Swiss Side Wheels

greywheeler
greywheeler Posts: 16
edited February 2014 in Road buying advice
Anyone have any user experiences of swiss side wheels ? (http://www.swissside.com/)
They look very interesting but cant find many reviews
Thanks in advance
Greywheeler

Comments

  • poppit
    poppit Posts: 926
    I'm sure I saw a post on here about these wheels last year, it was the first I'd heard about them.
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  • lc1981
    lc1981 Posts: 820
    I've never heard of them, but I did laugh at the statement that they're "devloped by leading Formula 1 engineers" on their website.
  • Flambes
    Flambes Posts: 191
    Here's a pic of mine, and a brief description...

    http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12909295&p=18183486

    I've put a few hundred miles on them now, and, generally pretty positive. They have stayed true despite the roads being rather crappy.

    They are stiff, and no rubbing on the brake pads as I go for it up hills, but, this is the only but, they do get noisy when I push hard. It's not flex I think, maybe a noise from the hub.

    Doesn't seem to affect performance at all though.

    Saying that, my RS80s also are a bit noisy under stress (on both my bikes, so it's not anything else on the bike making the noise (although maybe it's me :-))

    The front is heavier than an RT80 (C24), but the rear considerably lighter.

    Look great with white spokes and hubs.

    Soo, would i buy them again...yes. Recommend? Yes.
    Weather info: http://www.staydry.me.uk
  • whosthedaddy
    whosthedaddy Posts: 136
    I went for the Gotthard Wheelset (120Kg max weight) and paid extra for the wheel bag
    Can't comment on performance yet as I'm off bike due to DVT in left leg.
    Its so frustrating at the moment. :cry:
    The bike weighs 7Kg with these on
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  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    I have been looking at these too, they do look good but a bit nervous as there aren't many reviews around!
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  • Alexvs
    Alexvs Posts: 52
    I seem to have missed this one as found Flambes's original post about his set so you can ignore that one as now read your review here :) You actually have the others I'm also considering so which of the two would you go for if you had both available to you again? The Francs work out at roughly £358 direct from Swiss Side and the RS80's are around £330 so nothing really in it. I just want a strong set that will last me for distance rides and weekend training rides.

    Thanks

    P.S. Sorry OP to jump in
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,310
    Alexvs wrote:
    I just want a strong set that will last me for distance rides and weekend training rides.

    So you are clearly looking at the wrong product. These light wheels, like many others, are not meant to do 6000 miles per year on our roads... bearings are short lived and generally the construction is fitted around someone who weighs 50 Kg... they will also carry someone who weighs double that but for a small fraction of the distance
    left the forum March 2023
  • Flambes
    Flambes Posts: 191
    :-) well, I'm never going to argue about wheels with Ugo.
    However, handbuilts aside, if you go factory and are thinking of RS80s or the Swiss "unknown", I'd go RS80 if they are to be your only set of wheels.
    I have too many wheels. Only look for mine to give a couple of years service, then I'll get some more.
    Just picked up some second hand Kysrium SLs off a mate, and they will be my main wheels for now, but nice to have the RS80s, SwissSide, DT R1700, Easton Ea90 Aeros, Rolf Vector Pro, Fulcrum 5s, and Aksiums as backups!
    Weather info: http://www.staydry.me.uk
  • Alexvs
    Alexvs Posts: 52
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Alexvs wrote:
    I just want a strong set that will last me for distance rides and weekend training rides.

    So you are clearly looking at the wrong product. These light wheels, like many others, are not meant to do 6000 miles per year on our roads... bearings are short lived and generally the construction is fitted around someone who weighs 50 Kg... they will also carry someone who weighs double that but for a small fraction of the distance

    Thanks, I should've probably been a bit better on the description of distance rides as my distances are a lot of people's training rides. I'm doing London to Brighton and back and then Dunwich Dynamo which is 120 miles and that's what I consider long rides. My aim this year was 1500 miles of which I've done about 900 so far so am guessing will be around 2-2.5k come year end. My weekend rides consist of riding through and around the local villages and hills and are anything from 30 - 60 miles each day so looking for something to just help with improving my riding on those.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,310
    Flambes wrote:
    Just picked up some second hand Kysrium SLs off a mate, and they will be my main wheels for now, but nice to have the RS80s, SwissSide, DT R1700, Easton Ea90 Aeros, Rolf Vector Pro, Fulcrum 5s, and Aksiums as backups!

    Do you have a compulsive obsession to collect wheels? :wink:
    left the forum March 2023
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Alexvs wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Alexvs wrote:
    I just want a strong set that will last me for distance rides and weekend training rides.

    So you are clearly looking at the wrong product. These light wheels, like many others, are not meant to do 6000 miles per year on our roads... bearings are short lived and generally the construction is fitted around someone who weighs 50 Kg... they will also carry someone who weighs double that but for a small fraction of the distance

    Thanks, I should've probably been a bit better on the description of distance rides as my distances are a lot of people's training rides. I'm doing London to Brighton and back and then Dunwich Dynamo which is 120 miles and that's what I consider long rides. My aim this year was 1500 miles of which I've done about 900 so far so am guessing will be around 2-2.5k come year end. My weekend rides consist of riding through and around the local villages and hills and are anything from 30 - 60 miles each day so looking for something to just help with improving my riding on those.

    If you're not racing why would you bother with these kinds of wheels? :? However if this is about bling / poser / showoff then you're on the right track.
  • Alexvs
    Alexvs Posts: 52
    dennisn wrote:
    If you're not racing why would you bother with these kinds of wheels? :? However if this is about bling / poser / showoff then you're on the right track.
    My current wheels aren't in the best shape having dinged the rear rim when passing through a submerged road while the weather wasn't the best earlier in the year. I had it checked and it couldn't be repaired but they said it's safe to ride but would be best to change them at some point. Now having the money I'm ready to change and want something which will help me improve my riding and I mainly struggle with hills so if there's a benefit to hill climbing with a lighter set then all the better. I've been riding about 16 months with my road bike and improving all the time so would like an upgrade. I wouldn't say the wheels I'm looking at are particularly racing wheels as thought they'd be classed as quite budget for that but I may be wrong.
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Alexvs wrote:
    dennisn wrote:
    If you're not racing why would you bother with these kinds of wheels? :? However if this is about bling / poser / showoff then you're on the right track.
    My current wheels aren't in the best shape having dinged the rear rim when passing through a submerged road while the weather wasn't the best earlier in the year. I had it checked and it couldn't be repaired but they said it's safe to ride but would be best to change them at some point. Now having the money I'm ready to change and want something which will help me improve my riding and I mainly struggle with hills so if there's a benefit to hill climbing with a lighter set then all the better. I've been riding about 16 months with my road bike and improving all the time so would like an upgrade. I wouldn't say the wheels I'm looking at are particularly racing wheels as thought they'd be classed as quite budget for that but I may be wrong.

    Sorry, not really trying to discourage you from buying whatever you want to. I'm the type of guy who wants my wheels to last, hence more spokes, aluminum rims, durable hubs. I don't want to have to hassle with wheels, so I build my own. The thought of having to send a wheel back to the factory for repair is definately not in my game plan. So in the end I'm a hand built type of guy. I just don't see BETTER wheels coming from the factories. In the end they are all hand built too.
  • Alexvs
    Alexvs Posts: 52
    dennisn wrote:
    Sorry, not really trying to discourage you from buying whatever you want to. I'm the type of guy who wants my wheels to last, hence more spokes, aluminum rims, durable hubs. I don't want to have to hassle with wheels, so I build my own. The thought of having to send a wheel back to the factory for repair is definitely not in my game plan. So in the end I'm a hand built type of guy. I just don't see BETTER wheels coming from the factories. In the end they are all hand built too.
    That's cool I understood that as I have another thread elsewhere too where people have given me similar advice to go hand built which I've now enquired about through Strada to see what they can offer for my budget, I'll just have to try be more patient. I have however seen these Swiss Side wheels at a pretty reasonable price so will see what comes back tomorrow from my enquiries on the Strada ones.

    Thanks
  • Flambes
    Flambes Posts: 191
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Flambes wrote:
    Just picked up some second hand Kysrium SLs off a mate, and they will be my main wheels for now, but nice to have the RS80s, SwissSide, DT R1700, Easton Ea90 Aeros, Rolf Vector Pro, Fulcrum 5s, and Aksiums as backups!

    Do you have a compulsive obsession to collect wheels? :wink:

    Well, maybe, it's just the best thing I've ever done to make my bike feel more alive.
    I swapped out the OEM F5's for my EA90 Aeros and felt a significant difference. So just kept going speccing different wheels.
    The thing is, out of all the wheels I have bought in the last 5 years, none have been as reliable as my first pair of "proper" wheels, Mavic GP4 on Suntour Sprint Hubs (showing my age now!). Never needed truing.
    Still going on someone's bike somewhere.
    Weather info: http://www.staydry.me.uk
  • TanukiRider
    TanukiRider Posts: 444
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Alexvs wrote:
    I just want a strong set that will last me for distance rides and weekend training rides.

    So you are clearly looking at the wrong product. These light wheels, like many others, are not meant to do 6000 miles per year on our roads... bearings are short lived and generally the construction is fitted around someone who weighs 50 Kg... they will also carry someone who weighs double that but for a small fraction of the distance


    I weigh 76kg and did just shy of 6000 on my RS80 C2s last year, and they are still going strong. Im going to buy a pair of SS Francs though purely because I think they will look awesome on the bike.
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  • Guanajuato
    Guanajuato Posts: 399
    Bit of a ressurection. :-)
    Some recent reviews:
    http://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/swiss-sid ... eview.html
    http://www.cycleexif.com/review-swiss-s ... c-wheelset

    I've got a set of their base wheels (St Bernhard). I don't do huge miles, but generally crappy roads and they're staying completely true. I weigh 13.5 stone (though it was down at 13 until the last few months of terrible weather)

    They come with spare spokes & skewers. Franc & up come with wheel bags too. Cracking value I think.

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