SHIMANO RS81 C24 OR CONPAG ZONDA

Good choice. And if you ever go Campag, you can swap the freehub over in 3 minutes. Beat that!

Seriously though, I have both RS80s and Fulcrum Racing 3 and latest 5. The Fulcrums (made by Campag) are stiffer and more efficient and faster. The RS80s are more comfy and have superb bearings. Still, I enjoy the Fulcrums better, just seem to turn pedalling into speed more efficiently.

I can't give you a comparison but I do own a set of Zondas and I do not believe that you can possibly be disappointed by this excellent wheelset. I'll be buying more when these wear out. They are light, fast, true and hardwearing. Do you need anything else?

Campag all the way on factory wheels.

Although I am biased, the wheels really are a no brainer.

You can get spacers to make the cassette work perfectly with Shimano, though it often just works without, as Shimano's upper jockey is quite wobbly.

I appear to be in the rare position, judging by the above comments, of having owned and ridden both (on the same Shimano-equipped bike, which provides a good basis for comparison) and when faced with a choice over which to buy a second set of recently, I bought another pair of Zondas. Both are good but I won't be buying any more of the RS series when Zondas can be had at such excellent prices. Best pound-for-pound wheelset out there until you start spending serious money in my opinion.

In my experience they are both stronger & stiffer, require very little maintenance (true of both in fairness but I was more frequently concerned about the RSs going out of true) and as a powerful, heavy rider (6'4", 85kg) I get good mileage out of them. I've even TTd on them and considering their intended purpose they were very good, I'd do it again if required.

I hope that helps in some way, but enjoy whichever you choose.

The zonda 2-way-fit are also very good and can be run tubeless for (near) zero punctures.

I am running shwalbe 1s on RS81 C35s.. No light-bulbing seem fine. The C35s do accelerate really well and hold the speed, as do the C24s but the C24s climb better but they are lighter, and IMO the C35s decend better, however at my level the differences are so small that it doesn't really matter they are both excellent wheelsets, the C35s just look better, and there is hardly any difference between them and the DA C35s apart from an extortionate amount of money.

My mate ran 25mm on RS81 C24's this year and I didn't see any obvious lightbulbing.

I have used the RS81 C35 all year and I echo the sentiments here... they are great. I am keen to know how differently the C24's resist lateral load compared to the C35's... I'm looking at wheels for next year, and I'm weighing up the 200gram weight difference between the C24 and C35's against how well they respond to accelerations.

A lighter rim will accelerate faster, but a stiffer wheel also accelerates faster than a less rigid one... choices, choices.

Oh... just to add to the confusion... the Zonda's are great wheels too.

Do you use Shimano or Campagnolo for your gears?

Another one with a set of RS80 C24. I wouldn't hesitate to have a set of the 11 speed RS81 if I was buying again today. They are a great light weight wheel and make a good upgrade to most OEM wheels you'd find on mid range bikes.

I think mine came from Planet X for about £300 when they had an offer on but the newer RS81 are a bit more. Planet X had them at £350 but are out of stock so Ribble are probably the cheapest around at £370 a set.

What width tyre are the commenters running on their RS81s? Are the RS81 rims wide enough to take a 25mm tyre comfortably (i.e. without lightbulbing)? How about the Zondas?

I also have a set of RS81 C24 fitted and have only good things to say. The difference between them and the Shimano R500 wheels that I had fitted was noticeable from the first mile. I can't compare them to the Zonda as I've not used them, but highly recommend the RS81!!

I have the RS80 C24 and I have not got a bad word to say, spin up easily, climb really well as they are light, pair them with good quality tyres and latex tubes and you have a great wheelset, really no point in spending more. Did I really say that I also have the RS81 C35 which I use as my go to wheel, I have more expensive wheels but to be honest I have to question whether I would buy expensive again when you look at the quality of the C24 & C35, and the price you can get them for is fantastic. IMO I don't think you will get get better wheels for the money.