Matt Gaunt

Like all purchases, it depends on what you want out of the equipment, how you treat it and what the conditions are like in your area (i.e. weather, quality of road surface, etc.).

That said, I have a pair of 2004 Elites which are still going strong and true with no incident to report. I also have a pair of 2008 SLs which have also proved to be bombproof. A mate and I got taken out by a car. My friend's Campy Ergo lever went through the front spokes. Not only did no spokes break, the wheel remained true enough to ride home. Sourcing replacement spokes to replace the bent ones was easy enough and now the front is as good as new.

I cannot recommend the Elites and SLs highly enough based on my own as well as many friends' experience with them. They are not cheap but then given how long mine have lasted, I consider them to be very economical in the long run. I got a killer deal on the Elites - £240 for the pair as they were NOS in 2005 (so the previous year's model). Based on 8 years of riding, that's £30 per year to have some buttery-smooth, reliable and I think good-looking wheels. That's not bad at all.