1st Set of Carbon Wheels
jai7783
Posts: 56
I'm looking at getting a set of carbon wheels. I have seen a set of Shimano RS80 C50 for £500 on PlanetX. I was originally saving for a set of Cosmic SL's which are around £250 more give or take a tenner.
Are the cosmics worth the extra £250?
Any experiences/advice would be most welcome.
Are the cosmics worth the extra £250?
Any experiences/advice would be most welcome.
0
Posts
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... t-11-44503
Yup just checking that rs80's and cosmic carbones are carbon......
What are you going to be using them for? Racing or posing?
No they are aluminium rims (not just brake surface) with plastic stuck onto them.
(From your very own review link)
'Using the same rim as the Dura-Ace WH-7850 wheelset, the deep carbon section is used in conjunction with an aluminium tyre bed and braking surface to create a good all-round (no pun intended) rim.'
They may well be perfect for the OP but please do not part with your money under the misaprehension that they are in any way carbon rims.
There is a post on here with a video of the mavics clearly showing they plastic coming away from the aluminium rim.
viewtopic.php?f=40004&t=12908101#p18171684
Watch the video and then come back and tell me you want some.
So if you really want carbon wheels look elsewhere.
You correctly identify the issue yet still say I am being pedantic :roll:
They are absolute junk, overpriced, confusingly marketed and seriously over rated.
They are in no way carbon rims.
And this la - http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/sites/defau ... G_0422.JPG
Have you actually owned or even used them? Just wondering what your expert assessment is based on...
I have just finished building some nice carbon rims, shallow profile on Mavic hubs. I was looking for £650 posted*
*actual wheelset may resemble some 6 year old Mavic Aksiums which have been covered in a carbon effect vinyl wrap. (Smidsy won't judge you either as you can pretend that they are handmade and not actually Mavics, sssh)
The difference in price between these and any carbon/alloy rim is staggering though, you are looking at 3-4 times the price
Food for thoughts...
I have ridden on some Mavic comics and they are fine as a wheel (i.e it goes round and stops your forks hitting the floor).
I accept my language is somewhat immotive, I just get incensed at the way Mavic (and others) mislead folk with clever marketing and glossy write-ups.
Wheels such as the comics and RS80 C50's etc. are nothing more than an aluminium rim with carbon bits attached. The structure of the wheel has little to do with the carbon (you could take it off and the wheel would still work) and it annoys me that people may get hoodwinked into thinking they are getting something more than the sum of the (often not too well assembled) parts.
Add in the cost of repairs, poor availabilty of spares and the stupid RRP of such wheels and you really do start to question their VFM.
I accept there are plenty of happy customers but when people ask opinions before parting with their hard earned I just feel they should go into the purchase knowing what they are actually buying.
If they do that and they still feel they are the wheels for them, who am I to judge.
I am not judging anyone (well maybe Mavic) I simply want to get people to understand what they are getting before they spend their money.
If they buy with the full knowledge then fair enough (I suppose). :?
Whilst 'superlight' might be stretching things (I've no idea how much the rims weigh by themselves to be honest), the description isn't particularly misleading.
I've had 4 years on mine to date and they're still true and haven't fallen apart or killed me once and given how many thousands of pairs they must have sold, I've not seen a disproportionate number of failures on the internet - particularly how vociferously everyone went after the R-Sys wheels - so no reason to believe that they're poorly made either. I've never had to replace or repair anything on any of the four sets of Mavics I've had so I wouldn't know how hard or expensive it is to get a replacement. Actually, that's not true, I properly destroyed a pair of Crossmax MTB wheels a few years back but they were past any sort of restoration so I binned them.
Weight-wise the Planet X carbon 50 tubs are only 250-300g lighter (which this board constantly reminds us is half a water bottle or a large censored ) and on a road bike, I'd still prefer (and actually use) the Cosmics. Braking on the Planet X wheels is decidedly sketchy in the wet so I leave them on the TT bike. You could argue that with comparable aerodynamics and much better braking, the Cosmics would be the smart choice, although it would be nice if they were a little lighter and a bit cheaper.
This forum goes in phases... a few months ago the default answer to 'the wheel question' was 'Cosmic Elites', I'm sure I remember it being C50s before that and now it's handbuilt Archetypes on the hub of your choice, with the Chinese option always floating in the background. None of them have suddenly become wrong, it's just that its human nature to give a populist response.
Anyway, rambling now... I think my point was that Cosmic Carbones are a perfectly fine choice and they make a cool whooshy noise when you get them spinning up to speed so the OP should definitely buy those.
http://100hillsforgeorge.blogspot.com/
http://www.12on12in12.blogspot.co.uk/
I think you are right...
It goes in waves of fashion, like everything... At the moment the Cosmic are not very fashionable... They had their days, although they are perfectly fine if that's what turn you or the OP on...
As for hand built archetype, for years we only had Open PRO, now we finally have something that not only rides well, but also looks 21st century... We obviously rave about it quite. Lot... 8)
This in itself is not a problem. It's nice to feel good on a bike, and proud that you are happy with how the bike looks and feels.
Deep dish/carbon/cervelos/wiggle/rapha/di2 etc etc tend to make people hot under he collar. There really is no need. If someone wants to spend a small fortune on their bike to bling it up let them be...
Absolutely... But if they ask for advice, is it not our duty to remind them that 800 pounds for some carbon foil glue on top of a 400 pounds wheel set is a bit steep?
I did something similar but with hindsight probably went over the top and paid over the odds for CX-Ray spokes (over-priced) and Dati hubs (over the odds). Some more generic hubs and thick round (especially for the rear) spokes reduces costs further and probably makes for just as good if not better wheels at a minor penalty.
Have a look at my sig. for a better ideaof what i'm on about.
That's the nail hit firmly on the head!
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/arti ... ide-36705/
I wonder how true this is, particularly the repair bit:
They don't look any less proprietary and difficult to repair (with normal tools) than Mavic's current crop of wheels. :?
Assuming you can get the parts, which is the same issue you face with many factory wheelsets, are Mavics actually any tougher to maintain / repair than other brands?
Rebuilding a Ksyrium/Aksium is not very easy... the results are often quite disappointing, if one expects even tensions/lateral offset/vertical offset all within the usual parameters, saying 0.2 mm lateral, 0.5 vertical and a tension distribution on the same side of around 10%.
You need someone with a lot of experience with these type of hubs/lacing
Good job of reading and repeating the comments :twisted: Although it's true, BikeRadar/CyclingPlus reviews always read like a manufacturers' own marketing materials.
The problem lies in making the assumption that parts will be available and at a reasonable price. Also, whilst they now have external nipples they don't appear to be replaceable - especially with that foam core - but it's not especially clear. It makes sense for Mavic's profit margins but not much sense for people who want to own the wheels beyond the warranty period... Looks like they're going to retail for some serious dosh as well.
Finally we are getting somewhere.
That is all i have been pointing out.
This acknowledgement together with the video of the carbon fairing coming away from the rim should be an auto response to any future questions regarding Mavics Comic wheels (not a typo).
Haha! Nice. The more condemnation the better so far as these 'reviews' go. :evil: