spinergy X Aero Lite wheels? opinions please...

gaffy

Hi,

these wheels seem to have won some popularity... considering buying a pair but finding it difficult to come across any decent reviews that said id much prefer individual personal reviews as opposed to some magazine reviewing it...

anybody used these or know much about them??

also anyone know any retail prices??

much appreciate as always..

Monty Dog

Don't know if they found many fans, they are pretty flexy and not very light. Had a job trying to fix one once where the driveside spokes gave out and wrapped themselves around the cassette. Spares availability has been an issue in the past.

galatzo

Had a pair breifly and only sold to fund yet another un-necessay upgrade.
They are as comfy as people say.
Hubs are very smooth.
Look cool (thinking of a pair with white spokes)
Average weight I'd say.
Not cheap in the UK - lucky if you can get more than 10% off
£330 ish via Ebay from the States (enquired the other day, Campag fitting)
Ask yourself if your likely to make them flex, will appreciate the comfort over a 150gr weight saving over a pair versus a n other wheelset and if another set will look better. Then you'll probably buy then.
What you putting them on ?

bikergirl17

love them ... full stop. been using them since 2003 and they have never gone out of true-- and i have easily 15,000+ miles on them, incl harsh city commuting. check every box: comfortable on long rides; seriously smooth; never ever flex; accelerate brilliantly on climbs; so stable on descents.

did monty dog actually ride them? they do NOT flex (if you are normal weight). i have a new american classic wheel set that is 200 g lighter, and they effectively brake on steep climbs given the flex.

i am on 650 c, so the experience may be different than with the 700 c. i personally don't think they are heavy and have never found weight an issue on a climb, esp since they are so stable and don't flex so actually can accelerate better.

in 2008, for my new bike, i purchased a second set in the us through an online retailer who had me work with spinergy directly on the build. wheels were about US$600, and the store shipped them to me in the UK. worth calling the rep -- he was really responsive and helpful when i spoke to him in january looking for replacement rims (i was rear ended badly by a car).

Monty Dog

Yes I've ridden them and repaired them - I could physically flex the rim from side-to-side with my hands to rub the brake blocks - I've build and ridden enough wheels to know what's stiff or not. The PBO spokes which makes them 'comfy' also makes them flexy - fat spokes mean they are not aero either. A friend trashed a rear due to a bend rear mech hanger driving the mech into the spokes - it wasn't easy getting spares at the time.

bikergirl17

i'm seriously surprised by that, as mine don't flex at all -- front wheel doesn't even budge when i try and push it. i have two of the same wheel set -- both no flex whatsoever -- so wonder if you got a bad wheel.

the american classics, however, i can push from side to side easily an inch each way into the brake blocks.

yes, they aren't 'aero' nor do they market them as such. and they actually do pick up speed well; acs seem to decelerate on flats.

Monty Dog

I've got AM Classics (older model) which are notoriously flexy but at my weight doesn't present much of a problem. My mate is significantly heavier and yet the wheels were just as flexy - fine for all day comfort but not realy suited to racing. Maybe they've cranked-up the design since then? My LBS stopped doing Spinergy wheels because of problems.

bikergirl17

well i am sub 50 kg, and the american classics 350s have out of control flex.

i really believe there is something wrong with *my* wheel set (and my mechanic said the same that the flex seemed abnormal) but the UK distributor claims this is how they are made ('hint of whisper' seemingly an euphemism for almost dangerously unstable) and when i begged to differ he stopped answering my emails. great customer service that.

funny that your acs are great, while my spinergies are ... go figure.

**
i have spoken to two women with the spinergy pbo stealth, and both rave about them. they said were a bit heavy but that wasn't a problem.

recklessroger

I find this very confusing. I have raced for many many years. Also I am something of a sprinter. The spinergy xaero lites are probably the best wheels I have ever used. Laterally they are the stiffest. I have always been able to pull almost any wheel against the frame when I sprint yet the spinergies don't move. American classics wang around like a flag in a breeze. However vertically they are wonderfully compliant making them also the most comfortable wheels I have ever ridden. The other thing I love about them is the fact they have not made the mistake of spoking the left side of the rear wheel radially. Radial spokes don't drive. The hub literally tows the rim after it so it is the spokes that sweep back from the hub that drive the rim. The spokes that sweep forward actually slacken under acceleration. So if you have a 20 spoke rear wheel and the left side is radial, then you have only half the spokes on the right side driving . . . I.e. 5 spokes! With cross lacing both sides, twice as many spokes drive equalling less "wheel windup". The only thing I can think is that the wheels in question are not laced tight enough. PBO spokes are more compliant than steel ones, but they are also way stronger and need to be tensioned much tighter than steel. I have never had a spoke break or had a wheel go out of true and I have ridden them til I go through the rims. I'm no lightweight and I used to break steel spokes very regularly.
I wonder whether people are confusing vertical compliance with lateral compliance. I just don't know. I am about to buy my 3rd set. I have not found anything better within this price range so far.