Wednesday 25 March 2009

New Wheels

So I took the plunge and spent all my savings on new wheels. The Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels on my bike were the weakest component and I always planned to change them before the Etape. I was going to wait a little bit but I have a long weekend away riding in Devon and then the Fred Whitton so I decided the time was now. I also needed my new cassette fitted and a service done so I have scheduled them all together.

After many hours research online and visiting many shops, I finally went for a pair of Mavic Ksyrium Elite 2009. I got a great deal at Prologue cycles in East Sheen. I got them £65 cheaper than Sigma Sports (another local shop specialising in road bikes) and £15 cheaper than anywhere on the net that had them in stock.

They are 1550 grams which was the second lightest on my shortlist (only the Easton EA90 SLX were lighter). They are stiff which is good as I'm not the lightest rider and I can be quite aggressive. They have bladed spokes which might make me go faster but definitely look good.

I have to admit that this choice is a bit of a gamble. The 2008 model was not favourably reviewed and were said to be heavy and not value for money. The new versions look very different and have taken a lot of the technology from the more expensive Mavic wheels and I did found some good reviews. I hope I'll notice a huge difference and I'll report back when I get them on the 31st.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Nice wheels Simon! I just did the saem thing in an attempt to improve my chances on Ventoux. Also, can I ask, are you using a Garmin for training? Best wishes Simon

Simon Lewis said...

Cheers. What wheels did you get?

I have a wrist Garmin from my running. I mainly use it on long rides to get elevation and to look at the route on google earth or save the route so my mate Ed and load it into his proper bike Garmin 705. Why, you thinking of getting one?

Unknown said...

Went for Shimano Dura Ace 7850. The wheels are better than me! Tempted by 705 and its my birthday soon. Is your mate pleased with it? Maybe see you at Richmond one weekend.

Simon Lewis said...

Nice wheels. He loves his 705. Nice big screen. He uses the basic maps that came with it and hasn't bought the detialed maps yet. We download routes to follow which work ok. We miss turnings as the warning isn't very loud but we find our way. He has HR and cadence as he loves the data.

John Sutton said...

Good choice, I'm well pleased with my Ksyriums - bomb proof and very light. I find they make a real difference on the climbs. Incidentally, I was riding with another Etapiste on the Cheshire Cat yesterday and he had a SRAM Red setup on his Cervelo with a 34 inner chainring in the front and a 28 sprocket rear. I had 38/27 - he just danced up the steep climbs - and I thought I had low gearing!

Simon Lewis said...

That's good to know. I get them tomorrow. I can't wait.

34/28 - that's quite low. I feel guilty that I'm getting a 27 cassette to go with my compact but I'll never get up Hardknott Pass if I don't.