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Date: 17 Aug 2006 20:21:50
From:
Subject: ksyrium sl's or bontrager x-lites
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hi all, I am preparing to buy some race wheels, and am debating between
ksyrium sl's and bontrager race x-lites. some people have told me that
i will get blown around on the ksyriums, and that because i weigh
120lbs they will be too stiff for me. but others say that they'll be
fine considering i'll only be using them to race and i have a ti bike
which will compensate for the stiffness a little. what do you all
think?? any advice on which i should go with?? i want something
decently stiff, light, and strong (b/c i don't want to have to keep
buying new wheels if i crash -- i can't afford that).
thanks a lot -- i appreciate any advice i can get.
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Date: 21 Aug 2006 06:53:00
From: Mike Jacoubowsky
Subject: Re: ksyrium sl's or bontrager x-lites
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> hi all, I am preparing to buy some race wheels, and am debating between
> ksyrium sl's and bontrager race x-lites. some people have told me that
> i will get blown around on the ksyriums, and that because i weigh
> 120lbs they will be too stiff for me. but others say that they'll be
> fine considering i'll only be using them to race and i have a ti bike
> which will compensate for the stiffness a little. what do you all
> think?? any advice on which i should go with?? i want something
> decently stiff, light, and strong (b/c i don't want to have to keep
> buying new wheels if i crash -- i can't afford that).
>
> thanks a lot -- i appreciate any advice i can get.
My advice is 100% biased and suspect, since I sell a ton of Bontrager
wheelsets (both separately and on new bikes). So I'll just point out a few
nice things about the Bontrager-
- Can be trued, if it ever need to be, with a conventional spoke wrench.
- Spokes, while being straight-pull, are "standard" nail-head style. I
haven't tried, but suspect you could straighten the head on a j-bend spoke
and use it, in an emergency.
- The rear hub is an overbuilt Hugi tandem hub. Just about impossible to
kill the ratchet mechanism.
- Parts for the wheels are readily available.
- Bontrager just went to a 5-year warranty on all products, including
wheels. Much nicer than the 1-year warranty most are sticking to.
--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com
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Date: 21 Aug 2006 12:53:11
From: H M Leary
Subject: Re: ksyrium sl's or bontrager x-lites
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In article <gLcGg.16740$o27.12498@newssvr21.news.prodigy.com >,
"Mike Jacoubowsky" <mikej1@ix.netcom.com > wrote:
snip
> My advice is 100% biased and suspect, since I sell a ton of Bontrager
> wheelsets (both separately and on new bikes). So I'll just point out a few
> nice things about the Bontrager-
>
> - Can be trued, if it ever need to be, with a conventional spoke wrench.
> - Spokes, while being straight-pull, are "standard" nail-head style. I
> haven't tried, but suspect you could straighten the head on a j-bend spoke
> and use it, in an emergency.
> - The rear hub is an overbuilt Hugi tandem hub. Just about impossible to
> kill the ratchet mechanism.
> - Parts for the wheels are readily available.
> - Bontrager just went to a 5-year warranty on all products, including
> wheels. Much nicer than the 1-year warranty most are sticking to.
>
> --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
> www.ChainReactionBicycles.com
Nice wheels, but IMO the bearings SUCK. In my bicycle there was almost a
50% problem with hop on all Trek OCLV series, even one guy whose
BonEtrager carbon rims cost $3K.
Trek was very nice and FedExd overnight new bearings, but shit by any
other name......
The answer in a word... Phil Wood.
HAND
BTW Mike, thanks again for all your help way back when.
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Date: 21 Aug 2006 16:51:40
From: Mike Jacoubowsky
Subject: Re: ksyrium sl's or bontrager x-lites
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> Nice wheels, but IMO the bearings SUCK. In my bicycle there was almost a
> 50% problem with hop on all Trek OCLV series, even one guy whose
> BonEtrager carbon rims cost $3K.
We see very little hop in wheels these days (or for that matter, over the
past several years). The deeper-dished carbon rims especially shouldn't have
had an issue. Once in a while we do see something sneak through that
shouldn't have, of course.
As for bearings, that's generally been a front hub issue on their lightest
offerings, as the downsized bearing (for lighter weight). Heavy use in rain
is an issue; I've done a number on a pair myself. Fortunately, replacement
is easy.
> Trek was very nice and FedExd overnight new bearings, but shit by any
> other name......
Trek is very responsive to issues like that. Their people really do believe
in the product, and have reasonable expectations for what it should be able
to do.
> The answer in a word... Phil Wood.
Probably the most-reliable stuff on the planet, but at the extreme other end
of the scale in terms of weight. Perfect for many uses, but not for someone
trying to build up a fairly-light machine.
--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com
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Date: 18 Aug 2006 20:08:28
From: Larry
Subject: Re: ksyrium sl's or bontrager x-lites
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I now have 4 years and better then 12000 mile's on my Bontrager Race X Lites
and have not even put a spoke wrench to them. Perfact the day I got them and
still perfact. I weigh 170 pounds and quite pleased with them. I also ride
on a lot of chip and bumpy roads. The club I ride with has many members
using both the Race X Lite and Race Lite wheels and I have heard no
complaints.
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Date: 18 Aug 2006 16:25:18
From: Bill Sornson
Subject: Re: ksyrium sl's or bontrager x-lites
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dwhite1@stanford.edu wrote:
> hi all, I am preparing to buy some race wheels, and am debating
> between ksyrium sl's and bontrager race x-lites. some people have
> told me that i will get blown around on the ksyriums, and that
> because i weigh 120lbs they will be too stiff for me. but others say
> that they'll be fine considering i'll only be using them to race and
> i have a ti bike which will compensate for the stiffness a little.
> what do you all think?? any advice on which i should go with?? i
> want something decently stiff, light, and strong (b/c i don't want to
> have to keep buying new wheels if i crash -- i can't afford that).
>
> thanks a lot -- i appreciate any advice i can get.
IMO, Bontrager hubs are vastly superior to Mavic's.
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Date: 18 Aug 2006 07:31:56
From: Dane Buson
Subject: Re: ksyrium sl's or bontrager x-lites
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dwhite1@stanford.edu wrote:
> hi all, I am preparing to buy some race wheels, and am debating between
> ksyrium sl's and bontrager race x-lites. some people have told me that
> i will get blown around on the ksyriums, and that because i weigh
> 120lbs they will be too stiff for me. but others say that they'll be
> fine considering i'll only be using them to race and i have a ti bike
> which will compensate for the stiffness a little. what do you all
> think?? any advice on which i should go with?? i want something
> decently stiff, light, and strong (b/c i don't want to have to keep
> buying new wheels if i crash -- i can't afford that).
Neither wheel is particularly light or strong from what I've read on the
newsgroups. Of course, my perspective is a little different than yours
given that at my leanest I still weigh 50+% more than you. At 120 lbs
you're going to have to try and destroy a wheel to do it in.
If you're really set on getting one of these two wheels, get the
Bontragers. You can google rb.tech for all the problems people have
with the Ksyriums.
--
Dane Buson - sigdane@unixbigots.org
"Listening to the voice of reason is usually a good idea.
Unless it's the cleverly-disguised voice of stupidity."
- Michael Hayward
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