Road Cycling - What Wheels to buy?

I'm a new roadie only riding two years. I have a Motobecane Le Champion with about 2600 miles on it. It came stock with Aelex R390 wheels I believe. Anyway I want to improve on my stock wheels without breaking the bank and I would like some replies from riders who have possibly used the wheels that I'm looking at. First choice: Mavic Cosmos Price $239.00, Second Choice Bontrager Select $210.00 brand new. Third choice is Campagnolo Proton setup for shimano, and now I'm also looking at Mavic Ksyrium Elite, around $499.00 per set. I would really appreciate any comments on the pro's and con's about the wheels listed above. I will never set any time trial records, but I want a good all around wheel that will last, won't come out of true too often, and mostly won't break spokes every two or three months of riding. Anyone have any experience riding around the Austin Texas area, let me know how the roads are there. I will be moving in about three weeks.

Thanks in Advance

I can only comment on the Ksyrium Elites and they are excellent. Light, strong, roll great, silent and look cool. They are susceptible to strong crosswinds, at speeds higher than 50kph/30mph. I have raced on these all year and they are still true.

CHEERS.

Mark

Am also having good luck on Ksyrium Elites. I understand that some shops are selling leftover Rolf Vector Pro's for less than $400, though, and they are also excellent wheels. Lots of nice, rolling hills around Austin. That is why it is called 'Hill Country'. Besides. How could you go wrong if Lance chooses to live there. Really a pretty area. But the traffic is nuts and the city fathers have not kept the roads up to same. Essentially no mass transit system to help with same. But lots of bicycling and active clubs, so suggest you join one or two of them to help you learn the area. Have fun!!

I asked about wheels in another post recently. I opted for the Campagnolo Zonda Wheelset for a little under $500. There is also another similar wheelset by Campy for less money called Scirroco (sp?) that can be had for about $330. Both sets are aero and good for training and the occasional race. Other than these I would suggest either the Ksyrium Elites or getting a build with decent hubs and Mavic Open Pro rims. Just my 2 pennies worth.

Hi,
this was posted a couple days ago.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28185

They appear to be tubulars - a maintenance nightmare for the recreational rider!

I have ridden and raced many different sets of wheels and the best ones - even for durability are the Shimano Dura-Ace WH-7701 and the Mavic Ksyrium SSC-SL.

HI,
My personal experience with wheels is as follows:

Rolf Vector
Mavic Heliums
Mavic Ksyrium SSC SL

Of the three the Mavic Ksyrium's are the most stable and accelerate the quickest (though they do get caught is those nasty side winds occasionally). I have put about 1,500 miles on these and they are still like new. They are super light without sacraficing structural integrity. You never feel worried about taking a corner or accelerating quickly. Great wheels (Although a bit on the expensive side)

The Rolf's were ok, but a bit heavy and felt a tad sluggish. Just didn't suit my needs, but good solid back up wheels.

the Mavic Heliums were light (as the name implies) but not great for the type of racing I do (Crit's) as hard sprints caused a bunch of flex. I decided that they just didn't give me the feeling of confidence in hard turns and high speeds.

hey dude,

You can get Mavic Ksyrium SL's for $580 at www.totalcycling.com in Ireland. It'll cost you $20 shipping. If you are willing to spend $500 on Elite's then why not not get an even lighter and better wheel for only $80 more. SL's rock!!!

Originally posted by enac
hey dude,

You can get Mavic Ksyrium SL's for $580 at www.totalcycling.com in Ireland. It'll cost you $20 shipping. If you are willing to spend $500 on Elite's then why not not get an even lighter and better wheel for only $80 more. SL's rock!!!
uh... i dunno what you're talking about...

Export Price £395.00 ex VAT (US $632.00 approx)

Originally posted by deliriou5
uh... i dunno what you're talking about...

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go to the website dude, you'll see what I'm talking about..................$580---give em a call

Originally posted by dheath
First choice: Mavic Cosmos Price $239.00, ... I will never set any time trial records, but I want a good all around wheel that will last, won't come out of true too often, and mostly won't break spokes every two or three months of riding.

I just picked up a pair of Mavic Cosmos about a month ago. I have put about 250 miles on them and I have yet to true them. I am glad that I made this purchase. Just make sure the hubs are properly adjusted.