Asian rims vs Enve, Xentis, Ax aso

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wheelsONfire
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by wheelsONfire

Is there anyone who've done some test of more expensive rims vs cheaper asian rims?

Seems to be more and more companies using asian rims, seems they are getting better and better?

Looking at for example Bladex rims vs, Enve, Xentis, Ax Lightness aso...

Black Inc i guess is Asian rims just as new Tune Schwarzbrenner.

Never dared to pull the trigger and never seen any reliable tests done between rims.

Anyone with serious insight who wish to share?
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
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NovemberDave
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by NovemberDave

As I see it, the question you're asking is too broad. Lumping brands like Corima, Enve, Zipp, Bontrager and others who make their rims in house all together implies that simply making your rims in house will lead to an equivalent outcome to anyone else who's doing the same. Likewise, using "Asian rims" as a tag puts Shimano rims in the same category as the lowest priced stuff you see on eBay or Alibaba. Delineating it with "outsourced rims" puts Tune, Knight, etc (and us) in the same category as all the trading companies on eBay and Alibaba.

The reality is that it is way more specific than that. Structurally, a Zipp and an Enve are not the same thing at all. I'm about to build my first Corimas and I'm guessing they're different as well. Likewise, we've built and tested some of the Chinese stuff that gets supplied to the trading companies, and it was straight up beautifully molded and a pleasure to build on. And then we saw heat failures less than 2' into a 10' test. Higher temp resins are trickier to work with.

We've investigated using "American" supply, where the rims would have been built in mainland China by an American company. Working with them would have been as opaque as working with any other company that prevents you from seeing what you need to see under the auspices of IP and trade secrets.

The ideal in working with an outside supplier is to have upstream visibility to be able to see what resin systems they're using, and be able to verify that they're adhering militantly to the resin system's specs, that their resin ratios are always within spec, that their ovens are calibrated regularly, and you can see their internal audits of all of these processes.

Supplier management is not that different from having your own production. Outsourcing is not merely creating the design (or selecting an open mold design), meeting the MOQ, writing the check, and hoping that things turn out right. This is not like in "Tommy Boy" where you take the butcher's word for it - you actually DO have to stick your head up the cow's behind to check that everything is as it should be.

Then there's the question of what do you want to test against? Heat resistance? Durability? Impact resistance? Quality of build? My guess is that no one company or model is going to lead across all categories.

bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

November is right but chinese made rims differ in quality as much as branded ones. Then as november dave suggests what is most important in quality is heat resistance or something else.

The main thing you get with a brand like Cormina, ENVE or Zipp is the branding and the diligance in production that implies as there reputation depends on it. With asian rims it is a bit more hit and miss. Then again for most folk the rims supplied by the likes of farsport (are they a factory or a trading house not sure) seem to work well.

Any carbon rim no matter who makes can be made to fail under extreme circumstances it does depend though how likely those circumtances are likely to occur in a ride. For me personally I would not trust an ENVE rim not too suffer heat failure on one very long decent I did in Italy. My alloy rims where too hot too touch but that is an extreme circumstance and not a road I would normally ride.

It's not a question that can actually be answered properly as it will depend on the chinese rim you are actually talking about they are not all the same. Also any answer will be a vauge as my answer or november Dave's I think November Dave has been about as specific as is possible.

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wheelsONfire
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Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:15 am
Location: NorthEU

by wheelsONfire

Thanks guys! I mostly wonder due to the fact many ultimately uses "chinese wheels" and seems to feel there is a small value of expensive wheels.

Sometimes when i have asked questions of wheels etc, sellers mentions china wheels, this though i've never done any compairsons or even mentioned china wheels

in our discussions.

This also lead me to suspect, it is pretty common people argue of china wheels prices vs the branded wheels.

But the worst is they often come up with pure BS when debating the matter.

I was told Zipp rims are not made in house, but outsourced to Asia.
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

davidalone
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by davidalone

If my life depended on it, there is only really one chinese rim company I would trust- and that is Gigantex (not actually chinese but taiwanese). Gigantex makes rims for alot of bigger brands- PlanetX, older FFWD wheels, (I think) older reynolds wheels, older HED wheels, Token, Pro-Lite...so presumably they do have the know-how to build proper rims. I've handled some, and they are very beautifuly made. They do have a name to protect, so I'm guessing they do their own QC as well. They aren't the lightest or the cheapest, but are still decent value.

http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/gigant ... ogy/014647

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rmerka
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by rmerka

wheelsONfire wrote:I was told Zipp rims are not made in house, but outsourced to Asia.


All Zipp wheels are US made in Indiana. Their hubs are too...so where they're made doesn't really tell you much.

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wheelsONfire
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Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:15 am
Location: NorthEU

by wheelsONfire

rmerka, noticed that yesterday when i checked!

A pitty they're so heavy and even worse for 2016.
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



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