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New Mavic Kysrium Elite UST vs. Used Ksyrium Exalith vs. New Fulcrum Racing 3 C17 Wheelsets

by lcdesign
Tue, Sep 29, 2020 01:04
5

So I'm in the market for a new rim-brake wheelset. I have a very mid-range bike that came equipped with a pair of Team Vision 30's, the rear wheel makes a horrible gritty sound when rolling so I want to replace that while taking the opportunity to shed a bit of weight.

My budget is 500 € and under.

I had narrowed my choices down to either the Mavic Kysrium Elite UST wheelset or the Fulcrum Racing 3 C17's, and was leaning towards the Ksyrium's seeing as they were both pretty much considered equal but the Mavics edged it as they offered the option of tubeless should I want it at some point (not a deal breaker at all though).

However…

A pair of pre-owned Ksyrium Exalith's have just been listed on a local classifieds site for 550 €, I could possibly negotiate 500 €.

Is this a no-brainer? Should I go for the Exalith's or should I be dubious of second-hand wheels? Anything in particular i should look out for when viewing?

Or perhaps there's a better choice out there entirely?

Thanks in advance.

 

 

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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5 comments

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SimonAY | 4 years ago
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I have Exaliths and a few things to consider are

1. You'll need to factor in 20 euro for the exalith break pads if you don't have them

2. I kinda like the unique noise they make under braking but many don't

3. you ideally need to have the pads toe in and perfectly aligned otherwise they squeal like a banshee.

Avatar
Hirsute | 4 years ago
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The mavics come with tubeless tyres.
Rims need a lot of cleaning if you regularly commute.

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lcdesign replied to Hirsute | 4 years ago
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hirsute wrote:

The mavics come with tubeless tyres.

That's right, that's a nice added bonus. But I see it as a bonus only if the wheels are better. Tubeless really isn't a deal breaker for me, so the question remains are the Exalith's worth the extra 50 to 100 € push?

hirsute wrote:

Rims need a lot of cleaning if you regularly commute.

I'm not commuting. Funnily enough, this bike was originally bought as a commute bike when I lived in London, so the Vision 30s have endured many dark, wet and cold mornings and evenings. I suspect that's where my gritty hub issue stems from.

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bobbinogs | 4 years ago
1 like

It's not the best time of year to buy new wheels since they will wear much quicker in the crappy weather...and you won't feel any benefit of a wheel 200g lighter when you are wearing half of your wardrobe and grinding away against a headwind.
Why not just replace the worn bearings in your current wheel/set, a little light lube in the freewheel...and then look at new wheels in March (perhaps extending the options to include handbuilts and Hunt).

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lcdesign replied to bobbinogs | 4 years ago
0 likes

Interesting considerations @bobbinogs.

bobbinogs wrote:

It's not the best time of year to buy new wheels since they will wear much quicker in the crappy weather...and you won't feel any benefit of a wheel 200g lighter when you are wearing half of your wardrobe and grinding away against a headwind.

I should have mentioned that I live in Barcelona these days so although crappy weather happens, it happens only occasionally.  It's early days for me as a cyclist but my training is mostly climbing the hills we have here behind the city (gradients of 6 to 15%) the so the weight saving will be appreciated. My current wheels are 1.95kgs so down to 1.5kgs should be notiecable right?

It can get quite windy, so deep aero rims might be an issue, and also chilly as a result so your note about heavier clothing is still very relevant. But even so, why not offset that weight during the winter and appreciate the weight savings when things hot up again (which will be January here)?

bobbinogs wrote:

Why not just replace the worn bearings in your current wheel/set, a little light lube in the freewheel...and then look at new wheels in March

I was planning to attempt this anyway and have the Vision 30's sat ready and not gritty for those days when the heavens do open. I have no idea where to start with this though, so will need to read up.

bobbinogs wrote:

(perhaps extending the options to include handbuilts and Hunt).

Handbuilts are new territory for me and again no idea where to start. And I have been looking at the great value Hunt's, but the lead times mean they'll turn up in your suggested month of March 2021 anyway! 3

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