Saw that Boyd has decided to discontinue his Vitesse wheelset. All remaining stock is on closeout. For those of you interested in a great inexpensive wheel upgrade from your stock wheels, this would be a great opportunity.


$100 off retail price

good stuff

I've heard good things about these wheels, but at that price point, plus the "discontinued" fact, I'd probably take the Mavic ksyrium elites. Roughly same price (or less), weigh less, and the pair I have I've ridden for 3 years with -0- issues. Actually, looking at his web site, the prices on all his wheels are more than they have been (at least the "older" carbon wheels, before he updated the rim profile).

wonder what he's replacing it with??

The Mavics maybe a better wheel for you.


But I wouldn't worry at all about the "discontinued" aspect considering the rims, spokes and nipples are standard, readily available parts. The sole proprietary component is the hub and considering Boyd uses it on other wheels (and likely will use it on the Vitesse replacement) I am guessing they will be fully stocked on replacement parts should they be needed. Boyd has always had a great rep for customer support. It is great that your Mavics have been trouble free, but their spokes are unique and not always easy to get whereas Boyd uses a standard j-bend cx-ray.


The weight on the Vitesse does get you a deeper, wider rim than the Ksyrium. Not every one wants that, but there is a reason for it than can offer some advantages that make it well worth the few grams difference. And I would trust the spec weight of the Boyds because I know what components they are made from. The one pair of Mavics I have weighed were ~100g over spec and the listings on WW confirms they are as likely as anyone to fudge it.


I think you can find cheaper options than either of these that are sturdy enough and in most circumstance will perform very closely. I mean, we are talking AL clinchers. But personally, if spending $500 or more I certainly see the appeal of getting a domestically handbuilt wheel.

They did seem kind of expensive for a Kinlin XC279 wheelset with CX-Ray spokes. You can have a similar set of wheels built up with Novatec hubs for ~$500 or ~$700 with White Industries hubs. I know he's proud of his proprietary hub but there's no way to really know how they stack up to WI, CK etc.

Dude, free skewers.

ahh.. shoul've waited before buying my Vitesse Boyd's.

I've been waiting for this, snagged a set. Thanks.

good point, and well said Sir!

New wheels from Boyd

https://www.bikerumor.com/2014/01/10/...t-road-wheels/

So do I spend $550 now or wait a little bit and get the new wheels for just $100 more? Quite the conundrum...

First impression is it's a fairly minor change. 23mm wide x 28 tall, 1550g for the Vitesse's, versus 24mm wide x 30 mm tall, 1580g for the Altamont's. Only other change from what I see is the ribbed inner wall of the rim. Not sure how drastic a change that may be, though I'm pleased with the stiffness of the Vitesse's as they are.

I think the idea was to go from selling a wheel that was close to a Zipp 101 at half price to one that is arguably equal or better at half price. While dimensionally the changes might be minor, from a marketing perspective I can certainly see it being worthwhile.

Also, as I don't know of this rim being available anywhere else, Boyd now has a unique rim and hub laced with what is often thought to be the best spoke available. It justifies the price compared to the original Vitesse of which you could essentially buy in kit form form for ~$350 and either lace your self or take to your chosen builder.

I think even zipp realized how expensive the 101 was that they have now gotten rid of it. The new Boyd's are nice, some people might have to use 700x23 tires for clearance but a nice update it seems.