Shimano

Ultegra WH-RS500 Road Wheelset - Tubeless

broken spoke prone

The rear wheel is prone to broken spokes at the hub under normal riding conditions. Multiple broken spokes

Sloid Wheels

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

N/A

Height:

6' 1"

Weight:

175

These have been very solid wheels for me. I have been using them as my beater wheels for years. I'm not sure exactly how may miles I have on them, but I have almost worn the brake track past the wear indicator mark, so probably at least 6,000. The set I have now was within 0.3 MM of true when I got them, and they haven't budged since--I've never trued these wheels once. I think the offset rear rim really helps. I had the prior 10 speed version of these wheels, which did go slightly out of true one me after a lot of off-road miles on 25mm tires. You definitely need to know what you're doing to true these, as the spoke tension is very high, and even small adjustments in tension can move the wheel a long way. They aren't exactly light, but they are nice and wide, and are relatively deep for their class. I wouldn't say they are aero, but the low spoke count and bladed spokes help. I've had these on plenty of rides where everyone else was running aero wheels, and been just fine. I've run them with clinchers and tubeless; no issues either way. Nice that they come with value stems (and spoke wrenches). At the sale price, nothing can touch them. At full price, personally I might probably spend a little more and get something lighter, like aluminum Hunts or HED Ardennes.

Rear wheel constantly needs truing.

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Bought these about a year ago for a build and use them on my steel road bike. I am between 175-185 depending on the time of year and this isn't my daily rider. In under a year and just about 1k miles on them I am on my second time needing trued. The first time was minor and then about 2 months after that I just had to do a much more significant truing to the rear wheel.

Not Ultegra level of quality

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

I replaced the Bontrager Race stockers that came on my 2016 Trek Domane 5.2 with these in Oct. 2020. At that time they were just under $300, so I thought they were an outstanding value. But after over a year of use I no longer feel that's the case. While the initial build quality was good, the rear wheel constantly needs truing. At 185 lbs., I'm well under the suggested weight limit of 225, but am unable to maintain the proper spoke tension. And unlike others here, I've found the ride quality to be somewhat harsh. I've always found Ultegra components offered near Dura Ace performance for a much lower price, but even though these wheels are pretty light, they seem more Tiagra-level in terms of performance and quality. They seem like the stock wheels you'd find on an $800-$1,000 bike, even if they weigh much less than wheels typically found on bikes in that price range. For that reason, and the fact they now cost considerably more than what I paid, I would recommend anyone considering spending $450 on these as a replacement or upgrade instead look at well taken care of used wheelsets with a good reputation.