Mavic Ksyrium SLR Vs Fulcrum Racing Zero Nite

[gaptooth00]

Greetings People

I have a decision to make and its a tough one
I need some help

Im in the midst of a bike build and it has come to one of THE most important bits - THE WHEELS

the mavic Ksyrium SLRs ( or the SLR 125 edition ) OR the Fulcrum Racing Zero Nite




Both are alu clinchers , both are stealth , both have similar weights and both have great reputations , but which one is better ?
does anyone out there have any info / knowledge on characteristics / bad experiences / recommendations ?

Here is what I know about each ..............



Mavic SLR
It has amazing breaking with the exalith breaking system
It has carbon spokes on the rear wheel drive side for comfort
It has breaks and tyres included
and they look amazing



Fulcrum Racing Zero Nite
These wheels have the same amazing breaking with an equivalent system to the exalith
It has ceramic bearings on front and rear hubs ( which is a very strong plus in my book )
These wheels are quite rare - havent seen many on the road

Sadly I cannot buy them both , which should i choose ????

[isharamet]

Also consider Campagnolo Shamal Mille which is the same as Zero Night's but with different lacing.

[tinozee]

I think the Fulcrums are lighter, wider and also tubeless ready.

edit - never mind about the width, they are 15mm internal.

I think there is also a HED wheel in this class that is wide.

[Fixie82]

For my money I would get the Racing Zero Nite - much prefer the freehub system over that of the Mavic's, I have an older set of 2way fit Fulcrum Zero and the hubs are totally user serviceable which is a real bonus as well without having to press in new cartridge bearings. If you do your own wrenching keep this in mind, although not sure if the newer versions are any different?

Personal preference and opinion but I also preferred the ride of them over my short time on Mavic RSYS SLR, strangely I found the Fulcrum to be a little stiffer laterally with no brake pad rub when sprinting out of the saddle uphill. I could get a little rub with the Mavic's and found them a little harder to maintain speed with around the flats, so I would suggest the Racing Zero Nite would be a lightly better all rounder but not much in it really.

Of course your riding terrain and focus will determine your choice more than opinions from others. For what it's worth I am not a climbers build so your stiffness requirements may be different to mine. Both great sets of wheels.

Tough choice!

[gaptooth00]

Thanks fixie 82 very helpful

[kgt]

I like Mavic's looks but IMHO Fulcrum is a slightly better wheelset (see hubs).

[carlcurry]

Just like everyone is mentioning, buy the Fulcrums for the hubs/freehub. The more I read (and experienced) the Mavic freehub the less I liked. Had no problems with the rims themselves.
I now have 3 sets of Ksyrium SL's collecting dust and the bikes all wear Fulcrum.
And you can convert the freehub very easily should you ever want to.

[upside]

Mavic wheels have a great design except for the rear hubs... the freehub will always give you problems. I would vote for the Fulcrum or Campy!

[hasbeen]

In my experience, any Campy/Fulcrum wheel will win long term over Mavic.

[asv]

The SLR's came with my Evo. After a few months I switched to a custom build with pacentis and tune hubs.

PRO's
- durability
- stiffness
- braking in wet conditions

CON's
- horrible aerodynamic qualities. (narrow rims and large spokes make for a really bad combo.)
- exalith pads require extreme adjustment to not squeak
- The narrowness of the rim and the extreme toe-in required for the pads to not squeak made wheel swaps an absolute pain.

[Ltoddokc]

I was making the same decision and kept hearing about the superior hubs of the fulcrums. That combined with the great prices on German online shops for the Fulcrums (and the strong dollar) made it an easy choice. Ordered the racing zero nite's last night. We'll see how long they take to get to central US.

[gaptooth00]

I think its pretty unanimous - fulcrums it is

does anyone like the SLRs or have any good reviews ?

[carlcurry]

One more thing worth noting on the Fulcrum's. Unless you know you will use tubeless I'd buy clincher. I have one set of 2-way fit Racing Zero's, and fixing a flat on the road with a Conti Grand Prix 4 Season is a PITA. It's a much tighter fit than the clincher wheelset.
Good reviews? Well, to be fair to the Mavic's, over the course of 8 years and 3 sets I only had wheels in the truing stand literally a handful of times. They were plenty stiff enough for my usage.
But it's hard to be generous to the Mavic's after the Fulcrums. The Racing Zero hubs are akin to Record or Dura Ace loose balls as opposed to Mavic cartridge. On the Fulcrum you can fuss with grease weight and preload until they roll forever.
And there is no comparison in the freehubs. The Mavic - which I think is only 2 pawls, requires periodic maintenance or squeals like a pig. The maintenance is finicky where you are likely to end up with the pawls flying about. You also have to replace the freehub periodically. Your shifting will get sloppy and you fuss with that until you realize the nylon bushing (nylon bushing for chrissake!) in the freehub is shot and you need a new freehub.
The Fulcrum, which is 6 pawls, can be fully serviced (which it rarely needs) in under 10 minutes. Unbelievably easy.

[TimW]

Record style (Shamal/Fulcrum) hubs are really smooth and reliable...but to say they are easier than Mavic to service, I don't entirely agree. The Campagnolo/Fulcrum hubs use cup and cone bearings which are great and don't need much looking after..unless you let them go to far without any maintenance and then the hubs are ruined. The Mavic freehub although a bit basic is an absolute doddle to replace (an allen key(s) and/or a spanner). Pawls are pawls (no harder than other wheels) and the parts are easily available unlike some Campag/Fulcrum spares. Also I would argue that despite the fact that Mavics use sealed bearings they do spin very smoothly and are easy to change. Campagnolo hubs have always been amazing.

I think both wheels are nice..I would choose the Racing Nite/Shamal Mille based on my experience. I've always regretted parting with my Shamals. Athough the price premium for the Nite/Mille over the normal version is taking the p**s a bit as the standard Shamal can be had for £300 less.

I saw the Racing Nite in a shop recently and thought it looked great.

[5DII]

I was making the same decision and kept hearing about the superior hubs of the fulcrums. That combined with the great prices on German online shops for the Fulcrums (and the strong dollar) made it an easy choice. Ordered the racing zero nite's last night. We'll see how long they take to get to central US.

which german shop did you order from?