[gsmiley]

1. Swap: I am considering swapping out my new 2009 Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheelset for the SRAM S27, where the latter seemed maybe roughly equivalent, on a 2009 Felt F3 I got new on ebay and am taking my time putting back together.

I saw the 2011 F3's equipped with the S30s on bikeradar, and the match with the stock Red components suddenly made more sense, and prettier. Plus the June 2010 German magazine Tour apparently rated the s27s first in a test of alum wheelsets above the Mavics (and maybe even above the s30 race, though I cannot find a translated page explaining the rating system). A google translation of the summary:

The wheels SRAM S27 and S30 Comp AL Race Tour were among the best aluminum wheels elected! The German road cycling magazine Tour (6/2010) published a test of 16 aluminum wheels, which Aerodynamics, weight, braking surface, rigidity, rotation and acceleration were measured. In its first year aluminum wheels pushed out of the SRAM at the first test at the top and VER crowded approved brands and models.

RESULTS:
Winner - SRAM S27 AL Comp: • "The surprise in the test. Storms on the first try to the top. Well balanced, very well made, stiff. And an excellent price / performance Money! "

Award Winners - SRAM S30 AL Race: • "The halbtorusförmige profile provides more speed: In Terms of aerodynamics and overall in the test in front. Extremely soft free wheel, adjustable Storage and classic finish. "

2. Pricing: At around $500, the s27s are a better match to my budget (basically not too much more than what I might get for the Mavics), and easier to maintain than the s30s, but especially when I stumbled across chainreactioncycles selling the wheelset for $342 shipped. Anyway, does this make sense or am I too swayed by the esthetics, and now the affordability?

Many thanks.

p.s. Any guesses for the spoke wrench size for the S27s?

 

[skyliner1004]

Can u go for the S30's (Sprint/Race)?

I got mine with for $635 shipped with a Sram cassette.

last i heard Sram wheels are pretty damned good (they own zipp) and that mavic hubs suck...
And i know for a fact mavic warranty sucks.

 

[stevesbike]

my understanding is the S27 are kinlin rims with house hubs - you'd save a bundle by buying Neuvations (same rims)

 

[gsmiley]

These are great suggestions, so thanks. The high end Neuvations also seem to use a better grade of aluminum. Plus, the neuvation site has lots of useful info and an interesting insurance program. Still, the wheelset is only $100 less than the s27s. Are the easy access bearings on the SRAMs -- or their other still mysterious features, since there are no English language tests I can locate -- worth that? Or, put another way, would I be better off holding on to the Mavics as a spare wheelset or instead getting Neuvations and save a few bucks?

I'm wary of the s30s, partly as they cost twice as much and partly for the internal nipples. I just have no experience with those. My riding style won't benefit much from the aero and weight advantages. And the s30s are currently more like $750 on ebay, so the price difference is $400.

 

[skyliner1004]

my understanding is the S27 are kinlin rims with house hubs - you'd save a bundle by buying Neuvations (same rims)

do you have proof of this? If not then stop spreading your lies....

Got my S30's for $635 with SRAM Force Cassette (Value $75) so i basically got my wheels for $560 shipped to USA.

 

[stevesbike]

do you have proof of this? If not then stop spreading your lies....

Got my S30's for $635 with SRAM Force Cassette (Value $75) so i basically got my wheels for $560 shipped to USA.

you make it sound like it would be a bad thing if the S27 was a kinlin rim but the Kinlin is widely regarded as among the best rims around. Lots of wheels are rebranded Kinlins (e.g., Ritchey Protocol Ltds that retail for $800). The S30 has the toroidal shape while the 27 is a traditional shape and looks exactly like the Kinlin.

For around $500 S27s aren't much of a deal (1600+ gram wheelset). For less I'd go for Shimano RS80s first.

 

[skyliner1004]

you make it sound like it would be a bad thing if the S27 was a kinlin rim but the Kinlin is widely regarded as among the best rims around. Lots of wheels are rebranded Kinlins (e.g., Ritchey Protocol Ltds that retail for $800). The S30 has the toroidal shape while the 27 is a traditional shape and looks exactly like the Kinlin.

For around $500 S27s aren't much of a deal (1600+ gram wheelset). For less I'd go for Shimano RS80s first.

i never said anything about kinlin rim quality. i'm saying there is no validity to your statement of Sram S27 rims = Kinlin XR-270 rims. FUD?

 

[stevesbike]

the OP was asking for some opinions and I gave him mine of the S27 along with an educated guess about the rim. I don't really care if you think the rim is something other than a Kinlin. The CRC price makes it tempting - the spoke count might be a bit low depending on the rider and road conditions, but I'm sure it's a decent wheelset.

 

[skyliner1004]

the OP was asking for some opinions and I gave him mine of the S27 along with an educated guess about the rim. I don't really care if you think the rim is something other than a Kinlin. The CRC price makes it tempting - the spoke count might be a bit low depending on the rider and road conditions, but I'm sure it's a decent wheelset.

so... did you find any proof that the Sram S27 rims are the same as the Kinlin XR-270 yet?

i didn't comment about prices comparing the two rims/wheels and spoke count...

 

[stevesbike]

so... did you find any proof that the Sram S27 rims are the same as the Kinlin XR-270 yet?

i didn't comment about prices comparing the two rims/wheels and spoke count...

yes, I broke into SRAM's corporate headquarters, found the vault behind the painting of their chairman, picked the lock, and discovered their secret documents outlining their plot to use Kinlin rims in their S27 wheels. There's your proof - look for it on wikileaks!

 

[skyliner1004]

yes, I broke into SRAM's corporate headquarters, found the vault behind the painting of their chairman, picked the lock, and discovered their secret documents outlining their plot to use Kinlin rims in their S27 wheels. There's your proof - look for it on wikileaks!

so in other words you have no proof and your blanket statement is false. word up

 

[stevesbike]

so in other words you have no proof and your blanket statement is false. word up

member for 3 months, 600 posts. Enough said...

 

[skyliner1004]

member for 3 months, 600 posts. Enough said...

got nothing else huh? good one though.

Is your next one going to be Mavic OP = XR-200? who knows what you can pull out of your ass.

 

[stevesbike]

read my original post - I said it was my understanding that they are the same rim. It's based on a close inspection of the rims - they are virtually identical in person. The two pics here (kinlin 270 is the right rim in the pic beside a 300) are the best I could find.

Besides, you're missing the point. Sram is just filling a price point with the s27. There's nothing proprietary about it (whereas the 30 has the hybrid toroidal shape). Spokes are Sapim CX stainless. Since the OP was asking about the relative value of the wheel, a fair comparison are other wheels using the Kinlin rim like the neuvations. The point was to give the OP some other wheels to compare it to, so go find a useless fight somewhere else.

 

[intence]

So maybe they're Kinlin rims, maybe not, if not, they're coming out of some other big Taiwanese/Chinese factory, does it really make a difference?!? I don't know why skyliner1004 is so vehmently opposed to the fact that the rims might be made by Kinlin (Kinlin manufacturers for lots of people, it's not a bad thing).

As far as the S30, if the rim isn't US made, then it's most likely being made by some factory as well. This is probably true for most wheels.

Stevesbike: Have you ridden the S30/S27 and the RS80s? I've having a hard time deciding as the RS80 only have a slight aero disadvantage, but appears to be light, relatively cheap, carbon reinforced, and effectively a cheaper (much cheaper) version of the 7850 C24 wheel.

 

[AJL]

got nothing else huh? good one though.

Is your next one going to be Mavic OP = XR-200? who knows what you can pull out of your ass.

He already said it was an educated guess. Do you need it in triple underlined blinking red font or something

 

[stevesbike]

So maybe they're Kinlin rims, maybe not, if not, they're coming out of some other big Taiwanese/Chinese factory, does it really make a difference?!? I don't know why skyliner1004 is so vehmently opposed to the fact that the rims might be made by Kinlin (Kinlin manufacturers for lots of people, it's not a bad thing).

As far as the S30, if the rim isn't US made, then it's most likely being made by some factory as well. This is probably true for most wheels.

Stevesbike: Have you ridden the S30/S27 and the RS80s? I've having a hard time deciding as the RS80 only have a slight aero disadvantage, but appears to be light, relatively cheap, carbon reinforced, and effectively a cheaper (much cheaper) version of the 7850 C24 wheel.

I've ridden the RS80s but not the Srams. I think the RS80s are a great value (especially at CRC). In the sub-$500 range, they'd be my choice.