# Kysrium ES vs. Roval Fusee



## Rob997 (Jan 1, 2007)

A LBS is recommending swapping out my ES wheels for Roval Fusee (on a new bike purchase). They claim the Roval wheels are quicker in acceleration but weight 300 grams more then the ES's. Stated ride feel is the about the same. 

Any comments or experience with these wheels to support the LBS claims?


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

Which Fusee are you referring to? The Fusee that aren't the "Star" model weigh about the same (~1500 g) as the Ksyrium ES. The Fusee Star do weigh about 1750 g.


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## backinthesaddle (Nov 22, 2006)

They did it because they want the ES wheels to sell. The LBS here can't give away those stupid Roval wheels...


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## Rob997 (Jan 1, 2007)

Fusee Star.

Why are the stupid?:mad2:


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## backinthesaddle (Nov 22, 2006)

Rob997 said:


> Fusee Star.
> 
> Why are the stupid?:mad2:


Well, let's see...

They aren't terribly light, they aren't terribly aero, they are completely untested, they just look gimmicky, they aren't highly serviceable, they cost WAY too much money...

Shall I go on?


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## Rob997 (Jan 1, 2007)

MUCH better.:thumbsup:


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## tahaye (Aug 14, 2007)

It doesn't sound you have much actual evidence... just some opinions.

My 2008 Tarmac Pro came with the Roval Star Fusee wheels, and I like them. They spin up quickly, respond incredibly well in sprints, and slice through the air effortlessly. I will definitely be using these wheels in criteriums and road races.

By the way, the weight is decieving. The additional weight is at the center of the wheel where it takes much less energy to spin up the mass (low moment of inertia). If the extra weight was at the rim, then the design might be questionable, but being at the hub it doesn't seem to slow the wheel down much. Plus, the aero benefit should outweigh the extra mass.

Rio Rider


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## Kestreljr (Jan 10, 2007)

backinthesaddle said:


> They did it because they want the ES wheels to sell. The LBS here can't give away those stupid Roval wheels...


+10000. If they told you that the wheels are "quicker in acceleration" but weigh 20% more... then I would ask for some evidence- from a scientific study. I think that is completely reasonable to ask for; they are throwing out acceleration terms, which begs inertia questions, and very precise measurements to quantify all that data. I suspect that the "quicker acceleration" is completely ridiculous and marketing BS- but I am sure they have some proof. They wouldn't just say this to say it, now would they!


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## Swift65 (Oct 6, 2005)

For what it's worth. From Bicycling magazine buyers guide 2008 pg42 concerning the Tarmac Pro Double. "ABOUT THOSE WHEELS : We were initally skeptical, but we've become convinced the wild hub of the Roval wheel offers an aero benefit when you're holding speeds around 25 mph for long periods." I'm not endorseing either wheel, just passing on a little something I read. I understand the dilemma since I have an 06 Tarmac S-works that came with the ES wheels and had the opportunity to swap out for the Roval's if I wanted. No pressure from the shop, I just asked for the option. I stuck with the ES wheels and have never regretted. In fact I would love to pick up another set for my CX bike. They would look so good on it. Good luck. You probably can't go wrong either way.


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## Swift65 (Oct 6, 2005)

backinthesaddle said:


> They did it because they want the ES wheels to sell. The LBS here can't give away those stupid Roval wheels...


Have them contact me, I'll take em!!!!


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## tahaye (Aug 14, 2007)

Okay folks redo on previous post. I put the Fusees to the test tonight on a sprint ride (had to really test them before a crieterium this weekend), and came away nervous and disappointed. The wheels flexed so much when leaned over hard, that I could not confidently hold speed in the turns. I'm taking them into the LBS tomorrow to see if the spokes can be tightened up at all.

I didn't have any options other than the Fusees on my Tarmac Pro. Kinda stuck with them... but looking at a pair of williams cycles 19s. My team captain also has an extra set of Ellsworth's new road wheels. Might have to try those out too.

Rio Rider


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## Purple Liquid (Jul 9, 2006)

I have about 500+ miles on my Roval Fusee Star E5's. No I did not buy them, they are a test ride pair at the shop I work at. I'm using them cause I'm building up my road frame and waiting for my wheels. 

Do I like the wheels after so many miles and 5 winter races? No.

I'm 5' 11" and weigh 160 without gear. I've never felt a wheel flex as much as these. The aero benefits are not noticeable, and the weight is way too much for a price tag close to four-digits. The bearings are not of the highest quality, which makes for lots of drag in the stand. In the sprint doing about 32 mph with a 105ish cadence in a Cat 3/4 race, I feel the wheels rubbing into my brake pads often. Out of the saddle climbs are no different with the flex. 

I'd settle for a pair of Mavic Equipes again after this wheelset. Lots of my teammates are on the ES/SL's and couldn't be happier. I think Specialized went purely for the marketing aspect of the star hub, rather than the function. 

Looking at pictures from this year's Tour of California, Quick Step was riding Roval's without the star for most of the stages. I saw Tom Boonen with the Star's for the TT but, then again, Tom Boonen isn't the best at TT's and I'm sure the star was used primarily for the marketing benefits than for the purpose of function. 

Climbing is very disappointing. For a wheel where most of the weight in center of the wheel, you'd expect a lighter-feeling rim. Or maybe I'm naive and this is all in my head. Regardless, the wheels felt very slow climbing. Of course they are not a climbing wheel, but c'mon. 

I have very little good things to say about these wheels. Remember these are all personal opinions and none of which are facts. I have not had the chance to ride other Roval products, but the start hubs left a bitter taste in my mouth.

If you're picking between the ES's (which are now the SL's) and the Fusee Star's, go with the ES/SL. However, I feel there are other options. If you think I talk to much about nothing, you can stop reading before I go on another wheel tangent  

The wheelset I'm ordering is in the same price range as the ES's ($1000 ish?), but I feel they're better bang-for-the-buck. The Reynolds Attacks will be my wheelset of choice for 2008. The 32mm carbon rims are what made me pick them over the ES's. Carbon rides smoother than alum., and offers a slight aero advantage. Plus, these wheels weigh the same as the ES's. These wheels are stiff and offer little flex. I feel that this is thanks to the carbon rims cause carbon doesn't really bend, it breaks . Many say that the hubs on the Attacks are junk. This isn't true, yet they aren't as high caliber as the higher-end Reynolds. What's nice is that you can upgrade to hubs on the Attacks and still save the rim. 

Sorry for the lengthy review, but I was in your position for a while there and now I'm finally glad I'm out. Good luck! :thumbsup:


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## tahaye (Aug 14, 2007)

Purple Liquid,

Thanks for the review on the Roval Stars. I hadn't read about any problems with flex on these wheels, other than what I wrote, until your review popped up. At least now I know it isn't just in my head.
Those things effen freaked me out! Darn near dumped the bike the first time they went floppy in a high speed turn. That would have really ticked me off.

LBS is going to help me out on the wheels. Only 70 or so miles on them now, so they said they'll work out a trade.

Rio Rider


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## MarvinK (Feb 12, 2002)

I definitely think the bike shop is just looking to turn a profit. I do think the Roval wheels are nice, but you should be getting a substantial credit for swapping out the ES wheels--since they're going to be making more money on the Mavics (and sell them easier).

I would ask for $300+ credit if you make the swap--and I would try riding them first to see if you think the flex is a problem. Are you looking at the Star or regular Fusee?


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## tahaye (Aug 14, 2007)

Update #2 on the Roval Stars. I swapped out new tires, and the handling issues are gone. All of a sudden, I love these wheels again. Just rode them in a windy road race today. They slipped through the wind, and didn't react at all to cross winds.

The Mondo Pro tires seem to have been the issue with the handling. Too steep of a profile. I'm used to the standard round road bike tire profile, not a conical motorcycle profile.

Rio Rider


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## tahaye (Aug 14, 2007)

Another update... for those who care.

I love these Roval Stars. I've ridden them in a number of races, and plenty of training miles. In headwinds, they really help reduce drag. In crosswinds, they don't drag or buck much. In tail winds, they really show their stuff. Even in a 30 MPH tailwind, you are churning a chunk of air in your wheels. These wheels capture so much less air due to having the spokes on a narrower hub that their drag is reduced significantly even in tailwinds. I was surprised when I first noticed this in a road race, and now count on it for tactical maneuvers.

I've even been impressed with them in climbs. They are a bit portly at 1750 grams, but the weight doesn't seem to slow me down much. I have a 1450 gram set of ellsworth road wheels, and I haven't noticed much difference between them. In fact, I choose the roval stars most of the time because the aero benefit helps out over the course of a long ride more than the weight benefit of my ellsworth wheels.

I don't have much experience with aero wheels, so I can't say if these are worth $1000, but I'm happy they came on my bike now.

Rio Rider


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## cfblakeman (Jul 19, 2010)

*Royal Fusees - junk*

I got my first set on May 2009 on the Tarmac SL2 Pro. In August of 2010 they were full of cracks around the spokes. Specialized gave me a new set. In March of 2012 (didn't ride them all winter) that set are also full of cracks around the spokes - snapped a spoke today. In case people are wondering - I'm 188lbs. and 6' 1" - well within the weight these wheels should carry.

These things are crap. If I was riding them year round they wouldn't have lasted a full calendar year. 

However, just read the Warranty - it's a Lifetime Warranty. So this will work in my beneift for years to come. I'll get new wheels every 12-16 months. Since the performance is great, but the simply don't hold up, this works in my favor, and eventually Roval will re-engineer them so they don't have to get me new wheels every 1-2 years. I'll just have to check for cracks more often.


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