# Dura Ace 7850 Wheelset



## Prem Singh (Oct 31, 2007)

Hi Folks...

I would like to know more about the Dura Ace Wheel set Model Wh-7850-SL. A LBS ins Singapore highly recommends this set.... I weight about 230 pounds....They claim that this wheels can take my weight and they are one of the best sets around .....In terms of value for money durability etc.....

Any comments and advise is appreciated...

Sam


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

Any bike shop that wants to make money would recomend expensive wheelsets. In terms of value for the money, a nice wheelset built with 7850 hubs and Open Pro CD rims, would give you much more value. The bike shop will still make a fair amount of profit, and you will get a wheelset that lasts for years (and is easily rebuildable if you trash the rims)


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## LO^OK (Feb 1, 2008)

I know these are commercial links but nevertheless, if you haven't read them there was a highly enthusiastic review in 

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2006/reviews/shimanoduraace 

for the 2007 model 7801 SL. The 2008 version of the wheels is 7850 SL, which differ here and there supposedly for good 

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2007/news/08-20


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

I wouldn't consider them a good value, and since they've only been available a few months, their durability remains to be seen.

I own a set. I have about 400 miles on them so far and am using them tubeless. I like them a lot, but I only weigh 140 lbs, have a strong preference for Shimano wheels, and wanted to check out tubeless. At your weight, though, I'd probably go the route MR_GRUMPY mentions - Dura-Ace 7850 hub and Open Pro rims.


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## cmg (Oct 27, 2004)

low spoke wheels have to increase the rim strength. this usually means greater weight at the rim, where you don't want it. unless their on sale you could probably build as strong a set of wheels for less. grumpies suggestion would be cheaper. you could use a velocity aerohead rear OC rim for greater strenght.


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## Kestreljr (Jan 10, 2007)

Prem Singh said:


> Hi Folks...
> 
> I would like to know more about the Dura Ace Wheel set Model Wh-7850-SL. A LBS ins Singapore highly recommends this set.... I weight about 230 pounds....They claim that this wheels can take my weight and they are one of the best sets around .....In terms of value for money durability etc.....
> 
> ...


If you live in Singapore, Check out this company!! BIKESOUL.COM I haven't seen a whole lot of reviews on here, as they are a Thialand based company, but all the reviews I have seen have been very happy customers. 

Plus the Wh 7850 SL's cost about $1000 USD, and weigh around 1470 grams. 

The Soul 5.2 Tubular cost $1,100 and weighs 1346g (and is much more sexier, IMO!) Or get the Soul 2.0 at 1300 grams and $350USD. 

*Soul 5.2*


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## drewmcg (Sep 19, 2005)

Do yourself (and your pocketbook) a favor, and pick up a set of Easton (Velomax) Orion II's instead. Great performance wheels for us heaftier types . . . .


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## cyclust (Sep 8, 2004)

I'm a large rider and had a set of dura ace 7800 wheels and they were the most fragile wheels I ever had. They came out of true if I gave them a dirty look, and then the rear rim developed a crack. Now I ride a D/A hub with a good ol' Open Pro rim. At 230lbs, I wouldn't recomend such a light weight wheel, though I don't know if the 7850 is any stronger than the 7800 I had, but it looks quite similar.


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## vdlima (Apr 16, 2008)

I've been meaning to write a review, I guess now is as good a time as any...

These wheels were gifted to me by my parents (aka they paid for them). I am glad I did not pay the $825 out of my own pocket. They were ~250 grams (I have the exact numbers somewhere..) lighter than my 32h DT Swiss set up (wheels+tubeless tires+skewers).

About the WH-7850 SL:
These are beautifully made wheels that are true straight out of the box. The attention to detail is amazing... The rim has weight embedded in the rim across from the valve for balance. It came with a wheel magnet and there is a spoke both in the front and rear that has a small piece of plastic tape on it, I assume this is where the magnet can be snapped on. The hubs are smooth but they do make a 'weird' noise when freewheeling, also they don't seem to roll as long as my existing wheels, I suspect this has to do with me breaking them in.

About the Tubeless tires:
One of biggest reasons I opted for these wheels was to try out the tubeless tires. I hate mounting tires. I watched the video on notubes.com to see how tubeless tires should be mounted and then attempted to mount them. To my surprise they mounted much easier than normal tires, the deep center channel in the rim can be used quite effectively to mount the tires without the use of any tools. I tried to inflate the tires using an air compressor that can be plugged into the cigarette outlet in a car. The front tire sealed up nicely once I rubbed some soapy water along the bead, the rear tire refused to seal, it just wouldn't hold any air. After much frustration I decided to use a CO2 cartridge, that worked like a charm! Highly recommend using CO2 to seal the tires to the rim (they work exactly like car tires).

The ride:
I normally run my tires at 100/110 (front/rear), so I did that for my first ride and then gradually lowered the air pressure based on 'feel'. I currently run 80/90 and absolutely love the smoothness and grip with cornering.

I probably have about 500 miles on these wheels right now and to be honest, on the flats the wheels don't really seem that different, other than in cross winds, these are much more aerodynamic (you certainly feel the difference going from 32 to 16 in the front wheel). On climbs is where I was really surprised. These wheels are laterally very stiff... I expected that, however, what I did not expect was how they accelerate going up a climb. Going up a 2500ft climb in Nor Cal (Kings Mtn Rd) as you near the top the switchbacks get more painful because of the sudden increase in grade. I usually climb through the switchbacks out of saddle to leverage my body weight, doing the same on these wheels surprised me, the snap in the acceleration is something I've haven't experienced before.

Would I recommend these wheels? If you have $800 just sitting around, go for it. They are great. Otherwise, I don't think that it is the best bang for the buck, I would recommend custom wheels if you had to upgrade your wheelset. And choose a rim that doesn't have any spoke holes so you can easily convert them to use the tubeless tires. I do recommend the tubeless setup.


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## Mashmaniac (Jun 21, 2004)

at 230 lbs gp with a CXP-33 rim much better rim for the heavier rider. I'm 205 lbs and have two sets I like them so much.


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## thegreatdelcamo (Aug 20, 2008)

I have the set you mention and like them VERY much. When I got them I was a bit over 185 and now down to 175. We have terrible roads and I have rumbled over some nasty stuff and a lot of RR tracks. I’m a former racer so I ride hard over broken and patched roads. I’ve got probably 1700 miles on them and they are perfectly true—and have never been touched up. They are WAY faster than my old 32 spoke wheels. They look cool, too.


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## gambo2166 (Oct 20, 2004)

7850sl is the best wheel set iv been on... After 20 years of working in the bike industry and riding for 30. Love the tubeless set up with stans. I'm 190lbs and there is no flex or noise under hard sprinting.


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

Thought I'd update - I now have about 6000 miles on my set. Still true, and have never had to have them trued. But I'm becoming less impressed with the rear hub. A couple times per ride the pawls do not engage correctly after coasting and slip. This is happening more than on the DA 7801 hub I'm using on another bike. 

But I still think 200+ lbs on them isn't a good idea.


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## Campag12 (Jul 31, 2008)

After ridden many Shimano made wheels (Ultegra and DA series mostly) over the years, I have come to the conclusion that Shimano DOES NOT know how to make wheels. I weigh in the low 130lbs and their wheels reliably come out of true, and due to design, a pain to true.


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## gambo2166 (Oct 20, 2004)

Pain to true?? Gess you havent seen the new wheels.


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## thedog (Nov 6, 2005)

I have a set of the 7850 C24 (the carbon) and they are just as true as when I bought them when they first came out in May 2008. I put 250 mi a week on them. I weigh 140lbs. And I would imagine that the SL version is stronger. I believe Shimano makes awesome wheels.


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## Ronman (Feb 12, 2007)

I ride the 7801 SL and weigh in at 200 lbs. These wheels are awesome. The seals were slightly snug when new, but after breaking in they spin forever. I had to snug one spoke on the rear after the wheels had broken in, but since then the spokes stay tight and the wheels true. They are very sturdy, stiff when descending through fast turns, aren't affected by crosswinds like other high-spoke count , or 'flat spoke', wheels, and spin up as easily or even better than some aero wheels I've tried. I've put over 3,000 miles on them over all kinds of roads, pinched flatted more than once at high speeds and descended through miles of s-turns, and these wheels have held up perfectly. A veteran racer/mechanic friend also rides them and says they are the smoothest wheels he's ever ridden, and attributes that, in part, to the 'angular contact bearing' hubs. He's about 160lbs, if that's important. 
This is not an endorsement for Shimano. There have been some negative comments made on these wheels and I just thought the OP should hear 'the rest of the story'. I was running the Ksyrium ES wheels and 404s prior to these, and as much as I loved those wheels I actually think these roll easier, ride smoother and are just as stiff when descending through turns.


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