Carbon Wheelset Dilemma
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bobones said:
Who's talking about buying direct from China? The wheels I linked to are FULFILLED BY AMAZON and shipped for next day delivery from one of their UK warehouses. Sheesh!.
Excuse my ignorance but that means that Amazon warranty the product as they’ve fulfilled the order even though they didn’t make the product?0 -
+1 for Spokesman. I went for 50mm rim disc wheels. Thought I'd swap these out for the 26mm alu rim stock wheels on crappy weather days, but once I stuck them on I never took them off! Ride this in all weathers, disc = no rim wearmrb123 said:Have a look at Spokesman Wheels. He will do you a set of 50mm handbuilt carbon wheels for less than £700.
Found it really helpful talking my requirements through with the wheelbuilder, Mark and hearing his recommendations (hence going for 50mm over the 38mm I was originally considering)Titus Silk Road Ti rigid 29er - Scott Solace 10 disc - Kinesis Crosslight Pro6 disc - Scott CR1 SL - Pinnacle Arkose X 650b - Pinnacle Arkose singlespeed - Specialized Singlecross...& an Ernie Ball Musicman Stingray 4 string...1 -
Yes to answer the ops question because if a proper aero wheelset then its quicker.
Since aero gain is related to depth mostly go as deep as you can. In sundays wind 50mm deep was o.k deeper might ha e been a problem.
Hunt wheel btw use pillar spokes made in taiwan. I dont know where the rims are made but Taiwan is very probable. Only china thinks taiwan is china the Taiwanese certainly dont and neither do we.www.thecycleclinic.co.uk2 -
It seems that Amazon handle post sales customer service aspect so you'd contact them for any warranty or return issue. I'm not sure how it goes after that, but my past dealings with Amazon for returns have been superb.ibr17xvii said:Excuse my ignorance but that means that Amazon warranty the product as they’ve fulfilled the order even though they didn’t make the product?
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Personally I feel more reassured buying from well know cycle retailers, even if they stuff they are selling is just a branded version of the offerings from. China. Warranty / crash replacement (does amazon offers this??) rwith likes of Wiggle just feels more secure. Each to their own1
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To be fair I’ve yet to have a bad experience with Amazon & I’ve bought from them loads of times so I’d be happy enough if they dealt with any kind of warranty claim rather than having to deal with the manufacturers direct in wherever they are.bobones said:
It seems that Amazon handle post sales customer service aspect so you'd contact them for any warranty or return issue. I'm not sure how it goes after that, but my past dealings with Amazon for returns have been superb.ibr17xvii said:Excuse my ignorance but that means that Amazon warranty the product as they’ve fulfilled the order even though they didn’t make the product?
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Tbf Amazon are good with exchanges, but only experienced that when returning books/cd's / small items bought direct with them, unsure how easy would be to send back wheels that may develop an issue withing 2 years of purchase. Do they offer crash repacement also? Wiggle do with their primes, 40% off if crash and write them off within two years of purchaseibr17xvii said:
To be fair I’ve yet to have a bad experience with Amazon & I’ve bought from them loads of times so I’d be happy enough if they dealt with any kind of warranty claim rather than having to deal with the manufacturers direct in wherever they are.bobones said:
It seems that Amazon handle post sales customer service aspect so you'd contact them for any warranty or return issue. I'm not sure how it goes after that, but my past dealings with Amazon for returns have been superb.ibr17xvii said:Excuse my ignorance but that means that Amazon warranty the product as they’ve fulfilled the order even though they didn’t make the product?
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Good carbon wheels with proper braking pads are good in dry and wet conditions.ibr17xvii said:
Decent compromise though or are full carbon rims good enough braking with suitable pads?StillGoing said:
They're not carbon wheels. They're an aluminium rim with a carbon fairing.ibr17xvii said:
Just as an example I was looking at the Mavic Cosmic Exalith which were £749 or thereabouts but weigh 1650g.Think they are 45mm deep which seems a good middleground.singleton said:If you can get deeper section wheels while adding minimal weight then that's a good outcome. I was worried about not going too deep with my first set and stayed 40-45mm but there were no issues at all so when they were replaced I went to 50mm and could probably go deeper without issues.
Appreciate the comments about aero trumping weight but I just don't know if I want to spend that kind of money to add weight.
I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.1 -
shiznit76 said:
I understand your concern buying direct from China, personally I wouldn't either, even if my primes were made there
I've had Chinese imported tubulars and in all honesty, they were fine. Cheap, light and never a problem. However, should there have been a problem, the returns procedure would have been an even bigger one on top of the import charges I got stung for.
Ever since, I've bought wheels from a UK retailer with a back up service I can reach easily. Spokesman full carbons, Dura Ace, Current Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbones and Prime Black Edition. Just because something is sold on Amazon doesn't make it safe as a product or an easy return.I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.1 -
Just to be clear I was talking about Fulfilled By Amazon , not just sold on Amazon. Go look it up because I am tired of explaining it.0
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Completely depends on the wheel. Most modern ones from big manufacturers are pretty good, much much better than a few years ago.ibr17xvii said:
Decent compromise though or are full carbon rims good enough braking with suitable pads?StillGoing said:
They're not carbon wheels. They're an aluminium rim with a carbon fairing.ibr17xvii said:
Just as an example I was looking at the Mavic Cosmic Exalith which were £749 or thereabouts but weigh 1650g.Think they are 45mm deep which seems a good middleground.singleton said:If you can get deeper section wheels while adding minimal weight then that's a good outcome. I was worried about not going too deep with my first set and stayed 40-45mm but there were no issues at all so when they were replaced I went to 50mm and could probably go deeper without issues.
Appreciate the comments about aero trumping weight but I just don't know if I want to spend that kind of money to add weight.
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But there's one solution to your dilemma - get tubulars. You could get 50mm tubs that would be 150-200g lighter than your current wheels.Keep the current wheels for winter and wet roads.1
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Getting a light set of wheels is a great investment. With the rotation wheel being less you will notice a big difference. Don't spend all your budget on wheels though, put some good quality tyres on as they improve your riding no end. £600-800 will get you a very good pair of wheels. Have a look at Spokesman Wheels, I have a set and they are hand made and very good quality. Wheelsmith is another builder who makes excellent wheelsets . If you are a member of a cycling club ask fellow members as they often sell lightly used ones and also look on cycle forums.
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Just keep your eye out for some good second hand wheelsets.
Everyone's gone disc-o-crazy, so some really decent rim brake wheelsets coming up regularly on forums....
...and for gawd sake, don't pay Hunt their extortionate mark-up for bog-average wheels2 -
Hunt seem very marmite, they review well but some people say they are good wheels & good value but others say don't touch them with a bargepole & there's very little middle ground.pippi_langsamer-2 said:Just keep your eye out for some good second hand wheelsets.
Everyone's gone disc-o-crazy, so some really decent rim brake wheelsets coming up regularly on forums....
...and for gawd sake, don't pay Hunt their extortionate mark-up for bog-average wheels0 -
Forget the negative comments regarding hunt wheels quality/ ride etc, they are good wheels. The reason many advise against spending on them though is because apparently the same wheelsets can be purchased directly from the far east at half (or less) of the price.0
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Nothing wrong with Hunt per se, just understand what you are getting.ibr17xvii said:
Hunt seem very marmite, they review well but some people say they are good wheels & good value but others say don't touch them with a bargepole & there's very little middle ground.pippi_langsamer-2 said:Just keep your eye out for some good second hand wheelsets.
Everyone's gone disc-o-crazy, so some really decent rim brake wheelsets coming up regularly on forums....
...and for gawd sake, don't pay Hunt their extortionate mark-up for bog-average wheels
They are a company that buys components made in the Far East, builds them up and sells them on with some nice logos on.
They tend to use Pillar spokes which are fairly cheap and found on wheels like those Wiggle Primes. The hubs are similar to or the same as Novatec or Bitex, so pretty cheap but absolutely nothing wrong with them.
Their customer service seems pretty well regarded and I don't think their aluminium rimmed wheels are too bad value. I'd probably take them over most factory built sets if only for the fact that repair or rebuild is likely to be easier. I'd still rather go to a reputable handbuilder though as for the same price you're likely to be able to get something similar but potentially better components and built to your specifications.
The carbon wheels they sell IMO are less competitive. If you're brave enough to order direct from the likes of Lightbicycle or Farsports (both very reputable manufacturers) you'll get wheels with a much higher spec for that money, e.g. a similar rim but top end CXRay spokes and DT Swiss 240 hubs which are used on some very expensive big brand wheels.
Furthermore, a UK handbuilder like the aforementioned Spokesman will be able to put together a set of carbon wheels very similar to the Hunts for less money or superior to theirs for the same price.
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