Issaquatch

Looking for input from people who have actually used the following wheels -- in particular (1) whether they are sturdy enough to stand up to regular use on training rides, and (2) how stiff they are. I'm not concerned with the price.

Dura-Ace 7850 carbon laminate

Williams System 30 -- I've seen a number of reviews mentioning problems with the hubs (and great customer service in getting them fixed, but still problems with the hubs...)

Soul 2.0

I killed one of my Ksyrium Elite wheels this week, so I'm looking for a replacement -- preferable something lighter and stiffer (and race worthy), but similarly durable. I'm planning on pinging Psimet for some ideas on a handbuilt set, so no need to suggest that.

JoeOxfordCT

ROL Race SL's....looking into a set of them myself....similar to the Williams but without the hub problems...$589

https://www.rolwheels.com/rol_race_sl_wheels.php

kimconyc

I have been riding on these (the C24 CL, not the 50's) for the last few months on several different bikes, different tires, different conditions--will be posting a full review on here late May/early June.

Having said that, they are not the absolute stiffest wheel out there. I'm not a big nor powerful guy but I definitely notice that they have more laterally flex than Mavic Aksiums or deep sections like Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLRs.

They are, however, the best overall everyday clinchers I have ridden on.

I'm not sure how hard you are on your wheels, how many wheelsets you plan on rotating on, or how many hours you plan on putting in on the saddle but if it is anything considerable, I'd look into getting handbuilts as they are easier to maintain in case of broken spokes and could arguably be more durable.

kini62

I have the Soul S3.0. Really nice wheel set for the money. About $400 with shipping. Weighed in at 1545 grams with the tape.

Gene

waterrockets 

Never used those wheels, but you should really consider PSIMETs. The wheels you've listed above are nothing special as far as performance is concerned.

g.r.e.g.

I take it your talking about the Xperts? Not the SL's being hugely overweight haha.

canthidefromme

7850s are great. Very smooth ride, somewhat flexy, lightweight, durable so far. But then again, I only weight 140.

Hida Yanra

hey, I'd vote for handbuilts...
there is no need for bling-er-ific wheels at this point in your racing career... yes, you said you are considering them, count this as a vote for them over anything else.

if you want them, that is a different story and an entirely functional reason to buy something else.... but i think that a set of "never think about them again" handbuilts is the best thing you can buy right now.

I have some extra-light hoops that i picked up as a new '5', and looking back I now wish I would have gotten hand-builts. Luckily for me, I'm fixing that in the next week or so.

ptle

Williams System 30x will probably be one of the stiffer wheels out there. Custom made by Psimet would probably be a good choice too.

Issaquatch

I'm not buying the wheels expecting that I'll suddenly start riding faster; I just need a new set of wheels and would like an upgrade in terms of weight and stiffness. Something with a little bling would be a nice plus. I've also considered getting something with a deeper profile, but I'll probably wait on that until after I have a power meter.

What are the specs of the wheels you are getting built up?

Issaquatch

You find the 7850s flexy and you weigh 140?

patentcad

I like them. I don't find them flexy.

merlin55

the 7850s have only 16/20 spokes and are not as stiff side to side as my Mavic SSC....that said I like the wheels and they brake well, but are quite light for a day to day wheel

ALLSTOTT

these weren't on your list but i run them and they are light weight aluminum wheel set that have very little flex. Easton EA90SL 1550g great race/training wheels

nixternal

Just ping Psimet and get it over with. I have recently talked to a few locals who are in love with his wheels. One of my team mates borrowed a set of his wheels and fell in love. His prices are even sexier than his wheels, and almost as sexy as him wearing dockers and a dress shirt pre and post ride while sipping on a PBR and eating a $2 pizza (inside joke there of course). I am planning on going with his wheels this summer with a PowerTap.

Issaquatch

I pinged him on Saturday and am waiting to hear back. I'm looking forward to see what he comes up with.

kissTheApex

Don't be discouraged if it takes for him a while to ping you back. He was very busy and very very sick a couple of weeks ago and as far as I know he might be still trying to catch up with all the wheels/orders. I bought parts from him with the intention of building my own set, but everytime I hit a snag and have to postpone starting I wish I'd have him build

kimconyc

You either do not own the 7850s or are simply making things up.

First, the DA7850 wheels only have 2 less spokes than a typical Mavic Ksyrium wheel (18/20), the loss of spokes being on the front wheel. Are you seriously implying that you feel front wheel flex?

Secondly, the straight-through spokes are tensioned at almost 2x a normal off-the-shelf wheel on the DA7850.

Moreover, the flange spacing on the DA wheel is at or near (within 1 or 2mm) the highest possible on any hub out there (59mm).

The only two Mavic clincher wheels I can think of that might (since I have no scientific way of testing) be stiffer than the DA7850s are the Aksiums (2006) or Cosmic Carbones (SL/SLRS), both being much heavier than the DA7850s and do not answer OP's original question of "light weight".

Psimet2001 

Fixed that for you (FTFY).

Been a tough week with taxes. Still plowing through email. I am through last Friday and should be doing Saturday's today or tonight.

You'd have them by now. - BTW - did you figure out your prep?

waterrockets 

When I got my shipment from PSIMET, I was perplexed that I wouldn't have time to build. Then I realized I couldn't sleep with the parts just sitting there, so I might as well build it.

Come on, it's going to take what? 1:15 per wheel, probably not that long, right? Front tonight, rear tomorrow night.

kissTheApex

I know. I was fooled by words like "I will have the experience of building my own set and learn from it" ... . As far as prep goes, I'm ordering boiled linseed oil from amazon. Do you think tenacious oil is a better choice? I have them both in my "move to cart" list.

If only I didn't miss out on the craigslist special $100 Park truing stand, I need to go down to a not-so-local co-op or have to find a stand to rent/borrow first. My WH-R500s are holding up so I'm not in an extreme rush to build them, but I open the box and check everything at least once everyday. I'm hoping the missus will say "I'm tired of you looking and sighing at those things, buy the damn stand and get it over with."

waterrockets 

Well, you can lace them up w/out a stand. It will make you feel better. Just leave the threads showing all the way around until you are ready to tension...

kissTheApex

I think, that's what I'll do to start with. I really want to build them before June 1st, so I may end up building up at the not-so-local co-op after all.

merlin55

You are wrong on both counts. Yes the front wheel is less stiff side to side than my Mavic SSC. You buy the beer, and we can use my dial indicator and a test jig and measure the difference....I think the Shimano wheels are great but you can feel the difference when climbing up 12% out of the saddle pitches

Issaquatch

Anyone know if the Dura Ace 7850 CLs are the same as the Dura Ace 7850 C24s listed in the Roues Artisanales wheel review?

https://accel10.mettre-put-idata.over...ro_english.jpg

If so, am I reading this right that the amount of watts absorbed by these 24mm depth wheels at 50km/hr is on par with or better than a lot of deep section wheels? Is this simply a function of the low spoke count (i.e. 16/20)?