delete

[esfinkle1]

delete

[Kingfisher]

I can give you a report in about a week for a direct comparison. I've had for about a month, Joe Young's, DT240's built on RR1 rims on my bike now and a buddy of mine has Ksyrium SSC's. We are doing some riding next wk and he wants to swap out wheelsets to see how the Joe Youngs feel.

All I can say is that the Joe Young's are an awesome wheelset! I've never had a lighter setup that is SO strong. I'm 6'2", 205 and these wheels are as true to the day I put them on. They feel alive whenever I stand on the pedals, not too stiff, just right. I highly recommend Joe's wheelsets, they are everything I want in a wheel.

[hokoman]

funny you mention this... my friend wanted to sell his de rosa king because it was a harsh ride, i told him he should try to switch out the wheels. i had some dt 1.1 rims on 240 hubs with double butted spokes 3x and he took off his ksyrium es' - he's not much of a cyclist, but he immediately asked me to trade him for his wheels. i obliged since i wasn't riding that set either. the more i learn about bikes, the more i move away from bling wheels... most my bikes have king hubs now, aside from my campy bikes, and i have 3 sets of king hubs in my drawers.... down from a couple more that have been built up.

[lavi]

I've had/have both sets of the wheels you are asking about (Mavic and JY built DT's).

I don't know that I'd describe one as stiff/harsh and the other as comfy. Yes, the Mavics are stiffer wheels. A handbuilt set of wheels is more about quality and durability than stiff vs. comfy. I still want stiff wheels. I just don't want to have to worry about breaking a spoke and getting stranded when I'm out in the middle of BFE.

In the end, I popped a spoke on my Mavics. To me they were nearing the end of their usuful life. I decided to replace them with a quality wheel that would outlast factory wheels.

[maunahaole]

I think your reasoning is sound - however, it isn't about handbuilt vs. factory built. It's a matter of high vs low spoke count. The combination of the higher spoke count and the slightly more flexible rim in the handbuilt gives the softer ride. The factory wheel works because there is more substance to the rim so it can handle the higher tension. Hefty rim+high tension+low spoke count means more shock makes it into the frame vs being soaked up by the wheel. Higher spoke count gets you home from BFE since the work of holding the rim straight is shared by more points than with a low count - the spokes pull against each other in some sense, so the tug of war becomes more of a mismatch.

[gasman]

I have a set of Mavic SSC SL and a pair of DT1.1 rims with spaim spokes and 240 hubs ( built by flux across the hall). I would say that both wheels have been very strong, can take a lot of abuse but that the handbuilt wheels are more comfortable and I like them better. In fact, the Mavics now have my cross tires mounted on them and the 240s have my commuter tires mounted (Conti gatorskins). I just switch out the wheels and take off the fenders to race cross.

[esfinkle1]

Thanks so much to all who replied. I appreciate your advice.

[gearguywb]

I was in the same boat about six months ago. Switched from Ksyrium ES's to a set of Joe Young 240/1.1 wheels with 28 front and 32 spoke rear. All I can say is "Wow". No way I will ever go back.