Xiamen Far Sports Experiences

[astranoc]

thprice do tell us please how you will find the prince pads on those rims. I have the same rims and I can't say I am overly happy with braking with the blue pads.

[Serene]

I've been a long-term lurker here but I thought I would use my first post to share my experience of a set of Farsports 50mm carbon clinchers which I took delivery of six weeks ago and on which I've ridden just over 800 miles so far. The set I ordered were the new aerodynamic shape which seems to be a reverse-engineered version of the Zipp toroidal shape, ordered with Edhubs and the new braking surface. The process of ordering was straightforward with no problems and Kyle could not have been more helpful or communicative, answering all my various questions. They arrived on schedule, as described, in perfect condition with no flaws or blemishes. I didn't weigh them so can't comment on the accuracy of the claimed weight, but just judging subjectively between them and a pair of Ksyrium Elites, I wouldn't have thought it would be too far out.

My experience of riding these wheels has been overwhelmingly positive so far. Running on Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX and Michelin latex inners (no steep descents round here) the ride quality is very smooth. Judging the aero effect and the consequent speed gain, if any, over box-section rims is always a subjective exercise in the real world but I would contend that, for me, they offer a definite advantage of an extra mile an hour or so for the same perceived effort, increasing especially over 20mph. How much of this is quantifiable and how much is it really due to the wheels or to a placebo effect? I don't really care, is the answer to that. Just the perception of being able to cruise a bit quicker than before has made my cycling a more enjoyable experience and, ultimately, isn't that what it's all about? One aspect of the wheels I've been extremely impressed with is their docility when caught in a crosswind. Those of you in the South of England know that there were some very gusty days in April and May but even though I'm a light rider, I never had any problems with sudden, dangerous changes in direction. They were always easy and predictable to manage, requiring gentle steering input to correct; it was a very pleasant surprise as this was one of my main concerns before purchasing. I've fitted Swissstop Black Prince pads and I haven't had an issue yet with the braking. All my riding has been on the flat with hardly any climbing or descending and it has all been in the dry, I've yet to use these wheels in wet conditions. Over the last week or so, the brakes have developed a slight pulse, but other than that the stopping power has been good. The wheels have been plenty stiff enough with no hint of brake rub, although it has to be said I'm probably not the most powerful rider.

The one huge disadvantage of these wheels is the effort required to get the tyre on the rim. It's been hard enough for me to manage it at home in the warm and the dry and the damage to fingers and tyre levers was considerable. My puncture repair kit in my saddlebag now consists of enough cash to get a taxi/train home as I've no intention of mutilating my fingers by the roadside attempting to change a flat.

Less than two months riding isn't really a long enough period to give anything other than a first impression. I'm well aware that the main criticism of Chinese wheels is the build quality and the likelihood that they'll start to fall apart earlier than a high-end wheelset. We'll see, but as far as I'm concerned, it's a risk that's factored into the price. Even if they suddenly do give up the ghost in the next 10 months or so, then on balance if you compare it to a high-end set at five times the price with a warranty of five years, you haven't lost all that much. And I've seen no evidence so far that they will fall apart, the build quality seems good. Overall, I'd say these wheels represent excellent value for money.

[petepeterson]

One note on the difficult tire install and removal:

It was extremely difficult to get new veloflex corsas on to my farsports 50mm clinchers too. Ridiculously difficult. I have been carrying around 3 tire levers with me since.

3 months later I was able to remove them last night by hand.

[Nismo4x4]

I've had the exact opposite experience with mine. I have the 50mmx24mm clinchers and my Veloflex Corsa 23's go on with no tools and are removed with only 1.

[rowdysluggins]

I had my first flat on the road today with the 38CMs (pinch flat). I had one plastic lever that I used to get the 4000S off, and was able to reinstall it by hand. Not the easiest, but definitely not the hardest either (I've got good thumb technique).
I've got about 400 miles on the wheels now (the 4000S tires were new with the wheels). Still loving the them.

[addictR1]

i have the 38cm on my addict and i noticed everytime when i mount the wheel onto the bike, i need to adjust the wheels a bit for the alignment before locking in. my previous wheelset, i just drop it in and it's dead flush (no play of tilting left or right) and can lock down right away.

anyone having this issue? not sure if it's because of the EDHubs or?

[mentok]

Perhaps the face to face dimensions of your hub is fractionally off-spec (too narrow)?

Just drop the wheel in, make sure the clamping surfaces of the skewer line up with the scratches and scoring from where the wheel normally sits and lock it down.

[mdeth1313]

I purchased 38mm rims from farsports and had them built up w/ extralite hubs. Should be here sometime next week-- can't wait!

[trychle]

My 38mm clinchers came in two weeks ago (UD Matte: front 551 g, rear 701 g). I have only been able to ride them once since then due to Pfeiffer's disease..

It feels like I've got a rocket strapped to my back when accelerating!

[rowdysluggins]

@addictR1 I just make sure my wheels are snug in the dropouts and tighten. The wheels are centered.

[eliflap-scalpel]

http://www.bikerumor.com/2013/06/06/rea ... adcx-bike/

here are my Far Sport tubular disc set

[Monkeyboy3333]

I'm going to ask an obvious one; who has the highest mileage Farsports 50mm clinchers on here? experiences?

[addictR1]

@rowdysluggins: yea that's what i try to do as well. they fit into the fork nice and snug, but if you wiggle it.. there seems to be some play 1-2mm range. maybe the fork hole is too big? lol...

[climberevan]

I thought I'd add my recent warranty experience with Farsports.

I have a set of 38mm tubulars that I bought through Velobuild around January, and have been using for racing. The rear rim developed a small crack on the braking surface, so I contacted "Mae" at Farsports. I was advised to send photos and fill out a form, which I did. A couple of weeks later they sent me a tracking number, and a few days after that I received a new rim. At no point did they ask for any payment or for the return of the old rim. I am very happy with this warranty response. They included 4 extra spokes and nipples with the new rim, to boot!

BTW, I weighed the new 38mm tubular rim. 303g. The wheelset was 1080g when I bought it.

My next set of race wheels will be from Farsports as well--probably 50mm.

[mentok]

@monkeyboy: i am probably at the extreme lower end but i have 2000km on mine and they still look and ride as-new.