Topolino CX2.0 and Mavic R-Sys wheelsets

[dave1215]

these wheelsets are very different designs but both have spokes based on carbon fiber, weigh about the same and appear to be in the same price range:

http://www.topolinotech.com/products/cx20.php
http://www.mavic.com/road/products/R-Sys.995475.aspx


are they fast? are they comfortable? are they durable?
are they worth a look? are they worth a ride? are they worth the cabbage?

[obtuse]

are they fast? are they comfortable? are they durable?
are they worth a look? are they worth a ride? are they worth the cabbage?


no.
huh?
hub issues with topo's the mavics seem fine.
sure.
sure.
probably not.

jerk

[vaxn8r]

no.
huh?
hub issues with topo's the mavics seem fine.
sure.
sure.
probably not.

jerk
Classic jer...er obtuse

Oh yeah, +1

[DarrenCT]

def not worth the cabbage

also, they are fwaking ugly

[RudAwkning]

def not worth the cabbage

also, they are fwaking ugly

I'd be curious to see what happens when one of the spokes goes south. Do the rest fall like dominos? :p

Pang.......pang........pang.pang.............pang. pang.pang.pang.pang~

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . would match my zebra stripe kit. But, if you absolutely MUST know, send me a pair of each and I'll let you know in six months.

BBD

[1centaur]

jerk hates Topos and I like them. Have three sets. Spokes breaking is so rare as to be not worth worrying about. They are the only wheelset that I have ridden that adds obvious comfort to a very stiff frame. Plenty fast enough - no speed difference vs. normal wheels. Yes durable. In the context of today's wheel prices, yes worth the money if you want their comfort and durability, but as always if you just need riding around wheels there are plenty of cheaper and sufficiently durable and, built right, comfortable alternatives in the handbuilt world. They are not cheap alternatives to Lightweights (or ADAs) just because they have carbon fiber in their spokes - they are their own particular flavor of wheel.

I have grown to like their looks, but I spend 850x the time riding them as looking at them.

[shinomaster]

no.
huh?
hub issues with topo's the mavics seem fine.
sure.
sure.
probably not.

jerk


I'm guessing by not fast you mean not fast on a flat road? Not aero? I'm guessing they climb ok?

[TTBS]

A front spoke on my friends R-SYS wheels split from rim to hub while riding down a long descent at 80km/h; this caused wicked speed wobble. Thankfully he stayed upright, he is an experienced rider, I think a lesser rider would have crashed. This was his third set of R-Sys wheels, all three sets have failed for different reasons.

Hopefully soon mavic and others will conclude that carbon should not be used to make spokes.

[1centaur]

Hopefully soon mavic and others will conclude that carbon should not be used to make spokes.

Carbon's good enough for airplane fuselages. We're in the early days of carbon spokes; I think we'll see a lot more of them.

[dash]

...We're in the early days of carbon spokes; I think we'll see a lot more of them.


interesting, could this be the next big wave?

[ergott]

A front spoke on my friends R-SYS wheels split from rim to hub while riding down a long descent at 80km/h; this caused wicked speed wobble. Thankfully he stayed upright, he is an experienced rider, I think a lesser rider would have crashed. This was his third set of R-Sys wheels, all three sets have failed for different reasons.

Hopefully soon mavic and others will conclude that carbon should not be used to make spokes.

That's impossible. The R-sys cost a lot of money and look cool. They have to be good.

[ergott]

Carbon's good enough for airplane fuselages. We're in the early days of carbon spokes; I think we'll see a lot more of them.

Carbon spokes have been used for over a decade now.

The problem is Mavic didn't use the material wisely (for an engineering point of you, wise if you look from a marketing point of view) in the R-sys. Funny because they seem to have it right with the CCU. My prediction for the R-sys, remember the Spinergy SPOX?

[flux]

That's impossible. The R-sys cost a lot of money and look cool. They have to be good.

.

[dave1215]

thanks for all the feedback - geez, it sure seems hard to beat handbuilts for aluminum clinchers. maybe carbon spokes will have their day at some point.

i wonder if more people would try the topolinos if other color (more neutral) options were available.

[Pete Serotta]

That's impossible. The R-sys cost a lot of money and look cool. They have to be good.


YEP JUST LOOK AT MAVIC SITE FOR THEIR APPROVAL ;) ;)

[Ti-Boy]

I ride the original Topo c19 and love them. Only 1 hub adjustment after 6k miles. I will either get the cx2.0 or the Shimano tubeless. The R-Sys was the other contender, but not any more.

[nbrewste]

I may have a vested interest in Topolino as a current employee...so excuse the long(ish) response.

Carbon composites are the future of the performance bicycle wheel -- they allow a manufacturer to break out of those strength to weight / strength to stiffness ratios found in metal spoke wheels. One may produce a lightweight, stiff, and durable wheel without worry of inordinate spoke tension, flimsy rims, or cardboard hubs.

What sets the CX2.0 apart from the R-Sys is it's spoke composite and overall wheel construction. The CX2.0's spokes go through the hub -- eliminating those frustrating weak points (like the 'j-bend') while dispersing spoke tension and creating an efficient path for vibration damping. This spoke routing also allows for the construction of a lightweight composite hub (totally redesigned to solve those hub issues so kindly pointed out by Obtuse). The CX2.0 is durable, light, and comfortable...

And if anything does go wrong with the CX2.0s you can call us up and speak directly to the head engineer. Alas, Topolino does not have the Mavic marketing machine, but our product is (not just a marketing plug) undoubtedly superior (and hand built in the US). I wonder what would have happened if Soler had been riding a pair of CX2.0's in the Tour...

I could go on...but I'll save the forumites' eyes.

[bostondrunk]

...geez, it sure seems hard to beat handbuilts for aluminum clinchers. ..

The only thing wrong with that sentence is the word 'clinchers'!
Go tubie.
Where's Too Tall?!

[bostondrunk]

I wonder what would have happened if Soler had been riding a pair of CX2.0's in the Tour...


I'm guessing he would have had the same result??

[Bernie]

Been riding a set of topolinos since they came out, ride them about 1/4 of the time I'm on the road. I think they are some great wheels for what they are, but you can certainly buy cheaper, prettier, lighter, etc.

The wheels are definitely strong beyond belief. One example is my 6' 6 1/2" friend who has now destroyed three sets of Ksyriums. Destroyed as in broken spokes and busted wheels. This is a guy that is a former power lifter who has less than 10% body fat who rides conservatively but is the fastest big guy I have ever seen. After his last destruction of a set of Ksyriums I threw him my topolinos to ride. He used them for about 3 months while he ****ered over the warranty on his mavics, put over a thousand miles on them with no problems whatsoever. I got a new tire out of the deal and he is thinking about buying a set for himself.

I've probably put 6 or 8 thousand miles on my set and have had very little trouble. The bearings began to feel a little rough so I sent them back to the factory and they replaced the rear axle and bearings at no charge, even though I was over the warranty period. I ran over the front wheel once like an idiot and busted a spoke. The wheel was left leaning against the rear bumper when I was in a hurry. All I had to do was sand off some of the pitting in the rim, send the set to the factory and for less than $100 had a new set of spokes on half the wheel and they were as good as new. In the four years I've had them never had to true the wheels once.

I can also attest to the fact that they significantly cut down on the road buzz and vibration felt through a very stiff frame. They feel great while spinning up and climbing, one of the wheel's strengths.

As far as I'm concerned the Topolino folks give great service and have some really nice products. I still like my AC 420s for their aero characteristics, but I like my Topolinos on that stiff aluminum frame I ride, especially if there is going to be any amount of climbing involved.

[pjm]

And if anything does go wrong with the CX2.0s you can call us up and speak directly to the head engineer.

Right from your hospital bed! ;)

[jimcav]

I have 2 sets of c19--the one i ride, and a back-up set i have never had to reach for. i also had ac29, and still have v39. mainly ride the c19--have for 3 years now. has replaced eurus as my favorite clincher. before that i rode velocity aerohead/record. anyway i have never trued them, no issues. they make any ride more comfortable. my only issue was crack in the RIM (by zipp i believe) of my V39 which was my fault for hitting a steep edged speedbump at 41mph, and possibly a stone may have gotten inbetween the brake pad and carbon when a dump truck passed me at probably 70mph with a could of swirling grit and stones.--a fluke either way as i won't repeat the circumstances for either.
their customer service is excellent. the v39 seem very aero to me, but have no idea on wind tunnel stuff.
jim

[HSG Racer]

I have had a pair of Mavic Ksyrium SLs for several years now and I have been very happy with them. They are as true today as they were on day one. The only maintenance that I have done is to replace the original sealed bearings with ceramic bearings. The Ksyriums share much of their technology with the new R-sys but the spokes are aluminum instead of carbon. I don't have any experience with the R-sys but Mavic has a reputation of building strong durable quality wheelsets.

Topos are not the most maintenance free wheelsets out there. They have issues and they tend to require more maintenance than I care for. I would think that the R-sys would be more maintenance-free and more durable than the Topos, ATMO.

[DarrenCT]

YEP JUST LOOK AT MAVIC SITE FOR THEIR APPROVAL ;) ;)

POTD

[Kines]

I second, third, and fourth the positives for Topolino.

I had the original C19s and sold them to a friend who loves them and still rides them, so I could get the 3.0s which I love and have not had a bit of trouble with in about 1500 miles.

The few troubles I did have with the C19s were taken care of quickly and cheaply (or free) by Topolino. As stated, you just call them up and they come through.

KN

[Kines]

oh one more thing.

They weigh exactly as claimed on my scale. More than I can say for most manufacturers.

KN

[Simon Q]

You asked whether the wheels were fast. Don't know about the Topos but the R-SYS are one of the least aero wheels out there (by a margin in tests I have seen) so, no, they are not fast. Check my earlier post Wheel Aerodynamics.

[romdobe]

I have 4,500 trouble free miles on my Topo AC29s.

[97CSI]

Been on Mavic wheels of one sort or another (Cosmic and Ksyrium today) since 1999 and have never had a failure. Great clydesdale wheels. Trying a pair of Es this season, as soon as the weather warms a bit.

[jeffinCT]

I just got the R-Sys and have about 200 miles on them. I really like them. Extemely stiff and comfortable. I have not seen any quality issues other than in this thread. I had the Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels before these and they are a huge upgrade with ride quality and stiffness.

[Michael Maddox]

Here's another plug for the Topolinos. My AC29's have been trouble-free for thousands of miles. AND, I'm 6'3" and 240#. I trust them. They're good wheels.

[Don]

I'll second the plus comments about R-SYS wheels. Currently have more than 2,000 miles on my set and I also like the stiffness, comfort and quick spin-up. The set replaced Ksyrium SLs. No maintenance issues to date.

Don

[jerk]

. This spoke routing also allows for the construction of a lightweight composite hub (totally redesigned to solve those hub issues so kindly pointed out by Obtuse). The CX2.0 is durable, light, and comfortable...

.

if you guys fixed the hubs; that's awesome. i should really know what the eff i am talking about before i talk about it. i'll certainly give the topolinos another shot.

jerk/obtuse

[EastCoastRoadie]

I have been looking at the Topos for several months as well. The R-Sys wheels are out for me based obviously on their recall. My big concern with the Topos are the hub issues which seemed unavoidable in the past. If these really are fixed, I would be all over these wheels. I take good care of my bikes, but I don't want to be sending the wheels back to CT every 1500-2000 miles for hub service which seemed like a very likely scenario in the past. I don't care how good the customer service is if I am without my wheels once or twice a year. Based on the input here, I am really thinking about going for these.

[dave1215]

I'd be curious to see what happens when one of the spokes goes south. Do the rest fall like dominos? :p

Pang.......pang........pang.pang.............pang. pang.pang.pang.pang~


there it is

[endosch2]

I heard that topo was going to black with the spokes instead of the yellow - I will wait to buy them until that happens..... IMO they are one of the more ugly wheels now.

Second question - are there any aero tests anywhere on Topos? I have seen some big wheel comparison wind tunnel tests out there on this site.

If there are aero tests on topos please provide a link. If there are not tests I would wonder why at this point...

[regularguy412]

I heard that topo was going to black with the spokes instead of the yellow - I will wait to buy them until that happens..... IMO they are one of the more ugly wheels now.

Second question - are there any aero tests anywhere on Topos? I have seen some big wheel comparison wind tunnel tests out there on this site.

If there are aero tests on topos please provide a link. If there are not tests I would wonder why at this point...

Nothing on the Topos here, but the R-Sys came in dead last in aero. Lots of wheels tested, though. Interesting reading.

http://www.rouesartisanales.com/article-15505311.html

Mike in AR:beer: