Chinese Carbon Wheels

[Mapster1989]

Been looking at getting some carbon deep section wheels and I've come across some Chinese specials on eBay which are around £250 cheaper than the big name brands.

Has anyone bought any of these and are they worth the money or am I better saving my money for some better 'branded' wheels?

Thanks.

 

[jayonabike]

As with anything in life, you get what you pay for.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Have a look on roadbikereview.com. There's a whole section dedicated to chinese carbon parts and builds.

They seem to get on just fine.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

I would never touch them. A guy from my club has them and in cross winds they are terrible, I borrowed them out of interest and would get hand built over these.
Save your money and buy Zipp, ENVE or if your on a smaller budget ffwd.

 

[VamP]

Are you looking for clinchers or tubs, and will you be taking them down any really long descents?


I think that, much like the crabon frames, the wheels are good value, but of a lesser finishing quality and perhaps a bit heavier due to higher resin content. Given the structural complexity of carbon clincher wheels, and their braking surfaces, I might hesitate before going that way.

I have just had a set of tubular Gigantex rims built up locally, and they are wonderful, but obviously not as cheap as the Chinese crabon. A thread on those here.

 

[VamP]

I would never touch them. A guy from my club has them and in cross winds they are terrible, I borrowed them out of interest and would get hand built over these.
Save your money and buy Zipp, ENVE or if your on a smaller budget ffwd.

It's worth mentioning that the widely used Planet X carbon wheels are Chinese rims.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

It's worth mentioning that the widely used Planet X carbon wheels are Chinese rims.

Im aware that the PlanetX rims are Chinese however I would think/hope/believe that they sourced from a particular supplier and had certain requirements. You should also take comfort in the fact that you have a company you can return to should anything go wrong.
A ebay seller can simply disappear and you have no real knowledge of the manufacturing conditions of the wheels, are they produced during a workers lunchtime behind and employers back, do they use a high grade carbon, how are they tested?, how often are they tested?, what safety standards do they meet and other things.

With something as structural as wheels, I think its false economy and unwise to put your safety at risk to save a couple of quid.
You can get some great safe wheels at most price ranges, the need for deep dish wheels is not one I consider necessary

 

[Globalti]

You'd do better spending your lolly on a good quality wheelset, which will be made of quality alloys and will be light, stiff, strong and repairable.

Ksyrium SLs get my vote.

 

[Herzog]

It's worth mentioning that the widely used Planet X carbon wheels are Chinese rims.

Indeed! I have a pair of 50mm and love 'em.

 

[VamP]

You'd do better spending your lolly on a good quality wheelset, which will be made of quality alloys and will be light, stiff, strong and repairable.

Ksyrium SLs get my vote.

Sorted it out for you there.

So if he's looking to get a cheap set of wheels to TT on, then the Ksyrium's are the best option for him?

 

[Globalti]

errr.... is that a trick question? They're hardly cheap!

 

[Rob3rt]

What VamP means is, if the OP is looking for a set of deep section wheels for a reason such as racing/TT'ing and has a limited budget, such they can't afford Zipp, ENVE, HED, FFWD etc and is looking for a "cheap" set of wheels for this purpose, are the Ksyrium really the best option?

 

[ziggys101]

Well I got a pair of BladeX Pro 450C about 3 months ago and I love them, very stable even in pretty strong winds. They are not the cheapest and work out more expensive than planet X's cheapest wheel sets but having used both I much prefer the Bladex both for the ride and looks.

Don't get me wrong if I could justify paying the best part of 2k on wheels then I would have ZIPP 404's on my bike :-)

But on a budget I personally don't think you can go wrong with these.

http://www.bladexcycle.com/carbon-wheels/pro-road-carbon-wheels.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Was out with a mate the weekend and he had a set of deep rim carbon jobbie s on from China.
He paid £300 and has had loadsa probs with them.
One spoke broke and he had to get it specially made and shipped over from America.

As he said, buy cheap - buy twice.

 

[oldroadman]

All the above have good points. A UK based supplier with a good reputation will stand behind their products. Unbranded stuff off Ebay, no thanks. You would have no idea of the quality of the carbon, the mix, how it was produced, and no come back if it all went nasty.
As has been said, in most cases, you get what you pay for.