TKeithBlack

I'm considering a wheel upgrade. I have a 2012 Specialized Roubix with DT Swiss 2.0 wheels. I do both road riding and Triathlons. I'm fairly new to both and don't want to get a purpose built Tri bike until I get some more events under my belt to make sure I stick with it. I'm also training for the MS150 and Hotter than Hell 100 here in Texas. It would be nice if the wheels I get now could transfer to a Tri bike in the future, but not required.

I have had my eye on the Shimano Dura Ace C24 wheels and the Zipp 101's. Through this forum I've learned about Boyd wheels, specifically the Vitesse.

How do the Vitesse compare with the Dura Ace C24?

Has anyone actually ridden both of these wheels?

Thanks,
Keith B

PS. I asked this question buried in another thread but go no response, hope I'm not breaking the rules starting a separate thread.

bobonker

I've owned both. They're both a really nice ride, but I haven't found anything that rides nicer than the C24s. They are compliant yet stiff when hammering/standing.

That said, they are VERY expensive to fix if/when you break a spoke. I broke 1 rear spoke and had it replaced. Not long after, a 2nd one broke. I ended up having to respoke the whole wheel which a local wheelbuilder did for $250. I was the 2nd owner of the C24s and unless I could buy them new, I don't think I'd buy them again.

Given what you get, the Vitesse is really tough to beat IMO.

Bob

bianchi10

I have had the vitesse wheels for a little over a year now and love them. I recently rode a set of DA c24's and liked them. almost the same weight and didn't really notice much difference. Like said above, hard to beat the cost of the boyd wheels.

qqy

You got scammed. Shimano spokes are $5 each at most and can be easily fixed yourself thanks to the fact that Shimano doesn't use proprietary everything like Mavic. The are also much stronger than most spokes and can take a very high tension.

I would strongly suggest Shimano RS 80 wheels - same rim/design as the DA wheels with a more simple Ultegra level hub. Very easy to service. ~1530g yet quite stiff and strong.

Ruby13

I have the DA C24's and feel like they are bombproof. According to Shimano there is no weight limit on these rims if hat is a point for you. As bobonker stated, I am also a second owner as mine came off a Felt F1 and after 300 miles the owner decided to go with deeper dish Zipps. His loss my gain. I paid $550 for the C24's. I have put almost 3000 miles on them and have had one rear spoke break and unfortunately my local LBS substituted with a DT spoke that last not quite 100 miles. Took to a Shimano recommended service shop and still had to wait a week for the correct spoke. Cost was $20 included a re true of the wheel. That last spoke broke over 1000 miles ago and the wheels are still as true as when I first got them. They look great and love the sound of the hubs.
As a side note, I found my C24's on one of the forum classified ads but was ready to pull the trigger on the Boyd's based on review and price.

bobonker

Maybe I did, but I tried my hand at wheelbuilding and found that it's not for me. Paying an extra $125 to have it done right the first time was worth it...especially given the cost of the spokes. When I got the wheel back it was dead true and round and the spoke tension was uniform on DS and NDS.

If it were the front, I may not have chickened out.

Bob

yallgotfakepoo

Get the RS80-C24, just like qqy said. It's the same rim as the DA wheel, but it's way cheaper, and the Ultegra hubs are really nice. I just got some, and they're phenomenal wheels. If you want new, PBK and Ribble have killer prices, and if you're cool with used, you can routinely find a pair in great shape for around $300 on the bay.

qqy

I understand. However, a total rebuild is usually overkill. It's always good to try to install a spoke yourself (assuming your initial spoke tensions are okay) because it's a important skill to have as truing a wheel on the road can be a lifesaver. Plus it would only cost you $5! Paying more than $40 for a wheel build is kinda crazy, and you can easily take out the spokes yourself with a screwdriver after removing the rim strip.

TKeithBlack

Thanks for all the replies, I'll have to look into the RS80-C24 wheels.

Any more feedback on how these compare to the Boyd's?

Thanks,
Keith