blcknspo0ln

So the time has come for me to decide on which wheels to buy. I've read close to a million different threads on the various ~1500g $500 wheels out there, so I'm not going to ask what the differences are.

I am a non-competitive rider.. ride long,hard miles but none involve more than 10-15% gradients and am coming from 2000g CXP-22 wheels. I ride alone 90% of the time. The 3.0's are claimed 1400g, boyd's are claimed ~1480g and the 4.0's are claimed ~1780.

POLL: With a difference of ~380g from the 3.0's to the 4.0's, which would YOU rather have, given the choice?

.. and i'm not going to lie, the 4.0's look the most badass of them all and yes, it matters to me

generalkdi

Aren't new Soul wheels suposed to get out soon? Maybe you could wait for them?

abstractform20

just for the professionalism alone, i would go with boyd.

i have neither, but from the behavior and content each has produced on here, boyd wins hands down.

i know that a good amount of people have complained spoke and hub failures from soul, but i dont know if they still have that issue.

and lastly:
-Sapim CX ray spokes (arguably the best spokes on the market: durable and the most aero)

bianchi10

I have the vitesse wheels and love them. I think they look bad ass for a 30mm clincher. I'd love to someday get a deeper wheelset from boyd but thats not in the financial future anytime soon. Even though I dont have SOUL wheels nor have I ridden them, I can vouch that he makes a great set. On top of that he is a great guy and stands behind his product as well does boyd. I have talked with both over the phone and email several times. At this point from what you are describing your goals and nature of riding are, I would say pick the set that LOOKS the sexiest to you because when it comes down to these 3 you should be happy either way.

FWIW I voted for the vitesse.

EDIT: picture of your bike to help make better decision

soulbike

This is one of the most grossly exaggerated rumour/ misconception of our products on this forum. As stated before, 1 out of maybe 100pairs of wheels we sell break a spoke ain't bad and that's a pretty good figure. I find it hard to believe that no other brand of wheels has spokes breaking?

Sorry, this statement is also innacurate, because one can state as well, DT Aerolites are 'ARGUABLY" the best spoke on the market, because it's "possibly' the most aero and 'potentially' the most durable. In reality, spoke shapes do not matter as much as the number of spokes for aerodynamics, and in fact, the CX rays and aerolites do not have very high fatigue lives.

To answer OP's question, you don't compete, you don't ride in a group alot, you ride mostly flat terrain, personally I would go for the wheels that make my bike look the best and that's my unbiased opinion on the matter.

Nexx11

I've finished saving wheel $$ and am asking myself the SAME questions. I'm between the Vitesse and 4.0.

I read on Facebook that there's a new Vitesse model coming soon, so I'm eagery waiting to see that.

blcknspo0ln

Thanks for both responses. I agree, I follow the SOUL thread here pretty religiously and the problem is often exaggerated, albeit it was addressed as a 'batch failure', right? Either way, my opinion of your company and your work isn't swayed by the recent mishap. Being in the tuning scene (cars) for a long time, I have seen even the top manufacturers have a ****ty day, so no problems there. I just hope, and am sure it is, the issue was fixed.

And yea, at this point it really seems like it's a matter of looks and my placebo of imaginging 350g is going to make a difference in my riding..

coachboyd

I will second this, it sounds like there may have been a bad batch of spokes out there a little while ago. . .it happens and has happened to much larger companies recently (including one that sponsors a very recent TdF winner). Even though I am Sean's competition we have similar goals and operating procedures (believe it or not , the better he does, the better I do and vice versa). I can assure you that if one thing goes right people tell 5 other people, but if something goes wrong they tell everybody. It sounds like Soul has done a lot to combat this issue where there were broken spokes.

I can tell you I know he focuses a lot on his quality and I am sure he would tell you the same about myself. This probably doesn't help to answer your question much except to tell you that you have good options available.

canam73

For your riding I would consider a wheel with a wider rim. I believe both Boyd (Black & Tan) and Soul (3.0 Wide) offer one. You can run lower pressure without pinch flatting (similar to a 25mm tire) and I find they grip noticeably better.

bobonker

I don't think you can go wrong with any of your choices. I've owned 2 set of Souls and would happily own another set. The Boyd stuff looks excellent as well. I can't vote for both, so I vote for neither (which is sorta like voting for both?)


Bob

Nexx11

I thought the 4.0's were a bit lighter now? 1700 grams or so?