Wheels: Mavic Ksyrium Carbon, DA C35, or Shamals?

[tv_vt]

Looking at some pre-built wheels. Can anyone weigh in on any of these: Mavic all carbon Ksyrium Pro, Dura Ace 9000 C35 or basic Campy Shamal C17s (without coating on rims)?

I'm 180, hilly terrain around here.

Thanks.

[StephenCL]

Shamals all the way...wont find a better rolling, stiffer, or faster accelerating prebuilt alloy wheel...

[EliteVelo]

Agreed.....definately Shamals

[Cicli]

I would vote for the Shamals. Now, if C24's were in the mix I would go that route.
Mavic=garbage. Good for triathletes though.

[tv_vt]

Hmm. I've been leaning towards the Mavic carbon Ksyriums. Like the steel spokes and slightly higher spoke count. And the all carbon rims seem to be getting good reviews.

Do like my Zondas, so Shamals are not a big stretch, though.

[sdrides]

I like the C35's, but if the bike is Campagnolo then you should go with the Ksyriums or Shamals. I'd be shopping on price, availability, and warranty support; they're both good wheels from reputable companies.

[tv_vt]

Bike is Shimano equipped. If Shamals, would just get with Shimano freehub like on my Zondas.

[Wayne77]

If you look around you can find some crazy good deals on NOS pre-2105 Boras and Bora Ultras. I just got a set of new 2014 Bora Ultras tubulars. Yeah the rims pre-date Campy going slightly wider, but I'm a believer regardless. These wheels are effing awesome. There is something about them, not on paper, that puts a smile on my face. Not sure what it is....they roll forever, they are super stiff, the freehub sounds makes me happy...and again, they just ROLL.

They replaced a really nice set of ENVE 3.4s on DT Swiss hubs. Great wheels but honestly to me, they feel a little "meh" compared to the Boras (even though in cross winds the Enves will do better)

Oh yeah...my two bikes are Shimano DA and SRAM Force equipped. I bought the Fulcrum freehub to use my Shimano cassettes. Maybe I've committed a cardinal sin by running the Boras with a non Campy groupo but I don't care. That's how good they are

[oldpotatoe]

I would vote for the Shamals. Now, if C24's were in the mix I would go that route.
Mavic=garbage. Good for triathletes though.

Shamals, best hubset. Mavic wheels are junque, imho.

[Matthew]

I have three sets of the DA C35's and am very happy with them. Have on pair on a Campy bike too. I know that's ridiculous but it's the only set I had when building the bike and they are very nice wheels. Zero issues whatsoever with these wheels.

[Gummee]

None of the above. C24s for lightweight wheels and some 40-50mm carbon wheels for going fast. You can find Zipps for cheap, but the hubs aren't the best out there.

If you're a wheel builder, bikehubstore has Gigantex rims available.

HTH

M

[simonov]

Shamals, best hubset. Mavic wheels are junque, imho.

My experience is the opposite. My shamals have been garbage and my various sets of mavics have stood up to years of abuse.

[sitzmark]

If this is going to be a primary wheelset for VT, I'd personally not go with carbon brake surface. I've ridden a few extended events - rain or shine - on carbon and alu brake tracked wheels and I personally prefer alu when it's wet and seriously hilly.

It was a rain soaked B2VT with Mavic CC40C carbons that convinced me to use alu wheels for future rides in the hills if I don't want to give wheels a second thought. The CC40C are deeper section than the K-Pro Carbons, but similar construction. I still ride them occasionally but mostly they're bagged.

I also have Racing Zeros (similar to Shamals) that are a preferred set in hilly terrain. Smooth and sturdy. Strong in the wet. Primary wheelset for a bike I keep in Seattle where I ride suburban and mountains. Great set of wheels (hubs) and never worry about rain or shine. Did puncture the extruded rim bed when something punctured my tire and continued through. Doesn't compromise wheel integrity, but I have added a rim strip for tube protection. Trying to get a rim replacement or wheel crash replacement has been a real PITA. Rebuilding is also a PITA because nipples have to be dragged through rim with magnet. In that regard, while Ksyrium spokes are proprietary and the rim bed also unbroken, the nipples thread from the outside on the Mavic rims.

For VT 6-gap this year I bought Zipp 30 Course which checked key boxes for me - alu brake track, no radial rear spokes, axle/hub flexibility (QR/TA/XD). Very happy with them. Was a toss up when deciding Z30 Course vs another set of Zeros - like both. (Some) Carbon climbing wheelsets can save a couple hundred grams, but wasn't a key concern for me. I usually ride deep section carbon when not dealing with long climbs/descents - not because of weight but potential issues with braking. In 5k mile seasons I ride at about 185lbs and in 3k mile seasons around 190-195, so wheel weight is moot.

[StephenCL]

My experience is the opposite. My shamals have been garbage and my various sets of mavics have stood up to years of abuse.

Wow. I like kysriums too. I have a few sets, but all of them have had freehub issues around 5-10k miles. Easy to fix, but a pain to deal with.

My Shamals on the other hand have rolled on forever with no muss, no fuss. Be curious to hear your issues.

[zap]

Campy and Shimano are top tier.

[m_sasso]

Pretty good deal on Shimano RS81 C35 today http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimano-RS81-C35-Road-Bike-Wheel-Set-700c-Carbon-Aluminum-Clincher-11-Speed-/382216529583?hash=item58fde166af:g:hlQAAOSwAFBZqYQ k

[simonov]

Wow. I like kysriums too. I have a few sets, but all of them have had freehub issues around 5-10k miles. Easy to fix, but a pain to deal with.

My Shamals on the other hand have rolled on forever with no muss, no fuss. Be curious to hear your issues.

It's been mostly issues with needing to service the front hub. I had to replace the bearings after a few thousand miles and then service them again later about a thousand later. I've only ever had to service one Mavic freehub and one front hub spread across a handful of wheels and many tens of thousands of miles.

[zzy]

+1 on the RS80/81 - great wheels. Identical to DA wheels with heavier hubs.

[bewheels]

The 2016+ upper end Mavic wheel sets are redesigned and use a new freehub. I have ~8,000 hard miles on a set and they are fantastic.
Ridden hard, put away wet and dirty, zero issues.

They ride extremely well and have been bomb proof. Have not needed to touch them...they do get cleaned up...

[Wasatch]

Steer clear of the Mavics

[bewheels]

With all due respect to other forum members ... as mentioned above, I actually have a pair of the new model (2016) Mavic Ksyrium Pro Carbon SL C and have ridden them thousands of miles in rain/sleet/snow, paved/dirt/rocks, up hills/down hills, very fast groups rides and easy spins, crazy wind and calm winds, ... they have been fantastic over the last 18 months. There is no indication that there will be any less fantastic over the next several years.

They are super smooth. Corner extremely well. Have not needed any maintenance - zero.
I have a couple of other wheels that I have tried on the same bike (a deep rim set and an AL set) but keep going back to the Mavics.
I have the disc version and can not comment on their rim break surface.

I do not work for Mavic nor any any affiliation with them.

[oldpotatoe]

The 2016+ upper end Mavic wheel sets are redesigned and use a new freehub. I have ~8,000 hard miles on a set and they are fantastic.
Ridden hard, put away wet and dirty, zero issues.

They ride extremely well and have been bomb proof. Have not needed to touch them...they do get cleaned up...

Besides the few 'barber-pole' spokes(spoke bonded to nipple) and the few nipples pull out of rim, my beef has always been the poor, cheap, 2 pawl rear hub. Now that mavic has done a DT-esque rear hub, I think they will be nice wheels. Decent hubs=decent wheels...

[zzy]

I will never, ever understand how Mavic stuck with that awful freehub system for so long. Or narrow rims.

[oldpotatoe]

I will never, ever understand how Mavic stuck with that awful freehub system for so long. Or narrow rims.

Lotz in the warehouse;)

[Gummee]

:banana:I will never, ever understand how Mavic stuck with that awful freehub system for so long. Or narrow rims.

Narrow rims? Wide rims? It's all secondary to riding the darn bike.

Just like aero helmets and aero wheels, it's still about riding the darn bike.

...and... In a few years, they'll tell us narrow is better for X, Y, and Z reasons and you really shouldn't ride those outdated wide things ever again.

M

[Levibolsen]

The ksyrium pro carbons are all new and much different than previous full carbon mavic wheels. They have a textured brake track that handles heat and moisture very well. They also have a new hub that has much better engagement than previous gen hubs. They are a solid wheels set between two pairs I have put over 5,000 miles on each and never had a problem.

[zzy]

I was pleasantly amused when I was able to fix a set of 2003 Kysrium Elites with a freehub from a 2013 hub tho.

[Muffin Man]

I have a set of Ksyrium Exalith SLR and they're really nice. Simple 2 pawl hub that's super easy to service and they're light, stiff, and brake really well. They also look good so that's a plus

[tv_vt]

Thanks for all the replies. Seems that bottom line was that all of them were good. Decided to go with basic Campy Shamal C17 wheels with Shimano freehub. The Mavics were seriously tempting. I don't have any carbon rim wheels. But simplicity of the alloy rims and no brake pad changes, plus lower cost, were factors.

We'll see how they feel on the road.