Best Wheels for Hilly Roads?

adodsk · 15-04-2009 10:36AM #1

Sorry to rehash an old subject but i'm looking at getting a new set of wheels and i've narrowed it down to Campy Neutron, Campy Eurus or Fulcrum Zeros (the Shamal just wouldn't suit the frame colour). The Zeros would stretch the budget but are they worth it?

I know the choices all have different rims/spokings/weights and i've read other website reviews ad nauseum but i'd just like to hear some opinions from cyclists in Ireland as to which they would prefer or maybe currently use on hilly/long rides.

Raam · 15-04-2009 10:44AM

You didn't mention them, but...
I've put my Ksyrium SLs to the test all over the country and they have held up very well.

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=18950&IDCategory=89

Gavin · 15-04-2009 10:49AM

http://worldwidecyclesblog.com/2009/04/10/tubeless-tyres/

This chap voted for the Eurus

Raam · 15-04-2009 10:51AM

Gavin wrote: »

http://worldwidecyclesblog.com/2009/04/10/tubeless-tyres/

This chap voted for the Eurus

The Eurus are the ones I originally wanted, but the shop was taking ages to get them in, so went with the others instead.

RobFowl · 15-04-2009 10:52AM

Raam wrote: »

You didn't mention them, but...
I've put my Ksyrium SLs to the test all over the country and they have held up very well.

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=18950&IDCategory=89

Big fan of the Kysriums as well. Bomb proof and relatively light.

adodsk · 15-04-2009 11:01AM

will check out that blog later as i'm presently firewalled! re: the Ksyriums - I appreciate that they're holding up well but what about the riders - do you find them comfortable for the longer rides?

There's much debate on other sites regarding the stiffness of the Eurus not being as comfortable for long rides as the Neutron for example.

Raam · 15-04-2009 11:03AM

adodsk wrote: »

re: the Ksyriums - I appreciate that they're holding up well but what about the riders - do you find them comfortable for the longer rides?

Never noticed anything wrong with em.

blorg · 15-04-2009 12:28PM

Consider handbuilts? You can get in the weight range of the Fulcrum Zeros for much less money. Easily rebuildable too. I have DT Swiss wheels coming in at 1450g. Apart from that I have a set of Mavic R-SYS (front is away at the moment being replaced in the recall) that are actually really nice wheels to ride, 1355g.

Lumen · 15-04-2009 12:32PM

blorg wrote: »

Consider handbuilts? You can get in the weight range of the Fulcrum Zeros for much less money. Easily rebuildable too. I have DT Swiss wheels coming in at 1450g. Apart from that I have a set of Mavic R-SYS (front is away at the moment being replaced in the recall) that are actually really nice wheels to ride, 1355g.

Didn't you say that your handbuilts tended to go out of true much more than factory built?

My new (used) rear wheel, built by the legendary Cliff of Cycleogical, needs truing already.

Chips Lovell · 15-04-2009 12:34PM

Lumen wrote: »

Didn't you say that your handbuilts tended to go out of true much more than factory built?

My handbuilts certainly do.

smithslist · 15-04-2009 12:56PM

RobFowl wrote: »

Big fan of the Kysriums as well. Bomb proof and relatively light.

+1 hav done the wicklow 200k on them, and now problem. If you are worried bout distance

blorg · 15-04-2009 01:57PM

Lumen wrote: »

Didn't you say that your handbuilts tended to go out of true much more than factory built?

Yes, that is an issue, the DT Swiss ones are however not bad, better than my Open Pro/Ultegra combo.

Lumen · 15-04-2009 02:04PM

blorg wrote: »

Yes, that is an issue, the DT Swiss ones are however not bad, better than my Open Pro/Ultegra combo.

Who build the DT Swiss ones? Were they by any chance hand built in a factory?

blorg · 15-04-2009 02:11PM

Lumen wrote: »

Who build the DT Swiss ones? Were they by any chance hand built in a factory?

Haha, originally yes, by DT, but the rear was rebuilt in Joe Daly's and has been very solid since.

DARKIZE · 15-04-2009 02:51PM

Another vote for Ksyriums.....they really are the best all-round (hee hee) wheel for racing/long rides. They're easy to wind up, super stiff, light enough not to hold you back on the climbs, and most importantly.......strong enough to cope with our crap Irish B roads.

Zorba · 15-04-2009 11:26PM

Zonda's get my vote, been riding them 4 yrs now and they're still perfect, fast and comfy too.

adodsk · 16-04-2009 10:22AM

Zonda's .... interesting. Nice to hear from a Campy owner. There seem to be a lot of Mavic sponsored riders' out there...

Nothing wrong with them at all - they're on my mountain bike and are bomb proof - just fancied a change....

The DT Swiss sounds interesting. Not sure if i'll go for handbuilt just yet, think i'd prefer factory built. Anyone else got Campy/ Fulcrum experience?

Chips Lovell · 16-04-2009 10:41AM

I have Zondas. I use them as main training wheels and also for long mountain spins. I had intended buying Eurus, but they didn't have them in stock at the time and in a rare moment of sanity I decided that the Zondas would be just as good for a rider of my ability.

I like them a lot. They are relatively light for the price point but more importantly, they're incredibly stiff, so no flexiness while you are climbing out of the saddle. They've only needed to be trued once in about a year and a half and that was because I hit the mother of all potholes and put the front one out of whack a bit. They've been way more durable than any other wheel I've had, which include Fulcrum 7 and handbuilt Mavic/Record wheels. In short, they're one of the best buys I've ever made.

If I was buying wheels purely for climbing though I'd probably opt for the Neutron Ultras from your list. They are light, but also have a shallow rim depth and conventional spokes, which are an asset in crosswinds up in the hills.

blorg · 16-04-2009 10:42AM

From everything I have read the Fulcrums are meant to be very stiff (in a good way) if not the absolute lightest for the money. They also have all red spokes while the Mavic Ksyrium SL only has one red spoke (red spokes are faster.)

doozerie · 16-04-2009 10:45AM

There is no reason for hand-built wheels to be more prone to going out of true other than a poor job being done by the person who built them. The skill level of people who build wheels varies dramatically.

My best set of wheels were a pair of hand-built Mavic OpenPro rims built on Mavic hubs (don't remember the spokes he used). They lasted me a lot of miles over about 10 years and I don't recall them ever going out of true other than shortly before the rims wore out. Good parts combined with a skillful wheel builder make for very good wheels. Skillful wheel builders are hard to find though, and unfortunately I no longer have access to the guy who built my wheels.

One of the problems I have encountered with factory built wheels is that the spokes can sometimes be seized within the nipple. If they do go out of true, they can be a nightmare to try to adjust. My current Mavic Cosmic Elite's (bought several years ago) suffer badly from this problem.

Raam · 16-04-2009 10:47AM

blorg wrote: »

From everything I have read the Fulcrums are meant to be very stiff (in a good way) if not the absolute lightest for the money. They also have all red spokes while the Mavic Ksyrium SL only has one red spoke (red spokes are faster.)

Are you telling me that I should paint the rest of my spokes red? Cos that's what I'm reading.

blorg · 16-04-2009 11:22AM

Raam wrote: »

Are you telling me that I should paint the rest of my spokes red? Cos that's what I'm reading.

There is some debate over this, the red paint has a slight weight penalty going up hills but red spokes are more aero (something to do with the solar wind.) If you can anodize it is a win-win.

Raam · 16-04-2009 11:32AM

blorg wrote: »

There is some debate over this, the red paint has a slight weight penalty going up hills but red spokes are more aero (something to do with the solar wind.) If you can anodize it is a win-win.

What about red bikes? Are they faster than bikes of another colour?

Zorba · 16-04-2009 11:43AM

Raam wrote: »

What about red bikes? Are they faster than bikes of another colour?

NO silly,

your getting mixed up with the red go faster stripes

zzzzzzzz · 16-04-2009 11:49AM

Raam wrote: »

What about red bikes? Are they faster than bikes of another colour?

Pffft - of course. And cars too.

Lumen · 16-04-2009 11:51AM

Raam wrote: »

What about red bikes? Are they faster than bikes of another colour?

I believe Cervelos used to be red. Then they went mostly black, with some red. Then recently someone lost the Pantone chart and they went monotone.

This is evidence either that Cervelos are getting slower, or red is no longer the colour of speed, or that speed has no colour.

TinyExplosions · 16-04-2009 12:01PM

Pink ones are fastest, everyone knows that

adodsk · 17-04-2009 04:30PM

thanks for all the responses folks. looks like i've got some thinking to do. not sure about the pink/red go-faster debate mind you...:)

Best Wheels for Hilly Roads?

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