Uni-Vibe

I have Shimano R500.

Suppose I upgrade to Kysrium Elite. Will I be able to tell much difference? What will the difference be?

datlas 

What tires are you running??

If you have mediocre rubber you will get more bang for your buck by getting better tires, eg. Conti GP4000s.

umd

Define "worth it"

they may be more durable, but in that case you should run your current wheels into the ground first.

Razor, you've been posting about your aksiums for a while and I've been holding by tounge (er, finger?), but aksiums are not great wheels by any measure. I have a set, they work ok, but I don't think I would have actually paid for them.

kayakdiver

umd, although I tend to agree they aren't anything special... I did pay $138 delivered and for that price they have been pretty decent training/winter wheels. I felt I got what I paid for.

datlas 

I am with umd about Razor's plans, sounds like a lateral move to me...

kimconyc

Perhaps.
($500)+.

aggarcia

In a lot of cases, the biggest improvement can be made without spending any money but train/ride more. Does that not mean a new wheelset/tires are not a good upgrade? It depends on what you consider important.

I am in the process of upgrading my Bontrager SSR and Race Lite tires to a set of Soul S4.0 and Conti GP4000S. I have never had a problem with the Bontrager parts - the front tire and tube have 2K without a flat and handle better than my personal threshold.

I just have the itch for lighter and more performance type parts. I am losing over a pound in rotational weight, but all the training rides I have done lately have done more for my performance than this wheelset will do.

The Elites are very nice wheels and were on my short list for new wheels. They are 1550 grams vs 1944 grmas for the R500. That is almost a pound, so it a pound worth $700 to you?

umd

$100 or so sounds fair, they just don't seem like they would be any better than what he had.

Like the other post says, sounds like a lateral move.

As for the OP, I think you could get much better wheels handmade for less.

aggarcia

The Bontrager hardcase are not bad tires, but they give up some performance and have increased weight for increased flat resistance. Tire choice depends of what compromises you are willing to live with. You can have lighter, faster, stickier, long wearing, flat resistance, but not all in the same tire. You have to decide what priorities you want in a tire.

jvm051

+1 on the Askiums being nothing special. On my CAAD9 I had some 1300gm wheels that were sold with the bike. The spun forever and were very durable for my weight (6ft, 165lbs). Now on my Scott CR1 they came with the Askiums, and while they have stayed true for over 2000 miles now they feel like dead weight. Now that my tax return is on its way, I am looking to upgrade and keep the Askiums for the days I am stuck on the trainer.

kayakdiver

Ya.. I'm not familiar with R500's... Just sticking up for my red headed stepchild wheels

kimconyc

I love my 2006 Aksiums; reasons being that they are cheap (good training tire, poor weather tire, etc.) and very durable.

Otherwise, they are pretty much crap. They get a lot of use though...

roccobike

I just upgraded to Ksyrium Elites from low spoke Xero Lites with Formula hubs. The tires went from Kriliums (on the Xero Lites) to Michelin Pro Race 2. After only two winter rides, I did not expect to feel any difference, but I did. The Ksyriums are a little stiffer so I feel more road bumps, but with the CF frame, it was no big deal. I did notice that acceleration seemed easier with the new wheels. Also, the new wheels weigh less, probably around a 1/2 lb, maybe more.
I made the move and I don't regret it.

datlas 

Sounds like a cool move, but I wonder how much of your improvement is from the tires versus the wheels??

Nick29

How much are you paying for them? Easton Circuits/EA70s are a better wheel and can be found for ~$300-350 on Ebay. EA50SLs/VistaSLs are a step down and can be found for even less. I have the Circuits, and have no experience with the Aksiums. but, based on the research I did before buying, I'd say either of the Eastons would be a better buy than the Mavics, especially if you're planning on paying anything close to retail.

mike868y

To the OP (razor's wheels seem to have managed to take over this thread), Ksyrium elite's are very nice wheels. Strong, light, durable, stiff. That being said, you can probably find used ksyrium sl's for the same price as new elite's. And many people on here will advise you to go with handbuilt wheels, which is also a good option. But the elite's are a solid wheelset, you won't be disappointed.

rdl456

From R500s to Kysrium Elite is definitely an upgrade. What we are missing here is how much are you paying for them and how old are they? If your paying retail, then umd is right. If your getting a set of 2010 or 2009 for under $250 then it may be a set worth buying. The two bikes I am considering come with 500s and Aksiums. I considered upgrading right off the bat but now I will run the stock sets and see how it goes.

umd

You know you can delete posts right?

tspek

Do what brings joy.

nruntsch

Aksiums new are $180... https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...rchTerm=aksium

umd

They are cheap machine built wheels. They roll. I'm not sure what kind of review you could give them.

They work fine, I've been using them as my training wheels for a while now. I got them for free though.

thesmoothdome

I upgraded my r500s to Soul 2.0s. Switched the rubber from Conti Gatorskins to Conti gp4000s and can definitely notice a difference. Losing about 1.5 lbs of rotational weight, the bike is faster, even if I'm still slow.

tspek

I'll try again.

mike868y

Give the kid a break. He's excited about his new wheels. Even if they aren't as nice as carbon reynolds, they are probably an upgrade over what he had and he probably couldn't afford much more.

coasting 

i bought a set of r500 couple of years back because i was doing a conversion of a 7 speed to a 10 speed and didn't want to splash out for an old steel bike. the wheels are fine if you have them already, but they are nothing special.

However, they are definitely soft laterally. I hit the brake pads when standing. Since i don't race, i'll replace them with hand built open pro/ultegra when these cheap wheels finally break. unfortunately they seem to be holding up rather too well.