Wheel Comparision

[FierteTi52]

I recently test rode a Ottrott St and loved the bike. It had Velomax Orion's and they rode nice. I currently ride a Fierte Ti with Kys....s and of course the ride is nowhere near that of the Ottrott. I then swaped out the Kys...s for my D/A Open Pro, Butted spoke alloy nipple wheels. These have been sitting around collecting dust. Both wheel sets had the same tires. I rode the Fierte two nights in a row on club rides to compare the wheelsets. My conclusion was the Kys..s are way overated! The bike rides Way better with the 3 cross wheelset. It wound up to speed, felt zippier, rode nicer, had better road contact in the rough. My performance was faster on the 3 cross wheels. The Kys...s are bullet proof but very unforgiving. They are not any faster. The bike has a whole new feel with the 3 cross wheels narrowing the Margin between the Ottrott and the Fierte Ti. I still want to buy the ottrott but need to stress how important wheel selection is when comparing ride quality.
Jeff

[Kevin]

I have an Ottrott ST and several sets of wheels, including Ksyrium SSLs. I could not agree with you more, the Ks are overated. I have several sets of wheels that I have used with my Ottrott. I rate the wheels in the following order: Topolinos, Speed Dreams, Campy Nucleons and the the Ks.

If you look at the Topolino thread you will see my detailed comments regarding each of the wheels.

Kevin

[Too Tall]

Good observation my man. This morning I threw on my commuting wheels (3X36 14g OPs / Phil Woods) and holy crow are they stiff compared to what I've been riding the last week (32XVelocity Aeroheads). Night and day.

[Climb01742]

i've had exactly the same experience. especially with steel frames. put the K's on a steel frame...yuck! put the OPs on the same frame...sweet. i think that ti and carbon frames mask the poor ride of K's. my ghisallo and ottrott felt fine with the K's. now i wonder what they would feel like with other wheels. putting the K's on steel frames has been a real eye-opener for me.

[Elefantino]

I'm glad I'm not the only one. Threw on some K's for a just-to-see ride and they were notably, well, cruddy. I did not like them. When I said I liked my CXP-30/Records and even my Open Pro/Choruses better, I sounded like the old retrogrouchy cyclist who says he likes his old steel bike better than all-carbon, all-ti or any of that high-zoot stuff.

Wait a minute! I DO like my old steel bike better. Have I become that guy? :crap:

[vaxn8r]

Elefantino, I think you have to be having a senior moment maybe... :cool:

My Atlanta has as it's primary wheelset CXP30/DA with 24/28 spokes. I have switched the K's over from my CDale a few times. There is no close comparisons between these wheelsets. The CXP30's ride harsher, nearly a pound heavier per set and feel slower. Other than that I like the CXP30's. I really do, though they are an outdated design...kind of a poor man's Cosmic or Campy Vento.

Any flat box rim set wheel is going to be more comfortable than a semi aero or aero wheelset. Protons, Neutrons, Open Pro's etc all feel "cushy". K's also have those aluminum spokes which probably contribute to their feel.

If someone can convince me scientifically why K's suck....I'd be interested.

[Elefantino]

OK, maybe it's the gray hair ...

But seriously, young whippersnapper, my CXP-30s (32-spoke front and rear) ride every bit as comfortable as my 24/28 Protons from my Atlanta. And their ride is comparable to my Open Pros (which are still my century wheels of choice).

Maybe it's high- vs. low-spoke-count wheels, or spoke tension, or nipples, or little green men. :fight:

But K's seemed stiffer to me. They're probably great sprint wheels. My sprint days are back in the 80s. The 1980s.

Now excuse me while I go play some old Rudy Vallee records. :banana:

Mike

[jdesalvo]

I totally agree that wheels make a huge difference. I just picked up my new Ottrott ST 3 weeks ago and it is sporting Campy Neutrons. I also rode an Ottrott with Ksyriums -- no comparison. The K's ride like a solid block of metal (not in a good way). I found them harsh and unforgiving. The Neutrons, on the other hand, are one amazing ride! The accelerate like a rocket, climb like a feather and give you just the right road feedback. Simply put they blew the K's away. One caveat is that I am only a 145 pound rider -- I have heard that the Neutrons are good up to about 160 pounds and then can start having reliability issues...

Jason

[jerome]

Hi,
Even if I belong to the same country of the K's I must admit they are not so good (same comments for the XMax). I've ridden my seven axiom with them for too long I switched for a set of campy Eurus, night and day.
I just bought a set of hyperion tubular for the thrill of them, tubular is the summun.
I will try them on my new ottrott I will ge tit on monday. It is set with Reynolds. more wheels you have better it is.
I am not looking for a good light set with low rims or mid heigth and clinchers. I don't know what to take Topollino (heard about them never seen) ? custom with Chris King ? Rolf ? ....
What are the best ?
let me know.

thank you http://forums.thepaceline.net/misc.php?do=getsmilies&wysiwyg=0&forumid=3#

[vaxn8r]

I weigh 180-190 and the Protons (cheaper Neutron but the same rim) hold up exceedingly well.