# Bomb proof wheels



## Guest (Jun 17, 2008)

I'm looking for some advice on a set of bomb proof wheels. I currently have two sets of wheels. The set I'm currently riding is a custom build set I purchased a few years ago. They are comprised of Velocity Aerohead rims, Dura Ace hubs, and Sapim spokes with brass nipples. They're a good set but I've dinged them up on the harsh roads of Central PA. I took a divot out of the front rim when I hit a rock on a decent. I had to replace the back rim and a couple of spokes when I hit a pot hole that wasn't called out while in a pace line. They're also not as laterally stiff as I'd like them to be. I'm guessing this is due to the low weight of the rim and the 14/17 gauge spokes. 

My second set are Velocity Spartacus wheels. These roll nicely and are plenty stiff. The issue I'm having with these is with the free hub. I had some serious noise coming from the back wheel and when I took off the cassette I found that it was cutting grooves into the free hub. My LBS told me it was due to the soft alloy that they and other manufacturers use to reduce the weight of the wheels. They told me I could replace the free hub but it would probably happen again. Sure enough, I received a replacement from Velocity and it happened again.

Anyway, I'm considering the following sets.

Ksyrium Elites
Bontrager Race Lites
Shimano Ultegra
Easton Circuit or EA70

I'm wondering if anyone has any feedback on these wheels or any others I should be considering. I'm not as concerned with weight as I once was and I'm nore concerned with durability. I would gladly drop the money for Zipp 404's but if I ding a set of $2k wheels I'd be pretty pissed.


----------



## dekindy (Jul 7, 2006)

I had the same problem with an Aerohead O/C and replaced it with a Deep V. It rides well and matches the Aerohead front okay.


----------



## AlanS (Feb 5, 2003)

I had always heard the Mavic Ksyrium, but this past weekend alone, on our group ride, three (That's right, THREE) riders had spokes on thier Ksyriums break. All three had to wobble back home.


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Ultegra/OP/3X lacing.


Cheap. Reliable. Easy to get parts. When well-built, strong & stiff


----------



## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

I have a set of Specialized Roval Classique Pave wheels that I have been using for commuting for a few years. Low spoke count, high flange hubs with sealed bearings, and non-proprietory 14g spokes with nyloc nipples. They have been great wheels with absolutely no problems. I had them trued about a month after I bought them in 2006 and they have remained true ever since. They are designed for cyclocross but I have ridden them on my road bike with some 23mm vittorias and they felt good on climbs and descents. 


Good advice too for handbuilts with open pro and shimano hubs. If you want bombproof, go with 36 spoke with DB 14/15. 36 hole hubs and rims are somewhat harder to find however.


----------



## Slim Again Soon (Oct 25, 2005)

*Rolf Vector Comps*

I have a pair of these that I'd certainly describe as bombproof.

Never need truing. Just keep rolling.


----------



## fasterjim (Jun 17, 2008)

Hard to beat Mavics. Especially with the MP3 program- 10% of the price and wheels are replaced or fixed for 2 years, no questions asked.

I have a 4 year old set of Ksyrium SLs and a 2 year old set of Carbonnes. Both very stiff and only occasional truing needed. The Chicago roads are tough!


----------



## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Room 1201 said:


> Ultegra/OP/3X lacing. Cheap. Reliable. Easy to get parts. When well-built, strong & stiff


Exactly. I just got a set for my dirt road bike.


----------



## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Strong and super strong*



dekindy said:


> I had the same problem with an Aerohead O/C and replaced it with a Deep V. It rides well and matches the Aerohead front okay.


A 32 or 36 spoke rear wheel based on a Velocity DeepV will be strong enough for any normal human, even for one who is not careful where they ride.


----------



## titanio1 (Nov 11, 2005)

fasterjim a question for U 
How ofter do you using your Mavics, how much do you weight? 
I'm 190 pounder rider, I'm using campy eurus and mavic carbone sl premium and no complain about them...


----------



## I-Ride (Jan 18, 2008)

My LBS made me an argument for the Bontrager Race Lite that come stock with the Madonne 5.2 and 5.5 as a great value for A) weight, B) warranty <5 years> and the fact they are redesigned from last year.


----------



## power1369 (Mar 17, 2003)

*I agree with Kerry*

I am a relatively light rider at 170lbs but generally easy on wheels and I still train on 36-hole Ambrosio Focus deep-v rims with 2.0 gauge spokes. 40,000 kms on a set and I think remember putting a spoke wrench on the rear once.

A friend of mine who is 215lbs uses the same rim, only 32-holes, and he has over 30,000km on it with no problems whatsoever and we have terrible roads where we are.

Power1369


----------



## fasterjim (Jun 17, 2008)

titanio said:


> fasterjim a question for U
> How ofter do you using your Mavics, how much do you weight?
> I'm 190 pounder rider, I'm using campy eurus and mavic carbone sl premium and no complain about them...


I weigh 158. I use the Ksyriums in the Spring and late Fall and the Carbonnes in the summer. I currently don't use any other wheels. About 200-230 mi./ week.


----------



## Guest (Jun 18, 2008)

I'm guessing you're using the Ksyrium SL's. I've come across two riders who use these and they experience a weird tinging sound while riding which sounds like it's related to spoke flex. The one guy is probably in the lower 190's and the other around 210. That's why I'm apprehensive about the SL's. Even though I'm 6'2" 178 and I'm just affraid I might have issues with lighter wheel sets.


----------



## r_mutt (Aug 8, 2007)

my local wheel builder swears that the velocity deep-v is as bulletproof as a wheel can be. she's built many of them for the velodrome racers and bike messengers in this pothole ridden city so she has good real-life experience with the wheels. if you build them with 32 spoke hubs, my layman's brain says that they should be pretty strong, if heavy. perhaps the aero-ness of the 30mm rim will outweigh (no pun intended) the weight once moving (on flat surfaces). i would imagine that you might suffer a bit climbing in comparison to a lighter wheelset.


----------



## S80 (Sep 10, 2007)

I-Ride said:


> My LBS made me an argument for the Bontrager Race Lite that come stock with the Madonne 5.2 and 5.5 as a great value for A) weight, B) warranty <5 years> and the fact they are redesigned from last year.


The Bonty RL are light but not durable. Forget these if you are looking for bombproof. I have broken two spokes on my new rear Bonty RL in under 1000 miles - I weigh under 170 lbs. Will be shopping Mavics if and when I break the first spoke on my warranty replacement wheel.


----------



## ralph1 (May 20, 2006)

I have 36 OP with DA 7800 hubs 3 cross, would not ride anything else for training.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: 

cheers

Ralph


----------



## Oldteen (Sep 7, 2005)

Room 1201 said:


> Ultegra/OP/3X lacing.
> 
> Cheap. Reliable. Easy to get parts. When well-built, strong & stiff


+1

My experience with Ksyrium reliability has been less than stellar- and I'm a non-racer @165#.


----------



## Bob Ross (Apr 18, 2006)

gnauss said:


> I'm looking for some advice on a set of *bomb proof* wheels. (snip)
> Anyway, I'm considering the following sets.
> 
> *Ksyrium Elites*


----------



## spots77 (Mar 14, 2004)

*Go custom*

I road the Elites for 4,000 miles until the rear rim cracked at a spoke. They were great wheels but I m much happier with the custom set I had built up at half the price of the K's.
They're CXP-33/Ultegra/DT spokes/brass nipples (32,36). I'm much happier with how fast they roll and how they perform compared to the Elites. Go custom!


----------



## 2002 (Nov 19, 2007)

If I would buy another set, I would go with custom. Right now I have Campagnolo Eurus and I like it.


----------



## bigtea (May 26, 2008)

The Eastons...I have ridden many miles on Easton Circuits and now ride the EA90 SL...I weigh 220# and can tell you both have stayed true for thousands of miles. I can't say the same about Mavics I've ridden. I think Mavic wheelsets (not custom wheels with Mavic rims) are made for the under 175# crowd.


----------



## Lookbiker (Sep 2, 2006)

I've been pleased with Mavic Ksyrium SL. 195 lb rider on very bad roads, thousands of miles and no problems. Can't say that about my 32/26 GP4s.

Everyone I know who uses the Mavics (all models) around here has the same stellar results.


----------



## steel515 (Sep 6, 2004)

*wheels*



spots77 said:


> I road the Elites for 4,000 miles until the rear rim cracked at a spoke. They were great wheels but I m much happier with the custom set I had built up at half the price of the K's.
> They're CXP-33/Ultegra/DT spokes/brass nipples (32,36). I'm much happier with how fast they roll and how they perform compared to the Elites. Go custom!


Krysium and Rolf have alloy nipples (I think), which will corrode near saltwater, etc. I've heard spokes are unaerodynamic/ sensitive to crosswinds, and freehub made more for lightweight than durability.
Eurus require special tool to true, I think


----------



## roadshark (Sep 16, 2005)

My Ksyrium SL's rear hub went out yesterday. Pawls clack fine on free spin, but nothing engages when torque applied (high resistance metal on metal turning feel). Waiting to hear the specifics, but my wrench suspects an internal hub failure. Since this is not my primary bike, the wheelset has maybe 6000 miles, on good roads, non-racing, and is stored in a dry indoor environment. I'm 200 lbs. Not a happy camper right now.


----------



## wankski (Jul 24, 2005)

^^^ hub issues are common, as are eyelet pull-outs... this is what i keep telling ppl, mavic don't make good wheels for the money... quality issues aside, they continually test less stiff and less aero than the competition... there is nothing good about them...booo !


----------



## ilmaestro (May 3, 2008)

I can throw in some good words for the Easton EA70s. I've had mine for about a month and have been commuting every day on them over potholes and manholes and whatever else the street has to throw at me. They're still perfectly true and roll great. No complaints so far.


----------



## rmsmith (Feb 15, 2007)

We recently had our road surfaces refinished with chip seal; very rough. My DT Swiss 240 RR 1.1 wheels with Continental Attack Force tires were not up to the task. So I bought a set of DT Swiss Road 340 hubs laced to their TK 7.1 x 32-spoke double eyelet rims, and opted for the Continental 4 Seasons 700c x 28 folding kevlar tires. They roll over the chip seal with far less rider fatigue with the tires inflated to 95/100-psi.


----------



## thedips (Mar 26, 2007)

for sure id stay away from BONTRAGER RACE LITE... maybe they did update or improve them but i have atleast the last 2 generation or seeen em.. and you get all kinds of problems from stress cracks on rims.. to messed up rear hubs.... etc.


----------



## Lectron (May 29, 2005)

I've had a lot of nice wheels, but for training it's Mavic CXP30 3X laced to Dura Ace 7800.

Looks cool, weights a ton but weight ain't the whole story.
They hit the scale just above 1800, so it ain't that bad  

Anyways. If these wheels break I'm probably in an even worse condition


----------

