Xiamen Far Sports Experiences

[ZachUA]

That looks great. Did they offer hopes or did you lace them yourself?

Thanks, I purchased the rims seperatly and had them built up in London. I don't believe that they offer Hope products.
I use Black Brince pads and the stopping is outstanding in the dry . Haven't tested them on long descents or in the rain yet.

Awesome. Which rim is that? When I look at their site there seems to be so many different configurations and options it can get confusing.

I emailed Sandy to find out about Rims vs fully built. Asked for 50x23 in 28 hole. She said $172usd per rim (FSL-50CM-23-2014 claimed 430g each) or $750usd shipped for a fully built set utilizing Novatec D771SB/772SB disc hub, Sapim cx-ray spokes. Breakdown below:

Wheelset price: US$642/pair
Shipping to USA: US$75/pair
Paypal fee: US$32
----------------------------
Final total: US$749/pair

Seem fair? or should I find hubs myself and have local shop build them? (I've seen King hubs for around 500 per set on fleabay)

[7ven]

That looks great. Did they offer hopes or did you lace them yourself?

Thanks, I purchased the rims seperatly and had them built up in London. I don't believe that they offer Hope products.
I use Black Brince pads and the stopping is outstanding in the dry . Haven't tested them on long descents or in the rain yet.

Awesome. Which rim is that? When I look at their site there seems to be so many different configurations and options it can get confusing.

I emailed Sandy to find out about Rims vs fully built. Asked for 50x23 in 28 hole. She said $172usd per rim (FSL-50CM-23-2014 claimed 430g each) or $750usd shipped for a fully built set utilizing Novatec D771SB/772SB disc hub, Sapim cx-ray spokes. Breakdown below:

Wheelset price: US$642/pair
Shipping to USA: US$75/pair
Paypal fee: US$32
----------------------------
Final total: US$749/pair

Seem fair? or should I find hubs myself and have local shop build them? (I've seen King hubs for around 500 per set on fleabay)

Seems par for the course.
Mine were FSL50-50-CM-23's. $171.50 each.
I personally get my wheels handbuilt everytime but if it's value for money you're after, go for the pre-built option.

[turbo1397]

Hi folks. Ive been following this forum and specifically this thread for a while. I'm wanting to order a set of farsports clinchers but unsure whether to go for the standard basalt braking surface or the 'high temperature' braking surface.. Has anyone had any experiences with the high temp surface?

[eric]

I've some of each. They brake about the same. I'd get the high temp surface.

[turbo1397]

Great, thanks for the speedy reply..

[Marin]

I got a set with hi-temp surface this spring. 50mm tall, 1330g, no spoke holes in rim bed. I love them. I have 4000km / 75.000 vertical meters on them by now.

Braking: The supplied black ceramic pads glazed almost immediately and didn't really brake well afterwards. I sanded them a few times but then gave up.

I switched to cheapo cork-like carbon-specific pads that worked ok-ish.

In the end, I switched back to black non-carbon specific black SRAM Force 22 by Swisstop pads. They do squeal a bit on hte front, but braking power is awesome (80kg rider).

[andyrob7]

Hi
I'm about to press the trigger on my first set of carbon clinchers from Farsports, but just can't decide on which rim width to go for!
Weight is important to me, but so is stiffness & durability. I currently ride DA C24s that weigh 1380g and ideally I'd like wheels that are lighter for improved climbing, but they need to be just as durable as road surfaces here in the UK are not always great!

I tend to do long solo rides, flat, rolling and hilly (no real mountains) and fast group rides and weight 79kgs.

My shortlist are the FSC38mm 'U' 20.5mm profile with ED hubs that come in at 1250g
and the FSC38mm 'U' 23mm profile with ED hubs that come in at around 1350g

The 23mm rims are 100g heavier and I guess will feel similar to my C24s, but should be stronger, more rigid and better matched to 23mm tyres compared with the 20.5mm rims. However the 20.5mm should be more lively, accelerate quicker and climb better, but I just don't know how stiff/durable they'll be for everyday use.

Your thoughts, experiences and recommendations would be welcomed, Thanks.

[Krackor]

I find it hard to believe anyone can feel the difference of 100g between wheelsets. It's just so tiny compared to the total inertia of bike + rider.

Increasing rim width by over 10% is a pretty big deal though. You will definitely feel the difference in tire response. My first wide rims were some Yoeleo Bike 25mm wide carbon clinchers. Since then I've bought 4 other wheelsets which have all been >24mm wide, and I'd need a very good reason to go lower than 23mm. A 100g difference is just not in the same ballpark.

[eric]

If you don't ride mountains the weight is not much of a concern. Even then 100g is not much.

[russianbear]

When talking about tubulars, what does one gain from going wider? 23mm seems happy medium. Any reason to go up to the 25s?

[andyrob7]

Interesting comments which seem to make sense. But I do wonder at what point rim weight actually makes a noticeable difference for us non-pro riders - 100g, 150g, 200g or more?

[trex021]

Well, if the big wheel manufacturers are a gauge, they are definitely trending wider. Wider must sell better than thinner + lighter.

[eric]

Interesting comments which seem to make sense. But I do wonder at what point rim weight actually makes a noticeable difference for us non-pro riders - 100g, 150g, 200g or more?

Noticeable as in you'll feel it when riding? 200g. Noticeable as in it will make a noticable difference in performance on a climb? 1kg.
There's a lot of myth out there about rim weight "counting" as significantly more weight than elsewhere on the bike. There is an effect but only when accellerating, and cyclists accellerate very slowly, so the effect is small. Even repeatedly sprinting out of corners like in a criterium the effect is very small. Here's a good explanation: http://alex-cycle.blogspot.com/2014/12/ ... ts-ii.html

However for whatever reason, lighter rims feel lighter, especially when you're standing and pedalling. But that feeling does not translate into nearly as much performance as you'd feel it should.

As far as weight goes, 100g is worth about 2 seconds over a 1000ft (300 meter) climb. Which is really small.

Unless you are doing uphill-only races more aerodynamic is just about always better than lighter.

[andyrob7]

Thanks Eric - very interesting article and useful summary - Decision made and order placed

[andyrob7]

Apologies if this topic has been covered before, but what is the current consensus on the use of latex inner tubes with 38mm FS carbon clinchers? What are the Pros and Cons?