Stability and hubs

None

You really can feel a difference in handbuilt wheels. After riding Fulcrum's for years I made the switch and dont think i'll ever go back. Absolutely wonderful company to work with - and by that i mean i received a phone call form the owner to discuss hub and spoke options for my riding style and conditions.
These wheels roll easy, corner great, brake consistently and effectively in wet and dry conditions, and the the rear hub feels great when freewheeling. After putting about 1000mi on these things in a month I could not recommend them any higher.

These wheels never let me down over the past 10,172 miles and 1 1/2 years of hard riding. Living in Pennsylvania, where the roads aren't perfect, I knew I needed a durable set of wheels for training and racing year round. The Race SL has surpassed my expectations in all areas. Going from the stock Fulcrum Racing S Four wheels that came with my Specialized Tarmac Expert SL4, I immediately noticed the following improvements: a smoother ride, quicker acceleration, and a more solid feel. Smoothness is achieved by the wider than average design of this wheel. I have ridden both 23 and 25mm Continental GP 4000 S II and have found both perform great for training and racing. I currently am running the 25s and love the comfort. I questioned if this wheel would be suitable for racing crits and it definitely gets the job done. I have podiumed on all four cat 3/4 races entered. When coming out of tight corners this wheel accelerates without a problem and stays feeling solid when laying down the power during a field sprint.

No weakness found.

After putting these wheels through a long term test, I can confidently say they are an exceptional value and I appreciate their superior quality on every ride.

Just pulled the trigger and before I did, I called Sean to talk to him about the wheels (was wondering whether the owner actually answers and he did.). I asked whether the DT hubs would make a huge difference and he told me they are not really worth it as ROL hubs will do a similar job (didn't try to upsell me) and seems to know what he is talking about when it comes to wheels. After mounting Vredestein Comp Race Tires (23 mm) and Ultegra Casette I was finally able to do a 40 mile ride. Wheels are stiff and accelerate very well compared to my stock Oval 327 that always feel slow and sluggish. What really amazed me is that I am getting similar speeds with them as compared to my 60mm 3T Team Accellero Wheels that are certainly aero but using them in wet conditions is a no no. Maintaining 19-21 mph is not that difficult and they roll quite effortlessly. Furthermore unlike the 3Ts (where the rear wheel was not true when new), no matter how hard I looked at the ROLs on a truing stand they are simply perfect. In addition, the angle of each spoke is perfect as well. Simply put it seems that Sean really cares about what product he puts out and while it is way too early to tell about their longevity, I felt confident that if any problems occur in the future, Sean will take care of it (based on my conversation). While I realize that the rims and hubs are made in Asia, they are actually assembled by ROL and myself I rather spend money on US based small businesses than on companies that complete the entire process in Asia. There may be comparable wheels out there at the price point of Race SLs but I don't really care as I am a very happy and satisfied costumer. I also got a free tshirt.

none

Overall I feel that these wheels will serve me well and will work better in bad weather conditions than my 3Ts. Super solid and worth every penny so far.

Similar Products Used:

Oval 327 Wheels (crap)
3T Accelero 60 Team Wheels (Al/Carbon)

Customer service, performance, value, design

None so far

I built a Colnago C59 over the winter. Probably researched wheels more than any other component. I contacted Sean and provided information about me, intentions for the bike, etc and he recommended the Race SL. This C59 will get the bulk of the miles so wanted reliability and performance. 6-1 and 195 so have had more than a few broken spokes over the years. I've only racked up 1000 miles but so far flawless. I did a metric a couple weeks ago and some of the roads were awful. Wheels have been exactly as I expected and as I needed. I've met a couple other cyclists with the same experience. Interesting how they commented on the wheels and not the bike! Don't hesitate, these wheels are a great value and won't disappoint.

Similar Products Used:

Magic Ksyrium Elite (older ones have been very good), hand built 32 hole 3 cross

Strong, Stiff, Bullet Proof, Customer service, Free-spin capacity, day-to-day reliability

None

My original set of SLs just went over 25k miles. Yes, 25 K miles. Had them refreshed a few years back. Not because anything was wrong with them, but, rather because, Sean said he just would. In those 25K miles they have seen four different frame sets, various terrains, and all kinds of road surfaces. Not one broken spoke, not one failed hub, and barely an untrue mile. Almost as fast as the day I first used them. I gave them a close inspection the other day, and no cracked nipples or any real wheel stress marks. These have just been a solid performer and for the cost, well, nothing compares.

Similar Products Used:

Bontranger, Mavic, Shimano, Williams

Weight, width, aero performance

None

This is my 2nd set of Race SLs. I purchased my first about 4 years ago, the original model. They were rock solid, never had to true, smooth as could be. I bought the new model a few months ago and it is a worthy improvement!. The rim is about 3.5mm wider than the original at 23mm. I run Conti 4000S 23mm tires. On these wheels, the tires measure 26mm wide. The resulting ride is very smooth even on the rough chip and seal roads I ride! I see no reason to use 25mm tires on these. the new rim profile also wider on the spoke side of the rim. Many manufactures are doing this as they have found that it is more aerodyamic. I am 64 years old and occasionally go on group rides with a bunch that are about 15 years younger with me on average. I sometimes am dropped and, if not, i struggle to hold on. I rode the new Race SLs yesterday and I not only kept up but took my turn at pulls at 24mph in the pace line! I am a happy camper!

Great price/performance ratio.
Light.
Fast.

Haven't found one yet.

I got lucky with weather conditions for my inaugural ride with the new wheels. Equally windy (15mph) and same temp (60F) as last weekend's ride on the old wheels. Only difference was wind direction, but since I was riding a loop, that shouldn't affect the comparison much.

Wheels replaced: stock Mavic wheels on a 2001 Bianchi Giro

Results: felt so light and easy that I went 12 miles (30%) further at 2.8mph (17%) faster.

The Race SL wheels are fast, light, and fantastic.