Road Cycling - Help! Wheel advice! Broken Ksyrium Elite

I have Ksyerium Elite wheels

Last Saturday, I let a heavy friend ride my bike(220lbs).... I don't know if it has anything to do with it or cooincidence, but the wheel was out of true afterwards.
I tweaked the wheel a bit and rode a FAST group ride last night without any problems, but this morning on my commute to work, the plastic that holds the spoke to the hub... BROKE. The wheel went WAY out of true, I had to carry it home(3/4 mile.. it was early in the ride)

The wheels are only 4 months old and probably under warrenty, but that's not my question.

I want a spare wheel, and I can't decide what I should get. Should I get a spare ELITE to have on hand, or should I go with a less expensive option like an Equipe? Or some other tire for training?
OR, since I plan on racing some crits next year, should I get something lighter for faster acceleration?

Right now, I'm leaning towards an equip. I can get it for about $165, and it would make a nice wheel and training tire... I can get an elite for about $270), but I can't help but think that I might want something better. I can also get a Cane Creek Areo SET from Performance on sale for $269... It's actually lighter than the Elite by 30 ounces or so, but they do not look as nice as the Elite or Equipe.. and I'm not sure they perform as well.

And while I'm at it, has anyone seen anything like what I descibed with the hub breaking before the spoke?

Thanks.

Should I get a spare ELITE to have on hand, or should I go with a less expensive option like an Equipe? Or some other tire for training? OR, since I plan on racing some crits next year, should I get something lighter for faster acceleration?

Sorry to hear about your trouble with the Ksyriums. :mad: I hope that you will have it fixed under warranty at no costs whatsoever. Those wheels are pricey enough to justify that. That would lead me to think that they should do all of the jobs: commuting, training, racing, etc. As far as I am informed, the Ksyrium Elites are meant to be an allround wheel (and supposedly can take a bashing). No need for a second wheelset... :)

If I would get a second wheelset, I would probably go for something different. Maybe something even lighter and more high-tech than your Elites (SSLs?). But would I still use the Elites then? Or I would go for bombproof training wheels: usually they recommend 36-spoked, 3-x laced wheels with 'normal' rims. The problem is, though, that those--in practice--are not always as indestructible as we think (your Elites should be almost (?) as durable). You see where I am getting at? :D

The guys at the shop hadn't seen this. The spoke didn't break, but the metal clamp at the hub did. They said it looked like a manufacturing defect, and that they were still under warrenty. Should take a couple weeks though.

In the meantime, I scored a deal on the SSL rear wheel that I couldn't pass up! My wife may kill me.. but I'll survive.

BTW, I started commuting once per week with another guy in my area. We are both fast riders, and this is like a training ride. It's 20 miles each way. The last 2-3 miles are a little sketchy though. We keep clothes and such at work, so I'm out there just as I would for any other ride. Gets me between 40 and 80 extra miles per week!