Chinese carbon tubulars

brit66

I know there's a huge thread about clinchers but I'm interested to hear from anyone who has brought deep section tubulars and their experiences — good or bad.

I just can't bring myself to spend £600 plus on branded tubular wheels, hence the cheaper option. But could this be a false economy?

Would potentially be buying — baring a barrage of dreadful reviews — for crit racing and time trials.

Thanks.

fenix

You'd ideally want different wheels for crits vs TT's. And I'd just stay with normal tyres really - a lot cheaper too.

smoggysteve

When you buy from China it's the hubs were the cost lays. Cheap novatec laced rims will be cheap but ask for dt Swiss it probably costs the same as going to Planet X

Without wishing to hijack the thread, if anyone has experience of buying from China not just wheels but frames or components I would be interested in knowing their experiences. Pitfalls, hidden costs etc. Looking at getting some unbranded aero handlebars but iffy quality issues would be a concern.

sungod

ww often has posts on this topic

this (long) thread may help with ideas, might be best to start and the end and work backwards

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... 3&t=103936

trek_dan

I've raced CX on a set of CS-Carbon 38mm deep tubs all year and they've been fine. Had absolutely no issue with the cheap Novatec hubs. Can't see the point in expensive hubs anyway on race wheels as they don't see that much mileage. I think they were £290 including import taxes/handling fee.
I think I would have paid the extra for PX CT45s had they had any in stock, but they didn't.

smoggysteve

trek_dan wrote:

I've raced CX on a set of CS-Carbon 38mm deep tubs all year and they've been fine. Had absolutely no issue with the cheap Novatec hubs. Can't see the point in expensive hubs anyway on race wheels as they don't see that much mileage. I think they were £290 including import taxes/handling fee.
I think I would have paid the extra for PX CT45s had they had any in stock, but they didn't.

I'm not suggesting novatec are rubbish. It's just a fact that the majority of Chinese carbon rims are so cheap cos they are on cheap hubs. The same rims could cost twice as much from Planet X just because they are on better hubs. Nothing wrong with it just so you know where your money is going

trek_dan

SmoggySteve wrote:

trek_dan wrote:

I've raced CX on a set of CS-Carbon 38mm deep tubs all year and they've been fine. Had absolutely no issue with the cheap Novatec hubs. Can't see the point in expensive hubs anyway on race wheels as they don't see that much mileage. I think they were £290 including import taxes/handling fee.
I think I would have paid the extra for PX CT45s had they had any in stock, but they didn't.

I'm not suggesting novatec are rubbish. It's just a fact that the majority of Chinese carbon rims are so cheap cos they are on cheap hubs. The same rims could cost twice as much from Planet X just because they are on better hubs. Nothing wrong with it just so you know where your money is going

PX hubs are just Novatec with a PX sticker on. A lot of wheel builders use rebadged Novatec hubs too. Its the build time, alleged QC, sticker application and warranty you pay for.

smoggysteve

trek_dan wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

trek_dan wrote:

I've raced CX on a set of CS-Carbon 38mm deep tubs all year and they've been fine. Had absolutely no issue with the cheap Novatec hubs. Can't see the point in expensive hubs anyway on race wheels as they don't see that much mileage. I think they were £290 including import taxes/handling fee.
I think I would have paid the extra for PX CT45s had they had any in stock, but they didn't.

I'm not suggesting novatec are rubbish. It's just a fact that the majority of Chinese carbon rims are so cheap cos they are on cheap hubs. The same rims could cost twice as much from Planet X just because they are on better hubs. Nothing wrong with it just so you know where your money is going

PX hubs are just Novatec with a PX sticker on. A lot of wheel builders use rebadged Novatec hubs too. Its the build time, alleged QC, sticker application and warranty you pay for.

I'm inclined to believe that plus every part of the chain will want their mark up.

Matthewfalle

I've used several pairs of Carbonzone 60s over the past few years for training, racing and commuting - GB mainland and the Abruzzo mountains.

Never had any problems with them at all - no overheating, going off true, no broken spokes.

Light, cheap, look cool, roll well, make a smart zummmmm zummmmm noise as you go along, nice loud freewheel.

Very recommended.

I also can't see the point in the post above re tyre costs - Conti Giro tubs are £15 each, cheaper than Michelin Pro 4 or equivalent........

cal_stewart

I brought some 60mm rims from farsport drilled 24/28, $600 dollars delivered.

Got Malcolm to build them. Been really good. It now seems must rebranded carbon wheels use this rim.

Weightweenies is a good place to research. They also marked the value low so no import tax. If you do get taxed it's vat plus 4% import tax iirc, total cost including shipping.

brit66

Thanks for all the replies everyone, some useful insights here.

I do tend to see a lot of UK sold stuff which seems almost identical to what's coming out of these factories, and apart from the easy of sending back wheels under warranty, I can't see much of a reason to spend a whole lot more — for my circumstances anyway.