Wheels - American Classic Sprint 350 OR Pro Lite Barcciano

chris217
chris217 Posts: 218
edited January 2011 in Road buying advice
Trying to decide between the AC or the Pro lites - both similar weight, the AC are slightly lighter and price wise similar too.

anyone has either wheelset and ride experiences / coments on reliability would be helpful.

which ones should i buy ??

cheers

Comments

  • darren H
    darren H Posts: 122
    Was in my lbs the other day talking to a rider who had got problems with the spokes loosening on his American classic wheels. He was a heavier rider and had this problem for weeks.
    He wasnt happy.


    Get some zondas , bulletproof
  • Ber Nard
    Ber Nard Posts: 827
    You can get the Pro Lites for just under £200 from Ribble:

    http://tinyurl.com/2wde7j8

    Pro Lite wheels generally get good reviews, so I'd save the money and get them.

    What price are you looking at for the American Classics?

    Rob
  • chris217
    chris217 Posts: 218
    thanks guys, yes have heard some reports of problems with AC spokes and hubs actually.

    think pro lites get the vote

    Rob CRC have AC sprints for £290

    cheers
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    AC350s are only really suited to lighter riders IME - they do require 'looking after' i,e tweaking with a spoke key. Hub design actually is pretty good and bearings are cheap and easy to replace.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • markos1963
    markos1963 Posts: 3,724
    Chris217 wrote:
    thanks guys, yes have heard some reports of problems with AC spokes and hubs actually.

    think pro lites get the vote

    Rob CRC have AC sprints for £290

    cheers

    The reports of hub problems with American Classics are from the past, apparently all sorted nowerdays.
    The Pro-Lites got a reasonable review in Cycling Active this month but there where plenty of alternatives, they seemed to like Fulcrum 5's
  • chris217
    chris217 Posts: 218
    cheers, i think weight wise the pro lites and AC are pretty impressive.
  • ADIHEAD
    ADIHEAD Posts: 575
    I've got a set of Bracciano's, bought from Ribble for £175! I prefer them to my Ksyrium Elites which retail for £400! Although mine are the 08's.
  • unixnerd
    unixnerd Posts: 2,864
    I've got a set of Bracciano's, bought from Ribble for £175

    Same here. Love them to bits. Superb value for money. I went from 2kg wheels to these at 1.5 and it made a really big difference to my bike, especially climbing.
    http://www.strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible Price.
    Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
    Marin Mount Vision (1997), Edinburgh Country tourer, 3 cats!
  • Chris217
    I have AC 420's - never had a problem with them at all and they seem really stiff and up to a few knocks in potholes etc - i would strongly recommend them on the basis of my experience in all but windy conditions. Not good on hills though of course