Bicycle Mechanics - New Wheel Set

I'm looking at getting a new wheel set for my "gets me everywhere" road bike. I live in Chicago and due to neverending construction the road isn't always the smoothest, but its not too bad. A friend said that Mavic makes a good wheel, so I'm gonna stick with him... he rides the same terrain, but has been doing it a lot longer.

Doing some shopping, I came across the following set on ebay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mavic-Ksyrium-Elite-Wheels-Black-Shimano-Clincher-06_W0QQitemZ7206629015QQcategoryZ58097QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Any speculation as to why these are priced so low? Generally speaking, Mavic wheels are a bit more expensive, no?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated, I'd rather have a better background before I attempt to talk to the seller.

It's a no reserve auction, and no one has bid yet. The price on these wheels will certainly increase dramatically toward the end of the auction. I have never ridden them, but they are pretty popular and get good reviews. If I were riding on rough roads, I'd be inclined to look at Mavic Open Pro's with Ultegra hubs. Very reliable and cheaper than Ksyrium Elites.

Ksyriums are a really bad idea for a commuter. They use spokes that generally have to be ordered, or that not all shops may have, they have a low spoke count, and they are very, very flashy for thieves. As a replier suggested, you want something in an Open Pro in a 32h/36h laced 3x. They will be much more durable for commuting and much more servicable than an entirely (down to the hubs) proprietary wheelset.

If you do want SOME bling, check out the Velocity Deep V's as they are quite strong and come in a myriad of colors. We build these a lot for fixed gear/commuter/touring applications and they hold up very well... at least as well as an Open Pro and probably a bit stiffer because of the profile.

^
What Seely said.

For the same purpose I just got the Shimano R550, 16/20 bladed spokes. They are about 105 quality but have received good reviews, look great (semi-aero profile) & won't burn a hole in your pocket: depending on distribuitor they are around $250 dlls.

Nice uh?

The R550 is the last wheelset on earth I would recommend... the low spoke count right off the bat is a bad idea for the abuses of the daily commute, not to mention they are IMPOSSIBLE to true with the stupid inboard nipples, and everything about the wheelset, and I mean EVERYTHING is proprietary.

Consider the Mavic Open-pro rims (I hope that's the name) on Ultegra hubs. Light, strong and I paid about $220 with shipping. Lots of places offer these, or at least used too. I bought mine about 18-months back. Those and 25 mm tires handle rough roads very well, at least in my area. I ran them on my steel touring bike for a while and now on my ti cyclocross frame.

Al