American Classic

dboden

Has anybody any feedback on the American Classic Aero 420 wheelset?
Comparisons to other wheels.

Thanks

andyp

The hubs, especially the front hub, used to go through bearings at an alarming rate of knots. They claim to have fixed that problem now with a redesigned hub.

I had a set and ended up replacing the hubs, with Tune, which built into a very lightweight pair of semi-aero wheels. If they have sorted the bearing problem then they'd be a good choice, depending on what sort of riding you plan on using them for.

inseine

I've had the same thing. I have a pair which were great until the cassette body went and I'd already changed the rear bearings. Both wheels are still totally true. I've another pair built on to Tune hubs, no problems and very light.
They are not super stiff but are lighter and more aero than pretty much anything at the price (mind you, that's gone up a lot).

Monty Dog

I've experience of both the old and new hubs and currently have a pair of 420's, which are about 18 months old. Not the stiffest of wheels, so be wary if you're over 80kg. That said, they are noticeably faster at 50kph plus in comparison to many handbuilts and factory wheels e.g. Ksyriums. The newer models feature stronger bearings and the hubs are pretty easy to service - I did have an incident where the freehub stopped working but it was easy to repair. As a pair of all-rounders, they're a great choice, particularly for road racing and the occassional TT. The only downside is the new price - 18 months ago I got mine for £220, so how they can justify the current price of £500 when the only difference is a paint-job is beyond me.