New carbon disc wheelset?

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OJCycling1
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:06 pm

by OJCycling1

Hello

I am looking for a new carbon disc brake wheelset. My current bike is a Colnago alu A1R CX cyclocross bike which I only use for road biking I plan to upgrade the frame and groupset in the future but am considering if a wheel upgrade will make it feel faster. The current wheels are CW24CL alu wheels that are pretty heavy and dont roll that good anymore.

I have read a ton on this forum and am looking at wheelsets from Farsports, Winspace, ICAN, Yoeleo and Light bicycle. Since I live in EU i prefer ordering from EU warehouses, and if only Light bicycle had a wheelset with cheaper hubs than the DT Swiss 240 EXP I would other them instantly I just think 1100 USD is too expensive and would like to keep the price around 600-800 USD including taxes but can increase the budget a little for a huge improvement in performance.

1. Will an upgrade to a new carbon wheelset actually make a noticeable difference over the curent 5 year old alu wheelset?

2. The wheels from ICAN and Yoeleo has a maximum riderweight of 105-110 kg and farsports, winspace and light bicycle around 120-130 kg. Since i weight around 90 kg I dont know if 105 kg maximum rider weight will be too low if I put on some kgs in a few years and have to ride with a bagpack etc, do you think that the max weight of 105 kg will be too low?

3. Most of the wheelset priced around 600-800 USD are available with black sapim cx ray spokes but the hubs are very diffent, some of them use their own brands and the rest use bitex/novatech or DT Swiss 350 for a little more, does the hub really matter that much?

4. I recently found a brand called elite-wheels that seem to have som cheap options and around 85k likes on facebook and lots of good reviews at amazon and aliexpress, are any of you familiar with the brand and their quality? They mention UCI quality on their website but can't find them on the UCI list of approved wheelsets.

alcatraz
Posts: 4064
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

Do you have a picture of your current wheels? I can't find anything conclusive when googling.

Hows the road quality in your area? What tire and pressure do you ride now and what do you think about the comfort? What's your average speed?

90kg is a bit on the heavier side so maybe some wheelsets are inappropriate if you're looking for sprint/climb-ability. Same goes for comfort.

If maximizing speed for a given comfort is a concern you ought to pick a rim as wide as the real tire width that suits you. Most italian wheels are a bit too narrow for heavier riders, to stay aero at wider tire widths.

Unless you pick a very shallow wheelset you don't really need to worry about the weight limit being a safety concern. As for emergency stopping on disc brakes there is something to be said about how safe a front wheel is in transferring that torque reliably.

Carbon wheels are a very nice upgrade over aluminum.

by Weenie


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OJCycling1
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:06 pm

by OJCycling1

I tried uploading it not sure if you can see it? It is with the old cross tires though.

Primary very good roads but a couple of bad ones aswell. I live in Denmark so almost completely flat. A comfortable average speed is around 30 km/h did a flat sprint and hit 57 km/h yesterday. Have been riding Zwift for a year and just started doing some rides outside too.

Do you have experience with any of the retailers listed? I just found tokyowheel too they are doing a huge discount at the moment which. I don't think the discount is that huge in reality though.

So most 28-30 mm external width should be no problem with my weight? I plan to ride 28c tires.
Attachments
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OJCycling1
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:06 pm

by OJCycling1

Another option is to try to buy the parts and pay a local wheelbuilder 200 USD for building them. I dont know if the build quality will be improved by that?

alcatraz
Posts: 4064
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

It looks like these are quick release disc brake wheels. It's a standard that isn't used anymore.

Thruaxles are the new standard. Only very few hubs are compatible with both. (QR 100/135mm, TA 100/142mm)

So the question is, is it worth it to invest in new wheels that are going to be hard to sell later etc. Depends on how long you want to keep the frame.

The wheels look plenty stiff though. Sure they aren't the fastest. If you feel up for it you could try to lace a set of carbon rims to these hubs perhaps. Then it's not a big investment in $$$ but in time.

You could also maybe use this to your advantage and maybe score some QR disc brake wheels/parts cheap 2nd hand, but their will likely use older hardware.

alcatraz
Posts: 4064
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

28-30mm sounds very good for you. If the roads are very good you can be fast on 25mm too but the trend is to go a bit wider. Finding 28-30mm rims is a little bit trickier.

Your speed is quite good for deeper wheels. They would suit you well. 50+ mm.

Most manufacturers are located in xiamen, china. They often sell similar products.

Decide if you want to use the old hubs or try to buy new hubs for the old standard. Chinese wheels won't break the bank.
Last edited by alcatraz on Tue Apr 20, 2021 6:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

DHG01
Posts: 715
Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2020 7:14 pm
Location: Madrid

by DHG01

If you are located in the EU, RCZ is currently selling carbon QR disc wheels at a pretty low price; you need to suscribe to their newsletter and get a discount code.

The second hand market is another good idea.

I am pretty sure most wheels with DT hubs can be converted from one axel standard to another; just check before you buy and factor the cost.

snaxez
Posts: 311
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2014 7:14 pm
Location: Estonia

by snaxez

Far Sports should have something that would fit your budget and they have "Duty prepaid" shipping service that should avoid you paying taxes.
https://www.wheelsfar.com/
You might ask for a discount by email, might get lucky. I got about 150usd discount when ordering via email compared to store price.

WorkonSunday
Posts: 540
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:39 pm

by WorkonSunday

OJCycling1 wrote:
Mon Apr 19, 2021 2:13 pm
Hello

I am looking for a new carbon disc brake wheelset. My current bike is a Colnago alu A1R CX cyclocross bike which I only use for road biking I plan to upgrade the frame and groupset in the future but am considering if a wheel upgrade will make it feel faster. The current wheels are CW24CL alu wheels that are pretty heavy and dont roll that good anymore.

I have read a ton on this forum and am looking at wheelsets from Farsports, Winspace, ICAN, Yoeleo and Light bicycle. Since I live in EU i prefer ordering from EU warehouses, and if only Light bicycle had a wheelset with cheaper hubs than the DT Swiss 240 EXP I would other them instantly I just think 1100 USD is too expensive and would like to keep the price around 600-800 USD including taxes but can increase the budget a little for a huge improvement in performance.

1. Will an upgrade to a new carbon wheelset actually make a noticeable difference over the curent 5 year old alu wheelset?

2. The wheels from ICAN and Yoeleo has a maximum riderweight of 105-110 kg and farsports, winspace and light bicycle around 120-130 kg. Since i weight around 90 kg I dont know if 105 kg maximum rider weight will be too low if I put on some kgs in a few years and have to ride with a bagpack etc, do you think that the max weight of 105 kg will be too low?

3. Most of the wheelset priced around 600-800 USD are available with black sapim cx ray spokes but the hubs are very diffent, some of them use their own brands and the rest use bitex/novatech or DT Swiss 350 for a little more, does the hub really matter that much?

4. I recently found a brand called elite-wheels that seem to have som cheap options and around 85k likes on facebook and lots of good reviews at amazon and aliexpress, are any of you familiar with the brand and their quality? They mention UCI quality on their website but can't find them on the UCI list of approved wheelsets.
Greetings form fellow A1r CX owner. i have went through quite a few wheelsets since i had mine in 2017. for your budget, few options clearly stands out and work very well with A1r, Prime Attacquer disc, hunt 34 aero wide, zipp 303s. i generally try to avoid ican, yeoleo,winspace etc as i prefer not having to ship wheels around when i need to claim a warranty.

also, i want point out that do pay extra attention to the wheels compatibility with quick release, it's now increasingly hard to find wheels that cn use quick release. most are not using thru-axle.
lastly, please change those brakes, hahahaha. something like TRP HY/RD will improve your braking by alot. if you want to stick with pure mechnical disc brake, then try shimano CX77, again, they are night and day compared to the SRAM AVID.
Some say pour 10ml water out of your bottle to save that last bit of the weight. Sorry, i go one step further, i tend to the rider off my bikes. :thumbup:
n+1...14 last time i checked, but i lost count :mrgreen:

OJCycling1
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:06 pm

by OJCycling1

alcatraz wrote:
Tue Apr 20, 2021 6:07 am
It looks like these are quick release disc brake wheels. It's a standard that isn't used anymore.

Thruaxles are the new standard. Only very few hubs are compatible with both. (QR 100/135mm, TA 100/142mm)

So the question is, is it worth it to invest in new wheels that are going to be hard to sell later etc. Depends on how long you want to keep the frame.

The wheels look plenty stiff though. Sure they aren't the fastest. If you feel up for it you could try to lace a set of carbon rims to these hubs perhaps. Then it's not a big investment in $$$ but in time.

You could also maybe use this to your advantage and maybe score some QR disc brake wheels/parts cheap 2nd hand, but their will likely use older hardware.
Yes, they are quick release disc brake wheels. The plan was to buy a new wheelset with thru axle and use a converter to quick release until I upgrade to a new frame for thru axle. I can see that DT Swiss 350 hubs has converters available.

I am looking at second hand options too but the second hand market is primary tubular rim brake wheels at the moment

OJCycling1
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:06 pm

by OJCycling1

alcatraz wrote:
Tue Apr 20, 2021 6:24 am
28-30mm sounds very good for you. If the roads are very good you can be fast on 25mm too but the trend is to go a bit wider. Finding 28-30mm rims is a little bit trickier.

Your speed is quite good for deeper wheels. They would suit you well. 50+ mm.

Most manufacturers are located in xiamen, china. They often sell similar products.

Decide if you want to use the old hubs or try to buy new hubs for the old standard. Chinese wheels won't break the bank.
I just found Yishunbike, they have a warehouse in Germany and has fast shipping to Denmark. I just messaged them to hear about the price. Do you know this brand? I can see they have been mentioned in other threads so I will take a look for a good review!

OJCycling1
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:06 pm

by OJCycling1

DHG01 wrote:
Tue Apr 20, 2021 6:37 am
If you are located in the EU, RCZ is currently selling carbon QR disc wheels at a pretty low price; you need to suscribe to their newsletter and get a discount code.

The second hand market is another good idea.

I am pretty sure most wheels with DT hubs can be converted from one axel standard to another; just check before you buy and factor the cost.
I could not find anything nice on RCZ even though they have some good deals! but the 50+ mm profile wheels are too expensive. How much will the discount code be?

OJCycling1
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:06 pm

by OJCycling1

snaxez wrote:
Tue Apr 20, 2021 9:18 am
Far Sports should have something that would fit your budget and they have "Duty prepaid" shipping service that should avoid you paying taxes.
https://www.wheelsfar.com/
You might ask for a discount by email, might get lucky. I got about 150usd discount when ordering via email compared to store price.
I will try mail them. Do you know if their own hubs are any good compared to DT Swiss 350? 150 USD discount sounds great!

OJCycling1
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:06 pm

by OJCycling1

[/quote]
Greetings form fellow A1r CX owner. i have went through quite a few wheelsets since i had mine in 2017. for your budget, few options clearly stands out and work very well with A1r, Prime Attacquer disc, hunt 34 aero wide, zipp 303s. i generally try to avoid ican, yeoleo,winspace etc as i prefer not having to ship wheels around when i need to claim a warranty.

also, i want point out that do pay extra attention to the wheels compatibility with quick release, it's now increasingly hard to find wheels that cn use quick release. most are not using thru-axle.
lastly, please change those brakes, hahahaha. something like TRP HY/RD will improve your braking by alot. if you want to stick with pure mechnical disc brake, then try shimano CX77, again, they are night and day compared to the SRAM AVID.
[/quote]


The Prime and hun 34 looks great but I would really like to have atleast 45 mm profile. Zipp 303s are too expensive in Denmark.

I have a set Ultegra 8020 hydraulic brakes and rotors ready but I would like to save them for when I upgrade the frame. The current brakes does not brake that bad tbh, maybe it is because I have never tried any better and do not know what I am missing out on :D

by Weenie


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

www.starbike.com



alcatraz
Posts: 4064
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

There's one thing I don't quite understand with qr+ta compatible rear hubs. If a qr hub is 135mm and a ta hub is 142mm, it means the cassette ends up 3.5mm farther to the left on a QR hub converted to TA.

It should affect the chainline, but the wheel will also lose out on the main advantage of the wider hub (better spoke bracing angles). Hypothetically speaking...

One last point about rims. Many are specified as "max" 28mm but are narrower at the tire interface. Such a rim is not aero optimized for 28mm tires. It's the width at the tire interface that matters.

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