Really? What makes you say that? I thought the Bontrager freehub was using the DT240 star ratchet; not exactly a mechanism which is known for poor durability. Do you know something I don't know?

That's correct.. Trek/Bontrager are using the 240's internal for the clincher wheels and the DT Swiss 180's for the tubulars. These are fantastic wheels.. the best the company has ever had.

Well, I haven't worked with this exact hub, but I have done a ton of work with the Bonty mountain lineup. Overall, they make pretty solid wheels, but the one problem that seems to be consistent is early wear or complete disintegration of the freehub body itself.

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http://www.zencyclery.com

http://www.wheelbuilder.org

@prend - I believe you're referring to the Xentis Squad? The Squadra is a saddle.



FWIW, I spent some time on the new Roval Rapid CLX 40 this weekend and was extremely impressed - the ride was fantastic and the braking was at least on par with my HED Belgiums.

Yes, the Squad!

http://www.xentis.com/en/2011/squad-4-2 ... /products/

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Exp001

After more than a year of deliberation, 3 weeks ago I bought a set of Mad Fibers. So far, so good.

The reason I bought them over others are:

- very light weight for the rim depth (sub 1300g)
- they do have some aluminum in the rim to act as a heat sink for braking (as an engineer, I think this makes good sense)
- I had a very good experience with a set of Spinergies I rode/raced for more than 15 years with zero problems so the full carbon, cannot be trued design was a plus not a minus for me.
- bling factor - I liked the way they looked (decals not included)
- competitive price
- no rider weight limit speaks to their strength. I weight 180lbs, but do ride on some seriously crappy roads (I live in China)
- 4 year warrentee

The only downside I've noticed so far is that they are noisy compared to conventional wheels or even my old Spinergies. One solution was to make sure the valve stem nut was tight. If that is loose, they really a noisy when out of the saddle. Even with the valve stem tight, the have some "drumming" sounds which I actually don't mind. The sound a bit like my old J-Disc off my old time trial bike.

So far, I'm very happy with them.

Thanks everyone for all your help. I took a look at the Xentis Squad 4.2's and they seem to be a pretty solid wheel (and pretty good reviews online also).

-@Tinea Pedis - What about the descending of the Lightweights didn't you like? (i.e. twitchy, unstable, or something else) I agree with you, I got to see a pair on Meilenstein's and the finish on them were top notch.

-@Dozer - No sure where in China you live, but have you been able to get some good climbing in with the Madfibers because that was my big question with them. I figured they would be fine on all the flatter areas I ride, but on the hillier rides and couple of mountain rides I do, I was curious to know how they climbed and descended.

As far as the Bontrager's, have a few people here that ride them and they seem to like them well enough but all three that ride them have had truing issues with them so I guess I am steering clear of them unless something convinces me otherwise.

Will also take a look at the Enve SES 3.4 and 6.7 sets as there have been many great reviews on them.

I live near Guilin city, Guangxi providence. It is quite mountainous here, but in it's own unique way - nothing like the Rockies. Google 'Guilin' and you'll see what I mean. Our longest climbs are on mountain bike roads with a 5km long one averaging more than 9% being a local favorite of mine. A typical road climb would be 1/2 that both in height and steepness. For sure, it's a world different than my native Kansas.

As for the MadFibers, imho they climb very well. They are quite light (sub 1300g) and plenty stiff. So far the braking has been quite good also. I am running D-A 7900 brakes on the bike using MF's cork pads. If I were only riding hills, I might look at something not so deep and lighter, but around the mountains we have quite a few flats (it seems the road here are either dead flat or straight up and down) and wanted the aero deep sections for that. I am running heavy tires (Conti 25mm Gatorskin Hardshells) due to the poor road conditions I find while exploring the countryside. So, you'd be able to drop a bunch of weight using lighter, thinner tires that would only help them climb better. I have not yet had them on our longest, steepest climbs yet...hopefully this coming weekend.

When out of the saddle on hills, they will make some noise. I think it sounds cool, but could just be me. It's the drumming noise I mentioned above and is alot like rear disk wheels make when out of the saddle. If you want something perfectly silent, these wheels are not for you.

This is the second time I have seen you mention the Xentis Squadra in this regard. I saw in another post where you stated that they don't have issues with the rain as well as not having issues with heat. What is it that makes them so great with regard to those issues?

Especially the heat dissipation issue where, at least to my knowledge and reading, it's the Zipp Firecrest that seems to head that category amongst the carbon clinchers out there. Is this a case of a better product being lost amongst the greater hype of more costly, well known competitors (Zipp FC's and Enve SES wheels)?

Your previous posts plus this one are now putting a wheel I had never considered in to play so far as a future purchase goes, especially considering their price compared to similar wheels from Zipp, Enve, Corima and Lightweight.

Their brake track. (Patented tech, so you won't find it anywhere else).
It's a special weave: aluminum & CF. You get the benefits of heat dissapation of aluminum, pretty good compared to alloy when it's wet.
Lightness of CF.

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Exp001

Is there a US distributor for Xentis? A quick check showed me Starbike as the first hit for purchasing them. While I would have no issues supporting this site's host, it would be nice to purchase a bit more locally to SoCal in case of warranty issues, etc.

As it was, I was impressed with the pricing once the VAT was removed, especially once build quality was taken in to account.

Anyone tried the new 4th gen Lightweights? I am curious how they perform crosswind-wise. I was almost fixed on getting a pair but it seems both LW and Madfibers (v shaped rims) are unstable with heavy crosswind.

nothing more higher end than SES 3.4 clinchers. usable too.

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Would the SES 6.7 be too much for a light rider weighing 140lbs?

^ depends on the rider, i guess

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