Best sub $1300 US carbon wheels?
Moderator: robbosmans
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I use to look and buy wheels almost monthly. I did a bit of research on the new designed Bora and that wheel ticked all the boxes. I did pick up a set of 35's.. absolutely LOVE them and haven't looked at another since. I have them set up tubeless with some Schwalbe Pro One's and these are HEAVEN. Starbike..(this Site) has them quite cheap. No need for anymore wheels.
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GorrGrimWolf
- Posts: 136
- Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2014 6:26 pm
I was wondering about Reynolds Assault SLG. I was looking for a decent wheels with relatively wide rims and reliable hubs. They will be second hand and I could get the Reynolds for 600 EUR. It does look like a good price, but what is your experience with them? Will they be relatively aero or on par with 303? Are the hubs reliable? Reynolds looks nice to me, but it is hard to find person riding them in Czech Republic. Thanks!
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spookyload
- Posts: 1048
- Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:47 am
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
GorrGrimWolf wrote:I was wondering about Reynolds Assault SLG. I was looking for a decent wheels with relatively wide rims and reliable hubs. They will be second hand and I could get the Reynolds for 600 EUR. It does look like a good price, but what is your experience with them? Will they be relatively aero or on par with 303? Are the hubs reliable? Reynolds looks nice to me, but it is hard to find person riding them in Czech Republic. Thanks!
The Assaults use KT hubs. Asian produced, but a darn good hub. I rode a set of assaults for a couple years and they were bomb proof. While they are wider now then when I had them, I believe they are 24mm, they are nowhere near the same profile as the Firecrest rims.
edlubba wrote:MNX1024 wrote:Go for the Novembers, I have both the Rail 34 and 52. I ride them as everyday wheel and no issues!
How do you like the braking on the Rail 34s? Ever since I've had 2 kids, I've been a bit more grabby on the brakes on the descents with my alloy wheelset. Got a lot descending on steeps? What are your experiences with braking?
Thanks!
Reviving an old one, I know. Interesting note on November & RaceRim - they both use the OEM White Industries hubs. (It's an option on RR, standard on November.) Link: http://www.whiteind.com/oe-program/
iRT uses them as well. They're similar to the T11's. Excellent option on some lower-priced carbon race wheels out there.
My race wheels are a few years old at this point (purchased summer 2014), they're from when RR's builder was using the Reynolds Assault & Strike rims. So I effectively got a handbuilt set of Reynolds 66mm SLG clinchers laced with Sapim spokes to White Industries hubs for around $1,000. I think he's still sourcing from Reynolds though I'm not sure specifically what rims he's using. Tough to beat.
I live in the UK and previously owned November Rail 34 rims. I thought it would be a good call to buy my new rims from a small, previously unknown manufacturer that I was keen to support. I liked their message, their commitment to new product development and their start-up feel.
Unfortunately, over less than two months of typically wet and dirty UK winter riding (i.e. normal UK use), both rims' braking surface had worn to such a huge degree that I returned them to November at my cost, anticipating a warranty replacement. I couldn't imagine another outcome; never had any bike component (much less one that cost $1000) lasted me less than two months.
November indicated that the damage was due to my not keeping the rims and pads clean. In fact, I cleaned them by hand (sponge and soap) once a week. In between, every dirty ride was followed by a comprehensive hose rinse. November offered me new rims at their crash replacement cost of $650. No refund was offered.
In the end, I was out of pocket $1000 for the Rail 34s, my postage of the wheels from the UK to the US, then the cost of buying replacement rims and associated wheel building costs before I could ride again.
I replaced the Rail 34s with HED Belgium rims and maintain them exactly the same way I did the Rails. 12,000 km later, I am happy to say that they are still with me as my daily (and only) wheel for all UK weather conditions.
These are the facts as I know them.
Unfortunately, over less than two months of typically wet and dirty UK winter riding (i.e. normal UK use), both rims' braking surface had worn to such a huge degree that I returned them to November at my cost, anticipating a warranty replacement. I couldn't imagine another outcome; never had any bike component (much less one that cost $1000) lasted me less than two months.
November indicated that the damage was due to my not keeping the rims and pads clean. In fact, I cleaned them by hand (sponge and soap) once a week. In between, every dirty ride was followed by a comprehensive hose rinse. November offered me new rims at their crash replacement cost of $650. No refund was offered.
In the end, I was out of pocket $1000 for the Rail 34s, my postage of the wheels from the UK to the US, then the cost of buying replacement rims and associated wheel building costs before I could ride again.
I replaced the Rail 34s with HED Belgium rims and maintain them exactly the same way I did the Rails. 12,000 km later, I am happy to say that they are still with me as my daily (and only) wheel for all UK weather conditions.
These are the facts as I know them.
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NovemberDave
- Posts: 231
- Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:42 am
- Contact:
Since I can provide the other side of the above story...
We received a request to look at these wheels from the US-based builder who'd sold and shipped them to the UK (we didn't ship Rails to the UK), who forwarded pictures of them to us before we got them. The builder (who I won't name but is an active participant on this board) stated to us that the wheels were quite dirty when he got them, and that the hubs were in a state that he'd never seen after such a use interval, which was also obvious from the photographs. When they arrived at our shop, the brake tracks had obvious wear, but it was just straightforward wear. They looked like they had just ridden the 2017 US cross nationals. The grime sort of made you think you'd need to chip it off with a chisel. Handling the wheels instantly covered my hands and clothes to where I looked like I'd stepped out of a coal mine. The builder agreed that there wasn't a case to be made for warranty and that a crash replacement offer of some sort would be appreciated (by him) and was made by us.
If you sell carbon wheels, you've seen stuff, and we're no different in that regard. This was one of those cases where the only two incidents happened on the same bike, which of course always give you pause.
So, gsokals, I'm really sorry that your experience with the wheels wasn't better but we were well and truly certain that the state of the wheels when received back by us represented the entirety of the cause.
We received a request to look at these wheels from the US-based builder who'd sold and shipped them to the UK (we didn't ship Rails to the UK), who forwarded pictures of them to us before we got them. The builder (who I won't name but is an active participant on this board) stated to us that the wheels were quite dirty when he got them, and that the hubs were in a state that he'd never seen after such a use interval, which was also obvious from the photographs. When they arrived at our shop, the brake tracks had obvious wear, but it was just straightforward wear. They looked like they had just ridden the 2017 US cross nationals. The grime sort of made you think you'd need to chip it off with a chisel. Handling the wheels instantly covered my hands and clothes to where I looked like I'd stepped out of a coal mine. The builder agreed that there wasn't a case to be made for warranty and that a crash replacement offer of some sort would be appreciated (by him) and was made by us.
If you sell carbon wheels, you've seen stuff, and we're no different in that regard. This was one of those cases where the only two incidents happened on the same bike, which of course always give you pause.
So, gsokals, I'm really sorry that your experience with the wheels wasn't better but we were well and truly certain that the state of the wheels when received back by us represented the entirety of the cause.
