GamJams Reviews: The Race Wheels I Have - Mavic Kysriums

I believe I have communicated to everyone that my bikes are almost completely blingless. Having said this, my road bike wheels are your standard Mavic Kysriums. I got them from Bill Browne within the last two years (they say the memory is the first thing to go) when he removed them from his new bike (I think he had some Zipp 404's- now those are bling!). The nice thing about my Kysriums is they are rock solid. They are heavier than any "bling" laden (read $$$) wheel so I feel comfortable riding them all the time. They have remained true for the entire time I have ridden them and I haven't had any issues at all.

My MTB has the wheels they sell at Performance for $19.99. I have been in the market for some nice wheels for racing for about a year but just can't get myself to make a decision or drop the coin. I believe for the $19.99 I spent the hubs are plastic, there are no bearings, the spokes are linguini and the rim recycled egg shells. Alright, I think they have the base Shimano hub, regular spokes, aluminum rims, and some kind of system that adds five pounds but they roll quite well for the cost . I really do want to upgrade and will at some point, hopefully soon. Yes, I will cringe as I ride over logs and other obstacles that could turn your wheel instantly into a taco but those are the risks one takes in MTB racing. I have my eyes on some Mavic wheels and since I have had such a good experience with their road wheels I will probably stick with them for my MTB race wheels.

My TT bike has Zipp 303's (650 mm). They came with the bike when I bought it used from an ex-teammate. They have too much bling for me. I can honestly say that riding on them is totally unfamiliar territory for me. I would be much more comfortable riding on wheels that you would see on the Flintstones. You know, the ones with a wooden axle and carved out of solid stone. I'll stick with the Zipp's for now. I will stick with them at least until I find some of those Flintstone wheels or some low cost wheels from Performance Bike. Although, some may consider the former and latter identical.