JeremiahW037

I'm about to get my bike back from the powdercoaters and am in the market for a new wheelset. Nashbar has '08 Mavic Aksiums on sale for $210 right now then I saw a set of Shimano Mach 1 rims with 105 hubs on eBay for $130. I commute and race with my bike. My questions are 1) anyone have any experience with the Mach 1's and 2) Are the Aksiums worth an extra $60-70?

crispy010

IMHO, most Mavic wheels are overpriced for what you get - a shiny set of ok-performing different-to-be-different wheels. Better deals can be had by getting a set of custom wheels built up, or looking at other wheel makers such as Neuvation and Soul.

c0urt

I usually get decent hubs laced to open pros.
I have had a cheap 650c sun rim pull apart once in the rear and break at the seam. That's a bad feeling, so don't go to cheap.

and you can always find out how to lace rims online, so you can lace one up yourself and then get it tensioned in a lbs.

ridethecliche

Aksiums are decent wheels.

Should be plenty strong.

Open pros laced to ultegras are better still.

Kagnos

Thank you for this thread
I never really knew too much abuot Soul or Neuvation. I will probably try out those wheels as mine need to be replaced asap!

JeremiahW037

Any general consensus on Shimano wheels in general? You can usually pick up some R500's off of eBay for fairly cheap. Besides Dura-Ace wheels I've never really heard anything about Shimano wheel quality.

lxpatterson

both mavic and shimano wheels have a reputation for being durable and, if anything, overbuilt. therefore, durability is not an issue, however they can be pricey. In this case, I think $200 for a new set of aksium is very reasonable.

NickDavid

What about Easton? Never used their wheels, but the customer service is top notch.

Don't forget about Neuvation.

Kagnos

God damnit I hate living in Canada sometimes....cannot find good wheels for good prices. If I want to order from the states, the shipping and the duty cost at a minimum $40 to the cost. QQ

lol, anyone in Canada build custom wheels for cheap?

crispy010

Aksium is a 2+kg wheelset. For the price they are waaay too heavy.

terrymorse 

I'm not crazy about their non-standard spokes. If you break one, good luck finding a replacement at your LBS.

And why did they have to invent another spoke design, any way? Was there something wrong with the tried and true spoke design that's been serving us fine for decades?

My rule is to steer clear of any wheel that looks exotic.

tagaproject6

Has anyone checked out or use Fuzion Wheels?

melanotaenia

I was just going to comment on these wheels; I have bought two sets, bought one set and was so pleased with them that I bought a second set. They replaced the boat anchor Aksium's on my BMC and Trek.

While I do not advocate light products to make the rider faster, I can say that the Fuzion wheels spin up faster and feel smoother especially during hard climbing. No flex, they were true right out of the box, and are clearly built well.

At 175$ a set I think I got a steal; I have two sets of Aksiums, a set of Bontrager Lite and XXX Lite clinchers, and the Fuzion wheels are as good if not better than any of the other wheels I own. I would not hesitate to buy another set.

I have also heard good things bout Soul wheels, although they are a little more pricey and have a longer wait time for arrival.

HTH!

melanotaenia

while heavy, you are going to get a set of wheels that are going to be pretty bullet proof and can handle larger riders and poor roads and still keep on truckin'

Kagnos

I thank you VERY much.
Just checked out the site and they seem to ship to Canada for free!!! I am on cloud 9 right now

timeedgevxr

at this pricepoint, its like asking who makes the best burger between Krystal and White Castle. Both are just enough to be classified as burgers - or in this case "wheels".

Personally I have run R-500's and Aksiums as worst case, back-ups. A friend of mine struggling with funds took the Shimano's and he's ridden them for a year and they already sound like they're going to explode. My wife occasionally rides the Aksium Race's and they've been outstanding, but they're heavy - which technically both of these sets will sink a ship.

For reliability, I say Mavic - but neither of these would be considered "nice" wheels in my book. "Nice" wheels start in the $500+ range.

Kagnos

My first set of Mavic Aksiums were good, but tended to flex a decent amount when I sprinted and I am only 180lbs. Then I hit a pothole going about 50km/h and ruined the frame. No amount of truing can fix that sadly

Any rate, I wasn't too impressed with my Aksiums. They seemed pretty general, granted my experience isn't much

JeremiahW037

What i'm hearing is that basically between these wheels the right choice is the cheapest. I might try to move some funds around and just get some CXP22's laced with Ultegra (or the like) hubs. I don't really plan on upgrading for a while so I might as well make these worth the investment for the time being.

Ed Holland

Amen to that. I want something that can be fixed quickly and with minimal trouble sourcing parts.

As to wheel choice, if you can get someone good to build them for you, and stress relieve all 32 spokes () they will last and stay true. CXP22/Ultegra is a sound choice, if not wildly exciting.

jvm051

Take a look at Bicycle Wheel Warehouse. I think they have their Blackset Race wheels for $275 and they only weigh 1421gms. I had a set of the Blackset Race SL's (a little lighter than standard race) on my previous bike, and they were great. Currently saving up for another set to replace the Aksiums. While they seem to be built like a tank they are heavy and take a while to get going. With the BWW wheels they spun up much faster.

JeremiahW037

Thanks to the above poster for the tip. I like Bicycle Wheel Warehouses prices and customizable options. I'm leaning toward Mavic rims from them though, but I've yet to decide.

Kagnos

One thing to make note of, is Fuzion has free shipping.
If you are like me living in Canada, that is a huge sell point.

X-LinkedRider

I too am pretty much deciding between all the same. As stupid as it sounds, I was actually considering how each wheel would look on my Black w/ red Giant.

X-LinkedRider

I actually really like the specs and prices on the fuzions. Great wheelset to think about for me. Especially in the black/red

brian416

Like posted above, check out bicycle wheel warehouse, cheap and good quality. I have a set of Ultegra/DT 1.1 from there, they've been great wheels and they were cheap too.