August 24th, 2009 by 
thien
Performance
So with all of these improvements, how would the wheels handle out on the road? In a word, AWESOME. Because of the lightweight and, I presume, stiffness, of the wheels, they accelerate instantly. The most impressive wheels I’ve ever ridden were the $3000 Ritchey Superlogic Carbon-Boron 46 Tubulars. The Eastons weren’t quite as magical, but definitely the second fastest accelerating wheel I’ve ever ridden. They have that subtle quality that makes climbing feel effortless; it encourages out of the saddle sprints. In fact, using these wheels helped me shave nearly 15 seconds off my PR for climbing our local Old La Honda, taking the time from 19:42 to 19:30. And that PR has stood for 4 years! Braking was also excellent; I’ve been testing a lot of wheels lately, including those with carbon braking surfaces. Carbon can be a bit finicky — but the traditional aluminum braking surface of these wheels inspires confidence. As a bonus, mounting tires was a cinch as well.
Weight and Value
Can $1,000 be considered a bargain? In the rarified world of weight weenie-ness and bike parts, yes. These wheels weighed 1,420 grams complete with the installed rim strips. Rimstrips weigh 15 grams each, so I’m putting the “naked” weight at a feathery 1390 grams. There aren’t that many clincher wheels in that weight range out there. And certainly, very few in this price range. I have the amazingly light American Classics Sprint 350’s; mine weigh an astounding 1362 grams. But they are flexy and tires don’t seat well under pressure over 110 pounds. The Mavic R-Sys is very light but the spokes aren’t very aero and they’ve been plagued with a recall and a highly publicized failure. The real competition seems to be the Dura-Ace WH-7850, Campy Shamal, and Hed Ardennes. All but the Hed are considerably more expensive and the Hed’s super wide (23mm) width may pose fit problems with some brakes.
In sum, the Easton SLX’s represent extremely low weight at a relatively low price point.
Summary
Easton’s R&D department has been very busy with this latest wheelset. They should be proud of the host of incremental improvements that have truly yielded a world-class wheelset with all of the bells and whistles. These are fairly priced, versatile wheels that offer incredible performance.
Value
5
Overall
5
August 24th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Could you also compare it to Bontrager RaceXLites?
August 24th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Does the EC90SLX rear wheel retain the Velomax Ascent’s off center rim design? Can’t quite tell from your pics/text. I have the Ascent IIs & liked that design since the drive/non drive spoke tension is more even, is stronger, & requires less frequent trueing.
Also think you should consider throwing the Roval Fusee SL wheelset (not star) into the mix as they are very close in price/weight, have fantastic hubs, DT aerolite spokes, & a clever spoke nipple attachment that virtually eliminates potential eyelet cracking. If I hadn’t crashed my back Fusee back wheel, I’d choose them over the Ascents/EC90SLX
August 24th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
I expected a review for the low-profile carbon rimmed EC90 SLX, not a review for Easton’s top-of-the line aluminium EA90 SLX.
Funny how a single letter can actually have some importance. Look at the wheels’ graphics - yep, I can read EA90 there. Not EC90.
The title is misleading
August 24th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
These rock. You won’t be sorry. I wouldn’t waste time comparing them to You can pick ‘em up on ebay for 500 bucks from time to time. Not sure how those sellers get them (back of a truck in NJ maybe?) but who cares.
August 26th, 2009 at 8:58 am
How do they compare to $2000.oo zipps?
August 26th, 2009 at 9:46 am
I’m fortunate to own the 2008’s and they are great wheels. I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Bob, there’s no way you’ll be able to find these latest ones with ceramic bearings for $500. One downside to the 2009’s are the HUGE vinyl graphics. Dirt and grease will slowly stain them and after a few years those giant stickers won’t look so nice. Mine are more subdued, and even after just a year there are some spots and smudges that even wax won’t take out.
August 27th, 2009 at 3:49 am
Hi-
I own a pair of Hed Ardennes and they are fantastic. The Easton wheels, from this review do not stand up well against the HED wheels.The Easton’s are light - big deal, so are allot of wheels. Read up on the HED wheels. Log drag coefficient, lower rolling resitance - lighter than the Eastons. Same price. Question (oh great web reviewer)- what is the rim weight? That is a pretty basic question? How about the skewers? Where is the wind tunnel data? Do your homework before you write a review.
“The black, white, red and grey scream performance.” That’s a review? It SCREAMS performance!!?? Dude. Write a review. There are far to many reviews that spew back manufacturer white paper BS - your review is the latest in a long line of junk reviews that provide NO USEFUL information.
Don’t waste our time - go SCREAM performance and enjoy the view of my backside.
August 27th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Greenslade-
I don’t doubt that the Ardennes are fantastic and I did compare these to the Heds; please see page 4. And Roadbikereview users have given them very high marks. To be clear, I am a big fan of Hed and own both the Alps and Jet 60/90 wheels. (A review of the Jets will be forthcoming). The new C2 rims featured on Hed Jet’s and Ardennes, however, are 23mm wide (vs 19mm) and I’ve found they pose some fitment issues, especially with Zero Gravity brakes.
In terms of rim weight, Easton is 403 grams front, 432 rear. Hed is 430 each; they uses lighter spokes for the lower overall weight. Additionally, the Hed’s have a rider weight limit of 190lbs and don’t come with ceramic bearings unless you upgrade to the sweet Flamme Rouge package for ~$400 more.
Regarding the skewers–which I explained weigh 121 grams, I said “The only ding on the design is the quick release levers. While they have great clamping power and the levers feel comfortable, they are a bit heavy and mundane looking.” I’ve found that the new Ritchey and American Classic skewers really nail the weight, clamping force, and ergonomics.
Lastly, the review was more done to illustrate the multitude of incremental gains
that the manufacturer has focused on to continue to improve an already very good wheelset. In other words, that they are competing against themselves to keep improving, which I think is admirable.
Sorry that you didn’t find this useful.
August 27th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Twain,
Thanks for responding. I am very frustrated (obviously) by reviews that are a rearranging of information found in a catalog or a reprint of a press release. Real information and FACTS about performance what is needed.
Before a rider drops $1000 on a wheels set the rider needs information - not impressions. Impressions are subjective.
Rider impressions are interesting for sure, but wind tunnel data, rim weight, rim width - information.
Ceramic bearing. If you call HED - they will tell you not to waste your money unless the guys in your local ride need to hear that you dropped the coin for bling.
I chose HED’s but there are plenty of other wheels that would do the job I’m sure. I apologize if your review was intended to be a “product update”. Too many wheels are sold for the bling factor. “they scream performance” is probably just what Easton was looking for when they designed the graphics - and it will probably help sell wheels - whether they perform or not.
A review that contained real performance in formation would be refreshing.
Thanks
greenslade
August 29th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
I thought the review was very useful. Clearly Easton has made a quality wheel. With no weight limitation and ceramic bearings, its certainly worth considering.
I’d probably go with the EA90 AERO version cause they have more bling…even if they are a bit heavier.
September 1st, 2009 at 10:41 pm
15 seconds on Old La Honda you say? I need about 1:10 to make it under 20 minutes. I need every second I can get. maybe have to look into new wheels
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:08 am
well greenslade,
Heds are reportadely very good wheels, but i would seriously look at other data supplied about wind tunnels and inertia etc before going off on the Easton’s, not talking about HED’s own data either. there is another site that has tested many wheels for stiffness, weight and aerodynamics and the HEDs faired poorly…
have you even ridden the Eastons?
i have and i find them to be even better than Dura Ace 7850 sl tubeless and that is saying a lot….
September 19th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
I also just recently rode the EA90 SLX wheels, and compared to my Ascent II’s, they do seem to be a strong improvement in smoothness and rigidity. I had previously noticed some flex in my Ascents on a Lemond frame, where the tire was rubbing under load on narrowly spaced rear chainstays. I’m going to put the Ascents back on now after riding the SLX’s and see how they fare. I’m also going to compare spoke tension to make sure the Ascents are properly adjusted to remove any issue of flex due to a need for tuning. That said, the EA90 SLX’s felt very fast from Old La Honda down to highway 84 and handled descents with aplomb.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Check out the 2010 carbon wheels from Easton covered at Interbike
http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/interbike/easton/