I cant imagine why anyone would pick the mavics over the shimano wheels, unless you absolutely had to save the 250 bucks.

Then again, the shimano wheels pop up for around 500 bucks (or less) for the ultegra C24's, which are also a better pick than the mavics.

 

So even a 225 pounder should choose the DA's over the Elites?

 

Shimano all the way......if you needed to save $$ go for the Shimano RS-80. Same rim as the Dura ace, but with Ultegra level hubs. I have a set of Dura ace C50's and the hubs are smoooooth. I have a set of Ksyrium Elites as well, and they are nice but Shimano wheels are awesome. Would trade the Ksyriums for RS-80's if I could.

 

Yep...no brainer. Shimano all the way

 

You can get a custom build like kinlin xr240 rims, white industry hubs and sapim spokes that would weigh around 1465 grams and cost you approximately 700-750. Check your LBS or look around on the net. Don't know why anyone would spend that kind of $ on factory wheels. Or you can go the enve alloy rims, white industry hubs and wheelsmith spokes then it would be built in the USA using components made entirely in America and be a better wheelset that a factory set.

 

Wheel noob here but why are handbuilt wheels so much better than factory built?

 

Wheel noob here but why are handbuilt wheels so much better than factory built?

They're not "so much better".

How much do you weigh? Whta kind of riding are you going to be doing?

Under 200 #'s, then go get the Shimano's whether it's the RS 80's or The DA's. They're smooth, light and have great hubs.

So even a 225 pounder should choose the DA's over the Elites?

Hmm... I might look elsewhere. The DA's aren't the stiffest wheel out there, and certainly not as stiff as the Elites.

 

Hmm... I might look elsewhere. The DA's aren't the stiffest wheel out there, and certainly not as stiff as the Elites.

Agree....my 2012 Ksyrium Elites are VERY stiff. There is absolutely no flex at all. I am only 150 #'s but I have felt flex in other wheelsets.

 

for $900 or less, I would definitely consider these. Bling, performance, reliability.

Chris King Hubs / Mavic CXP33 Rims / Road Bike Wheelset | eBay

 

Mavic make great wheels but the Shimano's are AMAZING wheels....

The Dura Ace hubs alone make the wheel set a better choice. The carbon outer edge gives such a smooth ride.

You will be very impressed once you slap these on your bike.

 

I think you know what he meant.

 

Shimano no question.
The Mavic freehub requires more freq maint (q1000mi per Mach tech website IIRC) to keep that plastic bushing properly lubed. A bit of a PITA, IMHO.
And I don't find Mavics all that stiff (6',170# nonracer). Not flexy for sure, but not stiff either.

 

Maybe the RS80 or the Elites is a better comparison?

 

At 145 pounds, the Shimano's should be great for you.

The carbon/aluminum rim smooth the road out noticeably so.
Plus most of the weight on the Shimano's are at the hubs.

When switching from the Ksyriums SL's to the DA 7900's, I noticed my ride get alot smoother, which is what I was going after.

I also noticed however, that while out of the saddle slow climbing, something was different. Almost as if my tire was a little low, so I'm thinking they are flexing more than my SL's.

What I didn't notice, is either of them being faster or rolling better than the other. This really surprised me especially after how people told me the Shimano hubs are so superior.

Also the wider rim threw me off during cornering, especially on descents. Its taken me a while to get used to how they "roll over". It was very un-nerving at first. It almost felt like they were tipping over, even though this is supposed to be a strength of wider rims.

I actually think my Easton EA 90's roll better than all of them.

 

Which wider rim?

 

these wheelsets seem far apart (pricewise). Shimano's are lighter, more high tech (carbon) etc but Mavic's being more conventional may prove stronger/more durable. Also Shimano hubs tend to require some minor adjustments (sometimes hard to get it right, though at this price level this should be non issue), sealed hubs in Mavic is something you never think about. Bladed spokes on Mavic behave worse in wind.
If you plan on getting Mavic buy the 2009 closeout (same weight) at PerformanceBike - at 400$ the price difference surely makes up in all that's lost (?) in performance (unless you had to have the lightest and priciest).

 

While the Ksyriums may appear to be nearly a match for the Shimano's on paper, they are an inferior wheelset. I ride pretty hard but look after my equipment well - I had a pair of spokes pop on the rear of my 1 year old Elites, this while the bike was not even being ridden. I have since used both the WH-7850 and WH-7900 wheelsets, and they are superb. Outstanding hubs (much better quality than the Mavic's), lighter, spin up much faster, and definitely stiff enough. The butted and bladed spokes catch the wind less than the wider spokes on the Elite's. The Shimano's are also more comfortable. I liked my Elite's (until they started popping spokes), but the Shimano's are just better. As suggested by someone else, a fairer comparision would be the Elite's vs the RS80, although I would think the RS80 would still take that one too (basically the same wheel as the WH-7900 but with a slightly heavier hub).

I know several big guys that ride their Shimano WH-7850/7900 wheels all the time: training, events, summer + winter. The only problem I know of was when one of them rode into some chunks of metal on the road smashing the rear rim - an incident which obviously would have destroyed any bike rim.

 

thanks. i was trying to figure the same thing.