Dura Ace 9000 C24 or Fulcrum Zeros for 92 Kg rider

I have a set of racing zeros and cannot praise them enough. I also have a pair of pacenti 23s on DA  hubs with which I am not at all impressed, in fact I prefer my £200 ish zondas to the hand-built. 

I've got both sets of wheels. There is very little it in, but IMO the C24 might just roll a little better.

Upgrading my wheels made my riding more enjoyable, which meant I went out more and became fitter. Get the ones you like the look of best, they'll act as a great motivational tool:)

I think the C24s are a tad lighter.

I hope that helps

Of course all the comments about training etc are correct, buy the wheels and enjoy

Quote:

I know they are no substitute for putting in the training

seriously though, they're not. and if i were you i'd sink some money into a proper training plan. 

I did, lost 12kg and took three minutes off my time up some of the hills round here.

Ain't no wheels going to give you that kind of gain.

If you must, though, I'd get the zeros and run them tubeless

I'm a bit heavier than you and a crap climber but I do tend to hit the hills early and often when I actually get out and ride. You surely know this, but as you asked about heavier wheels I'll add some crude numbers: Climbing performance is all about power/weight, and 100g/100kg should make you heuristically (don't extrapolate this out) about 1/1000th faster (that's almost a full second on your average 15 minute climb). Climbing with lighter wheels does feel "punchier" for me somehow, and though that's almost entirely psychological, it's nice, in the way riding with nicer kit often feels nicer. And gets many of us to ride  more often. And then you get fitter. And then you get faster. And then you decide you need nicer kit...

I have no personal experience with either wheelset, but I've shied away from Shimano wheels since I'm a set-it-and-forget-it sort of person. The guy who suggested the Fulcrum Racing 3's seems to know what he's talking about. The Hunt wheels by all accounts also seem like a good deal.

Or how about these from the Uk. <Cough!>

http://tuwheels.co.uk/product/38mm-deep-carbon-tubular-wheelset/

Don't buy from France - their wheels aren't round enough!!

Being honest, neither of them are bad wheels. As from a performance perspective they are going to be pretty much the same I'd just get the one you prefer the look of. In terms of looks its the Fulcrums for me. I've rode the DA24's quite a lot, pretty good wheels, no issues what so ever, rode worse, rode better. I did find the DA24's one of the easier wheels to mount tubeless tyres to. I'm fairly cack handed so being able to put take the tyre off in an emergency and put a tube in is an important factor for me.

As I'm sure you already know, neither of them will make hills any easier. You may shave a tad off your Strava PB's but it won't be a major difference, the hills will still hurt.

BendorTheRobot's suggestion of Hunt Wheels could be worth a look, most showing as delivery lead time might be a deal breaker though. £280 for a pair of sub 1600g wheels or £400 for a sub 1500g pair.... being budget minded I'd be mighty tempted! Getting them to build them up and pop the Tubeless Schwalbe One still comes well within budget. 100kgs upper recommended weight.

I'd buy these if I had the cash:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Roues-carbone-38mm-1150g-la-paire-Superlight-38mm-carbon-wheelset-1150g-/172104966926

Suitable (depending on spoke numbers) for up to 95kg.

No experience of the Fulcrum wheels but I have RS80 C24s which have similar rim and spokes to the DA wheels but steel rather than titanium freehub. 

I used to be a fan of the loose bearings of the Shimano wheels because I like fiddling with bike mechanicals but I am going off that view due to corrosion of the cones and freehub cup on the rear hub.  Replacement for that lot £60+ (lots more than that for a Ti freehub) whereas new cartridge bearings would be half that or less, so more practical if year-round wheels.  That would suggest the Fulcrums but they also have low spoke count which at 90kg might be something to avoid.

Custom (or semi-custom) wheels e.g. Pacenti SL23 Mk2 on Bitex hubs (or fancier hubs e.g. Tune if you're feeling flush), C X-ray spokes  would be where I would invest if I were in your boat.  Most wheel builders wouldn't put fewer than 20 spokes in a front wheel, 24 rear and some would say more than that.  JRA have a 'Jawbone' set which would be in budget and not much heavier than the two wheels you quote for similar or slightly less money and a 'Jawbone Lite' set which are both lighter and cheaper.

More expensive wheels won't help you climb faster. Losing weight will though.

But is it all worth it? As long as you're getting the miles in and are quite happy then surely that's the main thing. If I had the best part of £600 I'd spend it on a flight to somewhere warm, with nice roads, agreeable drivers and decent nosh.

All the best

Try Fulcrum Racing 3. Steel spokes so they're a much livelier wheel than the Zeros with their dull alloy spokes. And save a couple of hundred quid while you do it.

Whisper it, but the zeros are only a couple of ounces lighter, whatever they claim.

Worth looking, at the moment, at Hunt Wheels. Specifically the Aero ones. Good price, serviceable, well built, light. 

It's worth thinking about how much you are prepared to look after them. In my experience you need to check & regrease shimano hubs fairly regularly. If water gets in and you don't catch it in good time you can end up with rusty bearings, and - far worse - rusty & pitted races. This means you hub is trashed, and it may not be worth rebuilding the wheel. If you trash the fulcrum bearings you can just pop in a new set and off you go. (Bitter experience...)

Okey doke. Well, I hate to say it but neither of those wheels will really help you to climb. Let's face it, you are talking about a few hundred grams when your total package going up a hill is currently close to 110kg. Also you do need to factor in that weight and, for me, you are well outside the pro-look low spoke count options. Then factor in the fact you ride every day which will wear out those milled rims in a relatively quick time. ..at which point you get to bin the whole wheel despite about 20 years worth of riding left in the DA hubs.
Only choice for me would be which hand built option. ..and I would plump for something like H+ Archetype on DA. About 1650g and last you for years. Won't really help you climbing but won't hold you back either. You already know how to improve climbing, lose weight and train.

To get a decent answer the OP needs to advise of his budget, his current wheels, whether his weight is now stable (no easy gains left) and whether he wants a sensible answer or just a bit of pro level bling.

Fulcrum for me - ceramic hub, 2-way fit,  and gorgeous, although that's subjective. I'm 90kg and have Fulcrum 1's and Fulcrum 7's (also Vision Metron 40's). DA & Fulcrum are both awesome wheels, both proven on the pro peleton, and your weight would only be an issue if you gained a stone.