So I'm just getting back into cycling after taking a few years off (and wanting to take it more seriously this time). I used to ride Mavic Aksiums as they had a good reputation of being sturdy training wheels for a competitive price. I was wondering how Mavic wheels fare today? Are Kysriums worth it (specifically, the Elite model)? Also, unrelated, will everyone hate me if I don't shave my legs?

Mavic has a good rep...well...except for the R-Sys.

#33 https://www.velominati.com/the-rules/

As a general rule, mavic wheels are fine, but if you do your homework you can find better wheels for less.

Kysriums are good wheels and a good value. Buying wheels on line/ on sale is a big cost savings.

Fairly easy to maintain and you can find parts at a lot of LBSs since they've been around a while and haven't changed their design drastically.

I think Ksyrium Elites are a good wheel and a great value. They will be a big, noticeable improvement over your Aksiums. If you race and don't shave, you will get some crap. I don't shave or nair, but trim with no guard on and still take some crap. I figure, I don't shave my patients for surgery, I'm not shaving myself for bike racing!

Mavic wheels are of good quality but they cost too much and almost always weigh more then their advertised weight. If you don't care about the money you almost can't go wrong with a set, they will be stiff and durable. If you do care about your money you can get some very nice wheels that are lighter well built and cost less.

Other thing nice about the elites is that the bearings tolerate poor conditions very well, hold up a long time and require little maintenance. Other nice thing about the Elites is that compared to the SLs, SRs, etc, they have steel spokes and will ride a little less harsh an be easier on your toosh.

Though this type of response is not characteristic of me i have to say this:
It's kind of like asking are shimano derailleurs any good? Are fender guitars any good, are chevys good cars? The answer is yes unless its no. While dura ace is race quality, department store shimano is Made of plastic. An American strat is one of the best guitars you can buy, a squire is one of the worst. The chevy volt is one of the most advance hybrids, the Aveo is a Daewoo in a bow tie.
Generally speaking Mavic makes good rims but you always get what you pay for.

Is the Pope a Catholic?

I got some ksyrium elites and Cosmic Carbones. love both of them. Go get you some and ride the hell out of 'em!!!

The current R-Sys wheels are fine - the spokes have been redesigned. Mine haven't exploded yet, and probably never will.

I also own the CCUs and they are great wheels. Very durable.

Are there any obvious alternatives to the Kysirum, or do you mean find an independent builder to make me a set?

my mavic kysrium and aksium have bulges by the spoke nipples which makes me nervous, they are still performing well though. If something goes wrong it will be harder to get parts than standard rims with 32 spokes which there are a few that will smoke the fancier mavics.

Which generation do you have?

Many riders on these boards are fond of some of the small builders like Soul, Williams, November and Boyd. Typically you will get a 20/24 spoke set of wheels made from Taiwanese rims and hubs and DT or Sapim spokes and nipples. Prices will range from $400-600 for aluminum clinchers depending on rim depth and spoke type.

They are usually lighter than factory built wheels like the Mavics and are built with standard parts in case you need a new spoke. The biggest disadvantage is that you will need to send them back to should you need warranty work. Well that and they don't look as blingy as the Mavics.

Or they go to Psimet for full custom handbuilts.

Yes, good point. Mine too are fine. Problem was fixed a few years ago.

Nashbar has the old version of the Ksyrium Equipe for $240 right now. I had a pair of 2012 Kysrium Elites that I got cheap ($550). They were great until I destroyed them in a crash. Sometimes their spokes can be hard to get (and expensive) if you don't live near a shop that sells a lot of Mavic wheels.

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_516071_-1___202478

Are Kysrium Equipes worth an upgrade too, or am I better off saving my cash to pick up Elites later in the year?

Edit: I would be upgrading from Stock Allez 2012 wheels (DT Axis 2.0 wheelset, seem to be OEM as I can't find any information about them). I don't plan to do any racing until next season, but I can afford to ride this fall and winter because of Arizona weather. I'm not sure if it would be better to train on OEM wheels and use racing wheels for racing, or get a better wheel now and use that to train, and carry them through a race or something...Not sure really

I think you're much better with the elites. The equipes are not a huge upgrade from the aksiums.

i've only ridden Aksiums and didn't have any complaints. A bit heavy but they were bombproof. They came on my Pro Machine but i had some other backup wheels that would have been used over the Aksiums. Ended up selling them on craigslist.

Can I ask what exactly is wrong with your current wheels that you wouldn't use them for training?

They have a high spoke count and are a bit heavy, I have to work a lot harder* to keep up with my group I ride with, so I think it may make my training actually suffer in some areas?

*Not blaming my wheels entirely for making me suck, but they don't help

Im not going to say are bad wheels because they are not but, a lot of other stuff in the market for less money and probably with more chances to get it fixed if something goes wrong, because with mavic if something goes wrong you have to work out the problem with the dealer, proprietary spokes in almost all the models, if not in all the models.

Yes. You want to shave your legs.