to be trued but not by much. Considering it was a full-on impact I think the wheels more than stood up to it.

Other that I ride with have had nothing but praise for the Ksyriums tho'.

Nick

 

[djg21]

Originally posted by herbert.nrp
I am buying a new bike and am choosing wheels. I am choosing between American Classics CR 420s, Campy Eurus, Mavis Ksyrium SSC SLs and Topolinos. I have eliminated Spinergy, Velomax and Zipp from consideration because I read horrible postings about their durability and customer service on roadbikereview.com.

Those wheels cost $650 (Eurus), $700 (AC) and $850 (Mavic and Topolino). The ACs and the Topos weigh about 200g less than the other two. The ACs appear to be the most aero by a good margin.

I've read good things about each of these wheels. Any personal experience with durability, frequency of need to re-true, etc.? (I've read postings comparing the ride quality of various wheels, but I can't imagine that wheels could make any noticeable difference in ride quality given the much greater importance of tire choice.)

Thank you for your responses.

You haven't told us anything about you, or what you'll be doing with the wheel? How big are you? Are you hard on equipment? Will you be training on the wheels? Using them solely for racing? TTs? Crits? What kind of terrain do you generally ride and race? A wheel that may be good for a 125lb climber is not going to work very well if you're big and tend to bruise equipment!

 

[rmartin]

Originally posted by herbert.nrp
Those wheels cost $650 (Eurus), $700 (AC) and $850 (Mavic and Topolino). The ACs and the Topos weigh about 200g less than the other two. The ACs appear to be the most aero by a good margin.

Are those prices USD? You guys in the US/Aus seem to get shafted by Mavic - I can pick up brand new Ksyrium SSCs in the UK for equivalent USD 550. the Ksyrium design for 2004 is changing slightly (cosmetic) so maybe you can pick up some 2003 versions more cheaply. The Ksyriums are great wheels btw!

 

[herbert.nrp]

Originally posted by djg21
You haven't told us anything about you, or what you'll be doing with the wheel? How big are you? Are you hard on equipment? Will you be training on the wheels? Using them solely for racing? TTs? Crits? What kind of terrain do you generally ride and race? A wheel that may be good for a 125lb climber is not going to work very well if you're big and tend to bruise equipment!

Yes, fair point. I am 150lbs, love to climb but live in coastal New England, so I don't exactly have the Alps outside my door. And I ride in all kinds of weather on poor roads. I would plan to ride these wheels for both training and racing. I don't think I am particularly hard on equipment, but I don't spend a lot of time tweaking, so low maintenance is a plus.

 

[lokstah]

Hey, Herbet, I was curious... where have you read bad things about Velomax wheels? I've only heard good things about their quality and value, and have been considering Ascent IIs for my new build (yes, the one I've been talking about for months).

 

[drewski]

Originally posted by njeitner
I can't say much about the others but the Eurus are a fabulous wheel IMHO.

Other that I ride with have had nothing but praise for the Ksyriums tho'.

Nick

just to clarify, which do you ride? eurus or ksyriums?

 

[herbert.nrp]

Originally posted by lokstah
Hey, Herbet, I was curious... where have you read bad things about Velomax wheels? I've only heard good things about their quality and value, and have been considering Ascent IIs for my new build (yes, the one I've been talking about for months).

www.roadbikereview.com

 

[lokstah]

Originally posted by herbert.nrp
www.roadbikereview.com

Hmmm... you must be seeing something I don't. I've been to RoadBikeReview, and by the looks of it, Velomax's following is fiercely loyal. The scores available on RoadBikeReview average above 4.6 out of 5 for each reviewed wheel from the Velomax line, with the single exception of the 2001 Ascent Comp, which scored an average of 4.35.

Am I missing something? I could be...

 

[lokstah]

By the way, I just remembered -- I ordered a pair of '04 Ksyrium SLs yesterday, so technically, I'm not looking into Ascent IIs any more.

Back on topic...

 

[boudreaux]

Originally posted by lokstah
Hmmm... you must be seeing something I don't. I've been to RoadBikeReview, and by the looks of it, Velomax's following is fiercely loyal. The scores available on RoadBikeReview average above 4.6 out of 5 for each reviewed wheel from the Velomax line, with the single exception of the 2001 Ascent Comp, which scored an average of 4.35.

Am I missing something? I could be...

I hear no bad mouth about them either.

 

[djg21]

Originally posted by herbert.nrp
Yes, fair point. I am 150lbs, love to climb but live in coastal New England, so I don't exactly have the Alps outside my door. And I ride in all kinds of weather on poor roads. I would plan to ride these wheels for both training and racing. I don't think I am particularly hard on equipment, but I don't spend a lot of time tweaking, so low maintenance is a plus.

I'd suggest skipping the aero wheels, and building up a pair of nice, traditional wheels on a nice set of hubs! You can bulild a set of high-end traditional wheels for less than a set of boutique wheels, and they will be far more easily serviced, and will perform almost as well, if not as well, as the boutique wheels.

Perhaps use a set of chris king or hugi hubs, with Open CDs! If you want to make them lighter, you can use nice light spokes like the DT Revolutions or Sapim CX-Rays. If you want a wheelthat is more aero, use cxp33s and fewer spokes. You can definitely get away with a 28 hole rim, particularly on the front end, and perhaps you can even use radial lacing and bladed spokes. Wheels like this will be great for every day use and for racing.

 

[Rudy]

Originally posted by lokstah
By the way, I just remembered -- I ordered a pair of '04 Ksyrium SLs yesterday, so technically, I'm not looking into Ascent IIs any more.

Back on topic...

How much did the Ksyriums SLs cost ya?

 

[lokstah]

Originally posted by Rudy
How much did the Ksyriums SLs cost ya?

Oooh, delicate question... let's just say I paid well under wholesale.

Made the whole decision a little easier to make in the end.

 

[Rudy]

Originally posted by lokstah
Oooh, delicate question... let's just say I paid well under wholesale.

Made the whole decision a little easier to make in the end.

argghh arrgghh ...hehe ...sry..

why did you choose the Ksyrium over the American classics?

 

[njeitner]

Originally posted by drewski
just to clarify, which do you ride? eurus or ksyriums?

I ride Eurus but only in races otherwise I'll ride heavy, 32 hole training wheels.

 

[Mario Jr.]

Well, I have tried them all ex. the Velomax, and the Eurus is by far the best. It´s very stiff and has a good speed. It isn´t comfortable, but a race wheel doesn´t need to be.
The AM´s also has a good speed, but is anything but stiff.
The Ksyriums are very overrated/overhyped. It has no good or bad properties, but a wheel in that priceclass should have at least some good sides to it.

 

[crystal_tears_]

Bought a pair of Campag Eurus wheels about a month ago based on the reviews i read on roadbike review. Was edging towards buying a pair of Kysrium SSC SL's. Glad i didn't. What fantastic wheels the Eurus are! Firstly they are so well made. I'm 6ft 2 and weigh 180 lbs. To say i'm hard on wheels is an understatement. I know it's a cycling cliche but these wheels are bombproof. I use these wheels every time i go training on some terrible roads here in England. The spokes are slim, super strong bladed types. They help to slice through the air like nobodies business making it easy to spin 'em with far less effort than standard wheels. Also love the spoke pattern on the back wheel, looks mean! I would say they must be more aero than the fat spokes on Kysriums as they have a much smaller surface area. The rims seem very light for a semi aero design also very tough. Being semi aero i found them stiff at first but i've gradually got used to them. The Kysrium wheels on the other hand use only standard box rims. The best part though are the Record standard hubs. They're works of art ! The bearings are ultra smooth and spin forever. After initially not caring for their bulbous style they've grown on me. To sum it all up i think Eurus are the best all round wheels you can buy today for the money. Light, aero, very well made, cheaper than Kysriums and look the biz!

 

[crystal_tears_]

Bought a pair of Campag Eurus wheels about a month ago based on the reviews i read on roadbike review. Was edging towards buying a pair of Ksyrium SSC SL's. Glad i didn't. What fantastic wheels the Eurus are! Firstly they are so well made. I'm 6ft 2 and weigh 180 lbs. To say i'm hard on wheels is an understatement. I know it's a cycling cliche but these wheels are bombproof. I use these wheels every time i go training on some terrible roads here in England. The spokes are slim, super strong bladed types. They help to slice through the air like nobodies business making it easy to spin 'em with far less effort than standard wheels. Also love the spoke pattern on the back wheel, looks mean! I would say they must be more aero than the fat spokes on Ksyriums as they have a much smaller surface area. The rims seem very light for a semi aero design also very tough. Being semi aero i found them stiff at first but i've gradually got used to them. The Ksyrium wheels on the other hand use only standard box rims. The best part though are the Record standard hubs. They're works of art ! The bearings are ultra smooth and spin forever. After initially not caring for their bulbous style they've grown on me. To sum it all up i think Eurus are the best all round wheels you can buy today for the money. Light, aero, very well made and look the biz!

 

[HarryS]

I recommend the Topos's. I know there have been few reviews as very few people have them and can compare them to the gold standrad the Ksyrium SCCs. Well I do and I would say that the Topos are sturdier and lighter and give a fantastic ride. I have 5k on mine and they are as true as can be and some of my rides are rough. Check them out!