Real world difference between 01’ & 04’ ksyrium clincher

[Kurt]

I had the original ones, >1800gm – bullet-proof but I thought very heavy at the rim, poor spin up and only fair in cross-winds. Sold them.

I now have a new pair heading towards me (great price) and the wheels are now 1500gm – like ¾ # lighter.

Has anyone owned both these wheelsets and if so, how do they compare?

I am strongly leaning towards just selling/trading them for 04’ neutrons.

Thanks.

[Kevin]

I have the 03 Ksyrium SSLs. I would not recommend them. While they are bullet proof. They also ride like they are bullet proof. The spin slowly and have a harsh ride. I think you will be happier with the Neutrons. I have the 01 Nucleons. They are a good set of wheels. I also like Speed Dreams and Toppolinos. I think the Topolinos are the best. They are light. They have an incredible ride. I have not had any durability issues at all.

Kevin

[Kurt]

I appreciate/agree with what you are saying, but aren’t the 04’s different in some ways from what you are riding? Topps are from the old Spinergy folks, I don’t think I can give them my money. Speed dreams prob not, for no reason except I would prob be just fine with the neutrons – I am still borrowing 01 Nucleons like you have and they are nice and also weight quite a bit, but the weight is not at the rim like the K’s I think. We have been over some of this before; it is just if the new K’s are something different, I might consider keeping them. Thanks!

[bags27]

I have the older version and another bike with Mavic OPs with DA hubs: no comparison, the Open Pros seem to way outspin the Ksyriums (or is it Ksyria?). But I wasn't paying attention during a very long ride and hit the world's deepest pothole with the K's: both wheels went all the way down and all the way back up: still in perfect tru. But I wouldn't buy them again. Great for training, but stiff as a board.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . about the Topo’s being from the “old” Spinergy folks? The same “Old” Spinergy folks who made the Rev-X wheels that exploded?

If that’s true then the Topo’s just fell off my “drool” list! . . .

BBDave

[Larry]

Speeddreams are really, really worth the price at $575.00. I believe the spokes are the same as Campy Eurus..... Sapim X-Ray 14-17. The Speeddreams are really quick and accelerate with wonderful get-up-and go. They are very nicely AERO.

The Topolinos are just plain weird-looking. They have a real unreal appearance IMHO. They would not seem to be as good in crosswinds.

Campy makes very good wheelsets period. You will not go wrong with a set of Campy wheels.

My legs scream with a frenzy with Speeddreams! Call Dave at
www.speeddream.com :banana: :banana: :banana:

Larry

[Kevin]

Are you sure that Topolino is a spin off of Spinergy? This is the first time I have heard this rumor. I thought Topolino was a spin-off of Cannondale.

Kevin

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . if this is true and not just a rumor then I seriously want to know about it.

I resolved after doing some research NEVER to buy a Spinergy product. They have gotten the most and worst reviews I have EVER seen on RoadBikeReview.com . . .whether you are talking Rev-X, Xaero, Spox . . . lots of folks seem to have had real bad experiences with quality and customer service.

BBDave

[Kurt]

my vote for the worst wheels ever made. They get 0 of my $.

[Kevin]

Kurt,

I have had the Topolinos for a year with no problems. I think that they are a great set of wheels. They are much better than my Ksyrium SSLs. I also like them better than my Nucleons and Speeddreams. Why do you think they are the worst wheels ever made. Did you have a problem with your pair?

Kevin

[Kurt]

I was talking about Spinergy wheels. Enjoy your wheels, they are different.

[bcm119]

I've heard about the Topolino/Spinergy connection too, but heres a thought: I think the guys that started Topolino are the guys who were doing engineering/design for Spinergy, but they weren't necessarily making the business decisions. Good ideas can go awry under poor leadership, it happens all the time. My guess is they got sick of it and struck out on their own... just a "benefit of the doubt" type thought, as I've heard alot of good things about Topolinos. I can't afford even the front one, but if I could I might give them a try.

[cycledoc]

I am amused everytime this type of thread reappears. For most of us on this board, wheel weight,or frankly, frame and component weight, are the least of our concerns. If we want to reduce the weight we're moving up the road, we have to look no further than the mirror...and it costs us nothing to shed 10, 20 or more lbs. of speed-sucking weight! Even for the few of us who cycle competitively, this weight-weenism is excessive. As someone once said, "It's not the bike [wheels]..."

Many pro teams ride the Ksyriums and do well with them. The "harshness" of the ride can be easily moderated by the choice of tires and by reducing tire pressure from the ridiculously high (120-140 PSI) clincher pressures which I've seen posted here and on other sites, to 90-95 psi. This will result in a much more comfortable ride, with better traction and cornering.

I've ridden the 2002 K SSL's for about two years and 5000+ miles including multiple centuries and one 168 mile ride with great comfort and superb control at 95 psi with no pinch flats. Are they "the best" wheelset? I don't know, that is highly subjective, but I've been relatively happy with them (although I did, at 165 lbs, bust two rear wheel spokes with minimal effort, so they're not "bullet-proof".) They are also not the cheapest wheelset, but then neither are the Topolino's or Nucleons!

I'd suggest trying different tires and/or tire pressures before abandoning a wheelset as "too heavy or too harsh."

[bulliedawg]

Doc:

Quit being logical.

[Kevin]

cycledoc,

You are right, wheels are very subjective. In addition, for most people on this forum it is more fun to spend a few bucks on our hobby, than it is to lose a few pounds.

[jeffg]

Originally posted by cycledoc
and it costs us nothing to shed 10, 20 or more lbs. of speed-sucking weight! Even for the few of us who cycle competitively, this weight-weenism is excessive. As someone once said, "It's not the bike [wheels]..."


I've ridden the 2002 K SSL's for about two years and 5000+ miles including multiple centuries and one 168 mile ride with great comfort and superb control at 95 psi with no pinch flats.


10, 20, 30 lbs! That's a lot my friend. Perhaps I could weigh 125 at 5'9", but that seems like a tall order.

Anyway, I agree that some of the discussion about wheels is overblown; however, wheel choice is a relevant topic. Boutique wheels, now ubiquitous, wary widely in quality/reliability. I would choose Campy wheels (Eurus/Neutron) first. That being said, I got a pair of Kysrium SLs in Europe for about $450, and they have got me through the Dolomite Marathon and two touch DCs with no problems from either a comfort or technical standpoint. I actually like how firm they are. I have certainly had to tru them less than my Open Pro/DA wheels, but would still take the handbuilts if I was going to Europe or somewhere remote where replacing a special spoke would be no fun.

[cycledoc]

jeffg

You may not be able to drop 10-20 lbs, but I'll wager that the overwhelming majority of posters on the phorum could, and probably would like to.


Excellent point re. spoke replacement. Back in the day, when I broke a spoke on standard laced wheels, the minimal alteration in truing could be compensated for by simply widening the gap of the brake calipers for the ride home. I had a large and powerful friend who would tape a couple replacement spokes inside his seat tube for just such an event. Unfortunately this did him no good when he broke a Nuovo Record crank arm about 20 miles from home and had to pedal with one leg all the way back!

When I busted the Ksyrium spoke, it immediately threw the wheel out of true to the extreme that the bike was unrideable. The first time it happened I was only a couple miles from home, had my cell phone and called my wife to come get me. The second time I was about 30 miles from home and had to call a cab to pick me up in the middle of nowhere and take me to my LBS for the repair. My next wheelset will be probably be the "old-fashioned" type built around a Record hubset.

[Sandy]

I weigh approximately 219, presently. I rode 147 miles in the last 3 days, and lost absolutely no weight. My wife and I went out to eat tonght after a hilly (for me) 50 mile ride (Smiley creation). I ate 6 very large bowls of Ceaser Salad, 2 chicken breasts, and broccoli. It is an hour or so since we ate, and I am very hungry again.

I am pretty sure that my endurance, ability to recover, strength, pedal stroke, and flat riding are better than last year at this time. But I was dropped on the hills. Part of it is that I am not a very good hill climber and part of it is my extra weight. I would love to get down to 185-190. That would be approximately a 29- 34 pound drop in weight, which would probably make a remarkable difference in my cycling, much, much more than any set of wheels. I was losing weight this winter, but it did not last.

It is certainly the motor that is most important (and technique), but 30 less pounds certainly gives a very different power to weight ratio, and would make recovery during a ride, muscle fatigue, cardio strain, and even confidence, all substantially improve.

Super Slim STill Serotta Sandy

[Kevin]

Sandy,

After the six bowls of ceasar salad, 2 chicken breasts and broccoli, you must have had a little dessert. Perhaps a Sandy Super Six Scoop Sensational Sundae? All kidding aside, I have dropped 20-25 pounds in the last couple of years, I'm down to 167, which at 6 feet tall is reasonably light. The lighter weight makes most aspects of riding easier, particularly hills.

Kevin

[cycledoc]

Sandy,
FWIW, there are a lot of calories in Ceasar salad dressing (are you on an Adkin's-type diet?) 6 bowls?! Hard as it is, you need to take in less calories than you are burning off to lose weight and the older one gets, the more effort one needs to expend to burn calories. Our metabloism just seems to slow with age.

As I tell my weight-concerned patients, your body is happy at whatever weight it's at and it interprets loss of weight as an unhealthy thing. Consequently, one will initially drop some weight when dieting/exercising and then plateau as the body resets its metabloism to spare weight loss. To get that process of loss started again, one needs to again decrease caloric intake and increase calorie burning (exercise--long slow distance does it-- preferable for intervals longer than 45 minutes, to convert from burning glycogen as an energy source, to ketones [fat.]) If you haven't already done so, adding some weight training to your cycling will increase muscle mass and make you a more efficient calorie consumer/fat burner.

It is frustrating to log major miles and see so little change in weight. But you are still getting many great benefits. Your cardiovascular fitness is doubtlessly much greater than 99% of men your age. You are building muscle mass which makes you stronger, faster and more efficient at burning calories (in fact some of the lack of weight change may be attributable to this.) You're also building a healthy lifestyle which you will maintain into your "senior years." You are building a whole network of like-minded friends both on rides and online. Etc., etc.

So keep riding and keep writing. I, for one, enjoy you positive posts and the typing burns calories too!