UKC

Hankering after one, ideally with Ultegra and Kysrium SLS. Has anyone got one? I need bringing to my senses and carry on training on my alu Ridley - please help

In reply to kevin stephens:
Think Enty has an Ares, but he rates it so probably will encourage it rather than convince you otherwise!

In reply to sleavesley:

Enty will be along shortly to convince you that Dolan is the way to go and why settle for Ultegra get Dura Ace and Mavic SLR , you have asked the question it wont go away!
I expect pictures of the new bike shortly

In reply to kevin stephens:

Go up and visit the shop, now you have suggested you want a new bike it is all a matter of what do you pick.

As said above Enty and the shop will convince you of the Dolan.

On that note I left the store without buying one. Didn't have my size to sit on in the Ares and I wanted a custom paint job which couldn't be returned obviously

In reply to IMA:

So how much difference would I notice with bling wheels like the Kysrium SLS C compared to by hand build Open Pros on Ultegra hubs?

In reply to kevin stephens:


The SLS wheels are fast rolling, responsive, light, stiff and they look good. I've had a set for about 18months and I'm very happy with them. They accelerate quickly, are good on climbs and feel solid on fast descents. I would recommend them if your are looking for a non-areo wheel set in that price range.

The open pro / ultra wheels are a decent all rounder but will be significantly heavier, they won't feel as fast and won't excite you to the same extent.

In reply to kevin stephens:

Before I blab on I will say this, take into account riding style, area, your weight. I've seen some of my heavy club friends hammer some wheels because they went light / low spoke count and pot holes that I bounce over. The bike you are looking at would suggest you enjoy rides out rather than racing or time trials on the clock, so avoid areo. The sense of image diminishes in a cross wind descent or on the Cheshire Plains

The weight of the wheel matters for your initial acceleration and rolling mass, but once up to speed then the difference? Under a minute in 100 miles I reckon. But too light and you can feel flex if you press hard. Unlikely to do on the SLS.

Heavy isn't always bad, and the tyre can make a major difference in how a wheel will play. Descending is a bit in the wheel but a lot in the tyre (fan of Schwalbe Ultremo for day to day spring/summer) and the line you pick, along with the bike itself.


I'm no wheel smith so not even going to try and say what you will feel on the hand builts, but you can get great builds at good prices. My knowledge is the Ultegra Hubs are great, no idea on the Mavic Open Pro rim. £600 could get you some great hand builds


Mavic if I remember correctly are a minor pain to replace a spoke (as are a lot of factory builds including mine below), but they are great rims and at £600 from Dolan, around £100 cheaper than most retailers. Would you be disappointed? NO, would you they feel superior to your Open Pro's? Yes but there was probably a cost difference.

Would I buy them? Not at that price I would save money and buy another pair of Zondas and stay on top of my tyres or save longer and get something far too expensive for my passion. But some club guys love them to bits.


My personal experience comes from having some Bora Ultras (which were a discounted gift from a friend) which I rarely use, but are amazing,
Zonda's which I love and then some Fulcrum 5's which are great but generally used on winter nights for training.

The Bora's weigh less than the Zonda's but unless I know I will be on near perfect roads for my 80 miles then I leave them behind. Too many of the Welsh and Cheshire roads are a bit yucky when you have to hold your line in a group and I would be gutted if I did some damage on them.

Now I have been of no help at all, go buy what you like the look of and can afford.

In reply to IMA:

Another fan of Zondas - nice and light but tough as old boots - however they are only available as Campag freehub - which may be an issue if you're running other groupsets

Fulcrum 3 are basically Zondas with a slightly different spoking pattern (Fulcrums are made by Campag) but are Shimano / Sram compatible.

In reply to Lord of Starkness:

Don't worry you can get Shim/Sram freehub versions now

In reply to IMA:

65-67kg stumpy Mamil, want to climb hills so badly and climb them so badly. Enjoy Cheshire plains, Welsh hills and Peak district hills, used to do evening 10s slowly and have a steel Hewitt TT bike, which lives on my turbo for the time being (may make a comeback one day). If I go for the Dolan I will endeavour to meet it half way in terms of fitness gain and weight loss before buying. Would transfer current groupo and wheels to my alu winter frame which is currently lumbered with Sora. Committed to Shimano for option of 165 cranks to match my short legs.

In reply to kevin stephens:

Actually If I get the Tuono frame and Kysrium SLS wheels, and transfer my Ultegra 10 speed groupset, bars and saddle from my Ridley the package looks very enticing value indeed.

I will have to achieve some Strava goals with my current set up before I allow myself to push the button

In reply to kevin stephens:

I don't see how you can go wrong with the Tuono SL. It's a great looking frame and light as anything.

My Ares cost me 600 quid from Dolan's special offers page and with Dura Ace 9000, Mavic R-SYS wheels and Ritchey bars, stem and seatpost the whole bike comes in at bang on 7kg and cost about 1000 quid less than a Dogma Think frameset.

It would be cool to be able to do a "blind tasting" with a few bikes and see if you could tell the difference between a 9k Dogma or Cervelo and something that i race on. I've tried all those at the shop and I certainly can't tell the difference.

I think with low end carbon framesets it's down to looks because Ribble, Planet X, Focus, and Dolans etc will all feel and perform the same.

https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t31.0-8/1966159_1015200867...

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In reply to Enty:

Pretty much settled on the Tuono frame, transferring Ultegra compact groupset, bars stem and saddle from existing bike.

Looking at wheels these are very tempting
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/shimano/dura-ace-c24-carbon-laminate-cl...
as are the non carbon version, or similar weight handbuilts on the same hubs
Any comments or advice?

Oh, and as I'll be keeping by black SLR saddle, bar tape will have to be black.

Now just need to get my loop times down so I can justify it all before I buy