staplemachine

I have considered buying a pair of these wheels to replace my Shimano r500's. The r500's are functioning perfectly but the Mavics look nice. I would like to know if there is any reason to buy the Mavics for performance or weight saving reasons or just save the cash?

tagaproject6

"The Mavics look nice" is a good enough reason to buy them. You can always use an extra set of wheels

ThinLine

Mavic KE's are fine upper middle range wheels with excellent bearings and roll nice, lighter, durable intro race level wheels without a doubt.
Your shimano wheels are 105 type quality wheels, which, not bad but mavics are nicer.

giantdefy

Fantastic wheel! very responsive, stiff yet absorbs road vibrations very well! Love it!

Eclectus

Do your own calculations. Uber-light racing wheel, K Elite isn't. Pretty-light clincher wheel (with Conti GP 4000s), riding over rough stuff, needing something that stays true for 10k+ mi, the Elite is really good. I have a Park Wheel Truing Stand 2.2.

I've also trued rims on bikes, tightening the brake-cable tension to move the brake pads progressively closer to the rim, then adjusting spoke tensions to get free slide-through on both rim sides. How close? I use a piece of paper single-thickness, if I get free-spin on one side, a little friction on the other, I tweak the spoke tensions. Once I get free-spin on both sides, that's good enough rim-truing for my purposes.

Elites hold the true for many, many miles. Mine have 11k miles on frankly s**t pavement. Doing fine.

ILUVUK

What is your purpose for upgrading? are you racing? if so, an upgrade might not be a bad idea. if you're not racing, wait until you kill the wheels before upgrading. I rode a pair of r500s into the ground.

gus6464

I have seen the R500 designation on a couple different wheels from Shimano to Alex and they look identical. Are they all the same rim?

staplemachine

not racing just saw them on another bike and they look good.Already put pro3's on in place of wire bead vittorias rubinos that came with the bike.In fact The original tyres never touched the road.Was surprised that the Orbea Onix wich is a very nice bike would be speced with r500 wheels.Was even more surprised that It came with 9 dollar tyres

rangerdavid

when I went from the shimamo wheels to the Mavis KE, there was indeed a world of difference. Get 'em, you won't regret it. They are really great wheels!!

rjc100

I purchased these a couple years ago and although stretched my budget, they are the best upgrade I made. They hold their true much better, and a lot smoother ride than the Bontragers that came with the Lemond road bike.

2ndGen

I struggled with my first wheelset purchase.

I went the opposite route of most upgrades taking advantage of the winter sales to put my bike together (wheelset last,
everything else first). The 2011 Mavic Ksyrium Elites I purchased were shod with Continental Grand Prix 4000s and
Continental Race Lite Tubes; I'd say, the most noticeable upgrade of all (OEM set was Mavic CXP22 OEM).
It was hard swallowing laying out $600. for them (80% of my original bike's purchase price).

But once they were on, I had no regrets what so ever. I can never go back to anything "lesser" than these wheels.
Knowing what I know now, would I do it again? In a heartbeat without 1 single doubt in my mind. They're that good IMO.

Would I suggest them? Yes. Highly. Even if you just want them for the bling factor. It's worth it. It makes me happy to see
my bike with them. My bike deserves them. And I do too. My money. My enjoyment. I wish that same enjoyment on you.

Outside of the placebo effect of having an awesome set of wheels on my bike, they actually are viagra stiff without being
punishing and I find them to be smooth and confidence inspiring which allows me to take more risks when I ride
(turns at higher speeds, laying down the hammer on climbs, etc...). They aren't just a pretty face.

kevrider

wow, my 2nd road bike came with these and i've transfered them to a new frame, an Orbea Onix, in fact. i was thinking about 'upgrading' to something else, mostly for cosmetic reasons, but i've resisted temptation and have been fiscally responsible. you guys are making me feel much more content. i agree, they remained true while taking a pounding and they spin up quite nicely.

halfspeed

I'm not a fan of proprietary spokes and nipples. Ask the LBS trying to sell these to you if they stock the parts. If not, how long will you be without a wheel if you break a spoke?

Silvercivic27

Who cares? He can use his r500s until then.

2ndGen

That's a good point.

Make sure you pick up some extra spokes "just in case" that yours fail (not common).
Better to be safe and not need them, than to need them and not have them OP.
I've never heard of Elites popping spokes a lot.

But maybe someone will share their experience if they had a set fail them.

dcvelo

Something like 10,000 miles on my KE's and they have been totally bombproof. Had to have the front wheel trued after a crash...that's it.

loreley

save your cash for a wheel that has a powertap built into it.

kayakdiver

or not

foresthill

Look around at other options, too. Personally, I think Mavics are overpriced for what you get, but they certainly do seem to be popular.

Phil85207

I will fall in line with everyone else, I love mine just for the look and the ride. No way am I a racer at 71. I like the look of them the ride and like someone else said, " me and my bike deserve them."

2ndGen

Why?

2ndGen

Agreed!

I almost paid just $100. less for a wheelset that just looked like my OEM Mavic CXP22's, but were 1/2 lb lighter.
Still, it was difficult to find any real world reviews on them other than owners because they were so new to the market.
It was actually harder for me to go with a heavier wheelset and pay more money, but damn was it ever worth it.

Once again, you never heard anybody regretting getting exactly what they wanted and not settling!

staplemachine

Nice Onix...I wonder why they stopped the carbon black seat tube on my model? My Onix seat tube is the same colour as the rest of the bike but I find your model distinctive. Also I think I would keep the r500's and put the pro3's on the Mavics and get 25mm's for the r500's something for very rainy days maybe

foresthill

Well, the last time I looked for wheels, it looked like you could get lighter, stiffer, more aero, and/or more durable wheels for the same money. Certainly from other brands, but also from a custom builder. For example, from psimet, who posts often here.

2ndGen

I'd like to see one of those wheels please.
From what I've seen, it's been the Bontrager Rule and then some.
With the Mavic, you get all that except aero, but a sturdier wheel.
(not to mention the support and service of a good company)

Wouldn't it depend upon what the rider's need is?
If the KE meets the riders needs better than any other, how is it overpriced?
Take me for example; I wanted sturdy first, weight next, cost last.
That's exactly what I got (not to mention the bling factor).
No wheel could come close to it for what I paid ($600./out the door, installed).

Just asking. No flaming.