Mavic r-sys sl
 

Tell me about them. Own them? Know a friend who has them? I've already read the specs. Ever replace a spoke?

I'm 152 lbs and excellent at not hitting holes or bumps. I'm not going to race them. Never had a pinch flat since 1968 on bicycles or motorcycles (including many dirt bikes). I think I'm careful enough to ride them on the street. ?? Am I right ??

All of the people who have read about the first generation of failures of this wheel will jump on here very shortly telling you to run from them, etc etc. I do own a pair of the later version and like them. Very stiff wheels and responsive like I have never felt. 1300 grams or so for the pair so they are in the climbing wheel weight category. Like many Mavic wheels, they stay in true. The bike feels much faster on climbs, cornering for sure, and accelerating. Big hits in the road feel like high profile rims, so you do feel those more. The fat carbon spokes and rim are not aero and some where there was a study done and the RSYS rate very poorly for cheating the wind. I notice little difference in average speed on my cyclocompuer however. A few tenths of a mph at best. Maybe. But you would not choose these for a time trial. The rims are blocky looking like the Ksyrim wheels. When I put them on my Ti bike, which weighs more than my CF bike, the Ti bike seems to take on an entirely different persona in how it rides, climbs, etc. I paid half of list price for my set of R-SYS. Call up Mavic and ask they how many failures have occurred out of how many sets of these wheels have been produced.

Got a pair of post recall R-Sys. No issues. Super stiff climbing wheel.

Its not very aero if you plan to roll the wheel by itself down the street...on the bike...not much different than any other low profile rim.

I have a set of Kysyrium ES' (poor cousin to R-Sys!) and totally agree about the un-aeroness (yes, I just made that word up!) of the Mavic wheels with bladed spokes. I bought a set of Dura Ace C24s instead and find they are much better (a bit heavier than R-Sys but lighter than Kysyrium ES). I recently broke a front spoke on my DA front wheel so have had to temporarily replace the wheel with my now spare Mavic Kysyrium ES while I'm waiting for LBS to get spoke and find it quite dangerous riding in crosswinds, have literally nearly got blown off the bike several times in the past few days.

Never had an issue with cross winds on my R-Sys. My FC 404's push more than the R-Sys ever did...

I never noticed any cross wind issues with my R-SYS or with my Rolf Vigor wheels for that matter.

Let's see, not at all aero, pricey, not particularly light, and still use a technology that has a greater potential for catastrophic failure. ( the Velonews incident was a post recall wheel. http://velonews.competitor.com/2009/...-failure_93054 )


Seems like a good buy to me.

Not to mention expensive proprietary spokes.

Same here. I see "con", but no "pro"

Someone drag in a dead horse? Show something current...instead of an article from 2009.

That article was inconclusive. The rider used a tubeless tire on a rim that was not designed for it. For all we know the tire could have separated from the rim when it blew. Mavic asked for the tire...which Delany never provided.

That's not the only incident that's known. There's also the RR in Texas where one assplodes.

Admittedly the one in Texas was with contact with another bike. However, that points out an issue with the design, which the recall may not have adequately addressed. If you get something in your spokes, such as a QR from another rider, the the CF spokes are likely to shatter making for a catastrophic failure. Admittedly that sort of contact with a steel spoked wheel may still crash you, but likely not in as dramatic and violent fashion as becoming suddenly spokeless.

All that said, I have no idea how likely a current R-Sys wheel is likely to assplode. However, given everything else we know about price, weight, and aero, I see no reason to try and find out, particularly if we're talking about buying a new set, versus using ones you already own.

That argument doesn't give me much comfort. Tire blows off the rim on a conventionally spoked rim, you may reck, but your wheel doesn't fall out from under you. I don't like the thought that a blow out could cause my front wheel to effectively vanish.

In the various R-Sys incidents, it's very likely that something other than a wheel defect started the problem. It's what happened to the wheel from there that causes the concern.

Even leaving aside safety concerns, the R-SYS simply isn't a particularly good wheel design. Incredibly poor aerodynamics, a design that doesn't handle failure well*, proprietary spokes, and that for all of the pricey technology involved, it isn't any lighter than can be achieved with conventional tensioned metal spokes.

*The post-recall wheels allegedly addressed the tendency of the entire wheel to collapse when a single spoke broke, but that simply cannot happen with a conventionally-spoked wheel, no need for redesign to address that.

I've seen those images of the R-Sys busting in road races. What those pics don't tell you is how it happened. When a rear derailleur or pedal goes into your spokes...bad things will happen...no matter what your spokes are made of.

I've seen the hub and spokes separate from the rim completely on Zipps in a crash.

Majority of the people talking down the R-Sys have no direct experience with them.

This is the internet...and with the "notorious" rep these wheels have...I'm sure pictures would have popped up if there were any recent failures.

Since your bringing up an article from 2009...there hasn't been anything recent. :)

So are you saying that I can't talk **** about the Pinto because I've never owned one? Because that's what the R-Sys is, the Pinto of the bicycle world.

Whatever floats your boat homie. :)

Your just stating your opinion.

Hey!:mad:
The aerodynamics of the Pinto weren't *that* bad.:lol:

Though it is a fact that they're about the least aerodynamic wheels you can possibly find.

Yes, I agree with Merlin that they appear to have lots of cons and no compelling pros. I suppose if you want to spend lots of money for wheels to use only in particularly steep hill climbs then they might make sense. But in most races the aerodynamic drawback will outweigh any weight savings. The spectacular failure mode which may or may not have been fixed is something I might be willing to overlook if there were some compelling advantage to the design - but I don't really see one.

Yes, dead last in this test: http://www.rouesartisanales.com/article-15505311.html

Or if you want to win the Giro.

OP, you really ought to be considering the ZIPP 101's instead. http://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/T...ero__2707.html

Better in every respect, come with a Zipp sticker, and less expensive.

edit: every respect except weight, but spin up is a myth anyway http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...quot-is-a-myth

I've got a pair of R-Sys Red wheels. Light, very stiff, even a bit harsh. I like them, especially for climbing and they look nice.

For half the money, you can get a good set of handbuilt aluminum wheels with conventional spokes, that will be as light or lighter, touch more aero, and not have any issues with proprietary spokes.

Just playing around, I put together a set of Stan No tube rims, 24 hole American Classic Hubs, Sapim CX spokes, and brass nipples. Cost- under $1,000. Weight 1200 grams.

Go with a Kinlin XR270 rim and you're still under the claimed weight of 1295 grams for the Mavics.

or do a Reynolds 32 mm carbon clincher rim, and you're stil lcheaper and within a few grams of the claimed weight for the R Sys.


I'm just failing to see any case for these wheels.

There are much better options at much better prices. Your money is better spent elsewhere.