Wheel question

[soul survivor]

Building up two new custom CDAs shortly -- one for a 54 year old who never intends to race, and the other for a very athletic 17 year old who may or may not race.

My expert is suggesting to go with Mavic Kysrium SR's rather than jump up to Zipp's -- and I tend to agree that the big $ jump to the Zipps's isn't justified based on the intended uses. :hello: Agree?

[ColnagoLightxx]

or have Joe Young build you a set :)

[soul survivor]

Who is Joe Young? Why would you rely on a one man shop (no criticism of Joe intended) rather than a known supplier?

[ColnagoLightxx]

I believe handbuilt wheels are under rated to be honest. They are usually cheaper, built better, just as light or lighter, and if you ever need service, LBS's prefer to work on them. Just my two cents..and recommendation.

http://www.youngwheels.com/

Check him out or give him a call, i'm sure he will save you money and give you what you want. (No relation to him directly I just have friends who have been pleased)

[Kane]

whose reputation for excellence precedes him.
I personally don't like Mavic hubs because the free hub body has a plastic bushing that wears out. The Mavic pawl system is not very impressive either. The spokes are proprietary and there are at least 10 variations of Mavic spokes and only the best racing shops carry all of them. So if you break a spoke you might have to order one and wait a week or more to get it.
Zips are for racing and they are not ideal for training wheels
The money that you are going to spend on the wheels for two novice riders makes no sense.
You would be better off going with a custom wheel based upon a good custom builders recommendations. Some nice campy or shimano hubs with a Mavic rim and DT spokes. Wheels like this are easy to service and you can get parts anywhere.
In Marin there are a number of great wheel builders including Gravy wheels.
Cheers,

Kane

[ColnagoLightxx]

Check out the DT Swiss 240 hubs..I have them on a set of wheels and they are amazing. With rims, also DT makes the 415's which are light and nice as well. Mavic's are great, but can be a pain in the butt. Agreed with the comment on the Zipp's, unless you're racing, don't waste the money because you can get a wheelset that is just as light or lighter and rides just as smooth.

[97CSI]

Building up two new custom CDAs shortly -- one for a 54 year old who never intends to race, and the other for a very athletic 17 year old who may or may not race.

My expert is suggesting to go with Mavic Kysrium SR's rather than jump up to Zipp's -- and I tend to agree that the big $ jump to the Zipps's isn't justified based on the intended uses. :hello: Agree?SRs for the young man who may someday race, but Elites would be better suited to the non-racer. I rode Elites on my CDA When I was 55-58 and found them to be a very nice riding wheel as well as very durable. Not nearly as 'stiff' as the SLs (or SRs) when I put on a pair of them. So much so that the SLs made the CDA almost uncomfortable to ride. Only took several hundred miles before I switched back to Elites and sold the SLs. For the non-racer, do him another big favor and put him on 25c and not 23c tires. Another big step up in comfort and fewer pinch flats. 100psi front & rear in either case.

If building with Campy, use Campy wheels. They are as good as any out there. Especially their better wheels like the Eurus (for the budding racer) or Neutron or Zonda for the everyday rider.

If having built, get oldpotatoe to build them. He knows what he is doing and you'll get a great set of wheels.

[oldpotatoe]

Building up two new custom CDAs shortly -- one for a 54 year old who never intends to race, and the other for a very athletic 17 year old who may or may not race.

My expert is suggesting to go with Mavic Kysrium SR's rather than jump up to Zipp's -- and I tend to agree that the big $ jump to the Zipps's isn't justified based on the intended uses. :hello: Agree?

At least for the 54 yr old gent..have him go see a wheelbuilder who will build him a set of specifically for him and his needs. Better hubset, better build, common parts(no unique to that wheel spoke, for instance). Same or lighter weight, less $.