# Shimano rs 10 wheelset



## the rat

A new bike i'm looking at purchasing has the new shimano rs 10 wheelset on it. Has anyone had any experience on these wheels? Anyone know the weight? I was also considering the possibility on changing them over for fulcrum racing 5's. The shimano's do look very sexy though, silver but mostly black with red highlights and red nipples....


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## PJ352

I have no experience with them, but this will show you the technical specs on them.

http://cycle.shimano-eu.com/catalog...>cnt_id=10134198673266158&bmUID=1195560854692


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## recycler51

*Shimano RS-10 wheels*

Hey Dude! I bought a Specialized Sequoia Comp about 3 months ago and it came with RS10s. I am 225lbs and ride a very flat 25 miles to and from work 2 or 3 times a week. Carry about 6 lbs of stuff in my rear rack bag. After about 5 weeks of commuting I popped a rear spoke and the bike shop had to replace it ($25!!!). Now 2 weeks later yesterday I popped two rear spokes!!! I am not climbing or riding particularly hard ( I average about 18mph). I bought a set of FSA wheels from pricepoint about two years ago and rode much more aggressively on my old bike. I have never had to even true those wheels. So if you haven't already bought the RS10s I'd stay away from them.

Mark.


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## Wookiebiker

I have a set, but only have about 30-40 miles on them.

From what I can tell on my limited time with them is they were a fairly stiff wheel for what they are, but were heavy. My guess is they made the rim pretty heavy to br able to go with a low spoke count....It would appear they were going after a "look" more than performance with these wheels.

I quickly switched them out with some Neuvations and have been very happy with them. I even tried to sell the RS10's with no luck so they just sit in my garage. I guess, if I ever need a spare wheel for a short period of time when a different wheelset is being worked on or replaced, I can use them. Other than that...they won't see time on any of my bikes.


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## Magsdad

I have the RS-20's on mine, and they are not much better. They just don't have any "pop" to them. They weight @ 1875g, and I have a set of Rubino Slicks on them. They are better than the R500s that came with the bike, but not by much. A new wheelset will be my next purchase.

They do look good, however. 

I have ridden the Fulcrum 5's before and would definitely go for them over the RS-10s/20s.


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## CleavesF

recycler51 said:


> Hey Dude! I bought a Specialized Sequoia Comp about 3 months ago and it came with RS10s. I am 225lbs and ride a very flat 25 miles to and from work 2 or 3 times a week. Carry about 6 lbs of stuff in my rear rack bag. After about 5 weeks of commuting I popped a rear spoke and the bike shop had to replace it ($25!!!). Now 2 weeks later yesterday I popped two rear spokes!!! I am not climbing or riding particularly hard ( I average about 18mph). I bought a set of FSA wheels from pricepoint about two years ago and rode much more aggressively on my old bike. I have never had to even true those wheels. So if you haven't already bought the RS10s I'd stay away from them.
> 
> Mark.


Mark... for your size you shouldn't be riding anything with less than 24 spokes. The tech sheet says 16 and 20. Even I don't ride that at my measly 135 lbs.


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## drewmcg

CleavesF said:


> Mark... for your size you shouldn't be riding anything with less than 24 spokes. The tech sheet says 16 and 20. Even I don't ride that at my measly 135 lbs.


Well: By this logic Shimano doesn't want anyone over 200lbs buying its Dura Ace, Ultegra, 105, or even lower-end wheelsets. But they have not said this. The WH500 is the only one with 24 rear spokes; front has 20.

As one example, the Bontrager Race X-Lites use 18/20 spokes, but do not tend to break spokes for Clysdales.

Mark need a commuter wheelset or heavier-gage spokes.


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## CleavesF

Hey, I'm just stating my risk assessment opinion. 

Plenty of clydes ride Rolf Primas with like two spoke and complain when they break 'em. They have all the rights to do so.


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## gonococcus

You might want to reconsider. Maybe I hit a branch, but I probably did not, since I had looked where I was going. But I guess I'm really lucky to have survived this with just a couple of spots of road rash.

That, and my torn jersey, scratched rear dee and shifter  .

The spokes simply ripped out of the rims. One of the customers at the bike shop took a feel of my hub spindle and it felt rough, so he said that the hub might have seized leading to the catastrophe.


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## tihsepa

I have run the RS20's ac a commuter set for about 2000 miles. No problems. Has anyone seen the streets of Chicago? They are still true and have taken some hard licks. They may be heavy but I cant complain. I had the Neuvation 28 aero wheels and they are garbage in my opinion. I know they are the lower end but so are the Shimanos. Neuvation does have a good warranty and the customer service is great but they need to. In the same 2K I had two cracked rims and countless spokes go out. Same commute same everything. Neuvation always took care of them but I found it sad I have to revert to running a Alex junker to get by. (Which btw is junk but never let me down.)


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## Helmsdini

Junk wheelset. I continually bust spokes out of RS-10 rear wheels, and they are now backordered and almost impossible to get (I have been waiting 3 months now).


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## PJ352

Helmsdini said:


> Junk wheelset. I continually bust spokes out of RS-10 rear wheels, and they are now backordered and almost impossible to get (I have been waiting 3 months now).


I don't doubt your experiences, but mine differ. I've had the RS-10's for about 1 1/2 years, put just under 5k miles on them and they've been trued once. No other issues, but I'm fairly careful riding and go 140 lbs. most days.


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## baalan

I've found the 561's hard to beat for the money. Very well built considering at 205lbs I hit some really bad ashphalt patching flattening my rear tire at around 30 miles an hour. the tube was toast but the rim didn't even have a wobble.


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## ph0enix

I'm looking to get a 2010 Dale Synapse Carbon 5 soon and it comes with those wheels. I read that they're pretty crappy. I'm probably going to end up swapping them for Xero XR1's.


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## frdfandc

Not to help push this old thread up, but I have delt with the RS-10's a few times at the shop I work at.

With lighter riders, like PJ352, they seem ok. With heavier riders, over 170lbs, they tend to break spokes. Which isn't too much of a problem, however, the spokes are proprietary from Shimano, and it takes too long to get them from Shimano.


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## Helmsdini

I guess that I should temper my response with the fact that I am 6'1 with a 185lb frame and I put out a bunch of power (wattage) and tend to ride aggressively (hard fast climbs, sprints). I would say the wheelset is probably OK for light riders. 

All of my failures have happened on flat ground, moving fairly slowly with a light load on the crank- not while aggressively attacking or sprinting. I should also say that I only break rear spokes, the front has been fine. Two spokes broke at the nipple threads, the other broke at the opposite end. Roads around here are rough, but not too crazy, and I am not rough (terrain-wise) on the wheels- steering clear of potholes, ditches, offroad excursions, etc.


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## jerrysmith6

*Not for heavier riders (over 150 lbs)*

I'm 205 pounds and I can't ride my WH-RS10's more than 15 miles without some of the non-drive-side spokes on the rear wheel coming loose. If you don't catch your loose spokes in time the other spokes WILL break. The shop I bought the bike (a 2010 Cannondale CAAD9 4) from has trued the wheels multiple times and the spokes still loosen.

Manufacturers of bikes that use these wheels should tell their dealers to only sell these bikes to light (< 150 lbs.) riders. These wheels are only about $200 a set and are (relatively) lightweight. Something's gotta give - the spokes!


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## MCF

COMPLETE GARBAGE. I didn't know what a noodle set was until I rode them and replaced them with some Reynolds. RS10's are put on bikes to keep cost down. Budget money for new wheels!! Cervelo put them on their bikes because they expect most of their riders have multiple wheelsets. I would not even take a bike with those wheels. Work a trade as part of the price for the new bike.


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## JoeJITSU

Wow I just bought a Cannondale Six Carbon 5 and it has these wheels on them. My wife is gonna kill me when I buy another set of wheels for it. I have not even picked up my bike yet. Will get it tomorrow....But have been doing my homework and thinking of getting the ROL Volant because of the great ratings and reviews.


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## Tommy Walker

the rat said:


> A new bike i'm looking at purchasing has the new shimano rs 10 wheelset on it. Has anyone had any experience on these wheels? Anyone know the weight? I was also considering the possibility on changing them over for fulcrum racing 5's. The shimano's do look very sexy though, silver but mostly black with red highlights and red nipples....


Definately follow your thought about changing the RS10's to the Fulcrum Racing 5's. I have a Cervello RS and it came with the RS10's, the wheels made noise; fortunately my bike shop let me upgrade after riding them for about 200 miles, I went to the Ultegra 6600's; very pleased. I recently got a steal on a pair of RS80's on e-bay, waiting for them to come in.

Cervello changed the wheels on the RS for 2010 to the Fulcrum 7's and change the R3 wheels from the RS10's to the Fulcrum 5's. The RS10's barely sell for $100 on e-bay, so see if your bike shop will let you upgrade them.


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## Swissracer7

I put over 4100+ miles on my before the rear hub started skipping pretty bad, the pawls were disengaging randomly, you would know it when you hear a loud crack noise. 8/10 useability.


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## Goodbarsix

I had these RS10's as OEM equipment on my 2011 Masi Gran Criterium. I put about 1000 miles on them with no issues. I usually weigh anywhere from 185 to 195 and am usually pretty hard on things. Once these wheels were rolling, they seemed to maintain speed easily. I used these with the stock Vittoria tires, and then some Specialzed Turbo Pro tires.

I just changed to some Boyd 30 Vitesse wheels....now I know why people do not like the RS10's. The Boyd's completely changed the bike - specifically the handling. This bike corners like it s on rails now. I am still using the Specialzed tires, so that was not the difference.

Being a larger guy, I was worried about the RS10's from the start. I hit a few nasty potholes with no consequences. The wheels are still true as well.

My verdict...I feel I got lucky with my set and no failure, plus they seem to flex in corners. If you can afford it, replace the wheels.

Here is a photo of the bike with the RS10's (Vittoria tires at this point), and a photo with the Boyd's.


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## gs1000g

*RS10's*

Ridden almost 4000miles since I got these OEM on my Fuji roubaix my first 'proper' road bike, mix of training (personal fitness I don't race) and commute on our pothole infested roads shod with Michelin Krylions which I also like. in all that time no loose spokes I also put the front down a grid slot when some twonk got out of a taxi in front of me. Bit of emery on the brake surface in a couple of places and it was good to go. Oh and no noises/grinding I must have been lucky, well fairly :mad2: .I aslo Weigh in around 190 not having anything else to compare to I loved these wheels. Loved because a car driver pulled across the front of me tonight and totalled my front wheel. other than a bit stiff and some grazes I'm good and I'm amazed to say the steed otherwise seems fine. Found this forum while looking for replacements.


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## abowman

*ebay bike*

Been lookin at a bike on ebay that has these on it and I guess I'll just have to get a new set if I pull the trigger huh?


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## smt42

I am around 175-185 depending on time of year and I have had ZERO issues with the RS-10s in the three years I have been riding them. I have nothing to maintain them at all and can out coast my friends who have Ultegra and Dura Ace wheels. These wheels have a lot of flex in the corners compared to my wife's Bontrager race wheels. Over all I think they are bomb proof and I ride on some rough roads in Sonoma County, CA. They do not spin up very fast but once your rolling they rock


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## Cyclingfan1960

I highly recommend Shimano RS10. I had Shimano wheels in the past and never had a broken spoke. (My weight is 148lbs) but still put tons of miles on them.

I recently bought a new pair on tagglia website 4 months ago and they have been descent training wheels. this is the link.

Shimano WH-RS10 Road Wheelset


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## NWS Alpine

I have put about 300 miles on mine as they came stock on my CAAD10. I am around 205lbs and can put a good amount of power on them and can feel them flex. They are slightly out of true and need to go back to get checked. I run them tubeless with stans and they have been good so far. Wasn't expecting much out of them. The hubs have gotten much louder as they reached 150 miles or so. I will eventually open them up and put some fresh grease in them if they get louder.

I will be using them on a trainer eventually as I will be ordering some new Boyd carbon clinchers next year.


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## Battlescar

*stay away from rs10*

These wheels came stock on my Cannondale CAAD 9. 
Rode them for about a year (about 1200 miles) and then the rear spokes started breaking.
3 spokes broke in a two month period. The spokes are breaking inside the alloy nipple. Very strange. I weigh 230 pounds.


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## Fredneck

This things are horrible. Replace them and use them for the trainer.


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## edmuggles

for the same price i still regret not going the prolight comos over the RS20 for my wet weather bike :S 
the bearings on the RS feel like **** in comparison


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## NWS Alpine

Just an update on my RS10s. After the initial few miles and slight adjusting a couple spokes they have been fine at 205lbs. I ride all flat and smooth paved roads here. I did end up getting a set of PSIMET custom 24/28 50mm carbon clinchers (CX Ray, Novatec). Got them used for cheaper than the china clinchers. I am going to upgrade to the Boyds next year when his new stuff comes out 

RS10s will be used for a trainer wheel and tire once I actually get a trainer.


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## bcyork

I've been using these on my 2010 Cannondale Caad 9 5 that I bought in the spring of 2011 for 2500 miles and not out of true yet or damaged. I weight 152lbs and ride an average of 18-19mph through Chicago and the suburbs with them. I do try not to hit every pot hole, bump and steel plate in the road but push them pretty hard and the roads here are horrible at best it seems. Never felt any flex when standing up climbing. Aside from wanting something a bit lighter these wheels have lasted pretty impressively but at 152 lbs I'm probably not putting a huge strain on them. Just my impressions anyway. If your a lighter rider these may not cause you too much issue if you get them stock ... I wouldn't pay money for them otherwise.


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## jps6882

I have been riding on my rs10s for 6 months now. When I started I was 295#, and am now down to 265#. Most of the riding is out in the country. This means lots of rough, gravely roads. I have not had any problems with the rims or tires on my Scattante R-670. I average 30 miles each ride. I can't comment on the weight, as I don't really have any comparrison, but I have no flex, even when standing on a 12% climb.


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## bcyork

I should have mentioned some of my spokes needed to be tightened after a few hundred miles. Worth mentioned if you want to deal with that yourself you have to have a special Shimano sized spoke wrench the standard spoke wrench won't fit.


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## Dave1442397

The RS-10s came standard on my CAAD 10-4, and I've had no issues with them in the 2500 miles or so that I've had them. I weigh 160 and ride on a lot of rough roads. I have Continental GP4000S tires on them.

Having read about the Boyd Vitesse wheels, I think I'll be upgrading at some point. I've never ridden anything better than the CAAD 10 (or the RS-10s) in the hope of avoiding upgradeitis.


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## melusive

crap wheels. the design does not allow them to hold true continuously around the rim. sure the few spokes make it look pretty cool (it was that that attracted me in the first place) but its a week wheel.

you got the point.


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## cgrr

RS10's came stock on my CAAD10. Within the first 500 miles a spoke broke on the rear wheel and with the low spoke count the rim went so out of true that the bike was crippled. I took the wheel back to the LBS (Bike Doctor of Waldorf) and they fixed it, after having to order some of the proprietary spokes, which they gave me extra in case another spoke should break. These wheels now have over 4000 miles on them without any troubles, after the initial spoke break. If you are on a tight budget and can't replace these wheels there's no reason not to use them but I would recommend having your LBS tune them up after a couple of rides.


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## Lombard

This is an 6-year old thread. Now that it has been brought back to life by cgrr, I will just say that the RS-10's have been discontinued. Shimano now makes the RS-11, RS-21 an RS-31 which are all very similar "sport" road wheelsets.

I can't say I have ever heard of anybody having a problem with the RS-10's or any of the others I mentioned. I know someone who has a 2009 C'Dale with RS-10's with probably around 5,000 miles and has never even had to have them trued.

As far as the comment about low spoke counts, are there any road wheels today that don't have low spoke counts? Most are either 16/20 or 20/24.

I have heard many more bad things about older Bontrager wheels than any of the Shimanos.


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