Spada Stiletto (1260g £699)

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gb103
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Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2011 8:07 pm

by gb103

These look interesting and impressive review. Anybody actually ridden them?

http://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/spada-sti ... view.html#

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MajorMantra
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Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:38 pm

by MajorMantra

I'd like to see that weight verified, it seems remarkable for a wheelset that claims to be stiff. I wonder what the rim is? You'd get close to that weight with XR200s if your hubset was in the 240g range, but they aren't famed for their stiffness. Of course we don't know how much the reviewer weighs.

Johnny Rad
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Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2006 6:22 am
Location: Zion

by Johnny Rad

Color me intrigued. With a 24/28 spoke set-up, I'm more inclined to believe the "stiffness" claims.

However, getting real world feeback on Spada from this site has proven elusive for me and others asking about them over the past couple of years ... there's just not a lot of Spada riders on WW and/or willing to comment here.

poully
Posts: 54
Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 8:06 pm

by poully

Also interested in this wheelset.
Anyone out there got any real life experience they could share on the 2013/14 model?
Thanks

bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

I have 28 spoke XR-200 laced up with Laser spokes and novatec hubs. Bracing angles are good and the wheels are stiff enough but not stiff a build or a low spoke count build with the Kinlin XR-300 rim.

I cannot believe the spada can be any different. The weekness of these wheels will be the hubs. I bet the bearings go south quickly in the presence of water something we have plenty of.

poully
Posts: 54
Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 8:06 pm

by poully

Thanks for the input bm0p700f.
I guess the weight saving is in the hub, not essentially at the rim where it really counts.
They sure look nice though and looking at recent reviews, appear to be stiff enough.
Not tried and tested though, so I'm not going to be the Guinea Pig.
Seems Pacenti SL may be the way to go these days, although it's been suggested Ryde Rims maybe a good light handbuilt alternative.

mrj
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2014 1:44 pm

by mrj

Hi,

First time poster. I've been riding a set of Stiletto's since Christmas so I thought I'd share my experience. Paid £503 for them in the xmas sale on ProBikeKit.

The ride is superb. I was riding them with latex tubes and Vittoria Open Pro 25mm tyres, so all in all a very light combo. The difference was not just noticeable, but astounding! Smashing PBs all over the shop on my first ride with plenty of climbing.

There was a bit of play in the rear hub. Sceptical mechanic at my LBS suggested it was due to the design, but I think it was just an issue with the hub in my set. I contacted Alex Jones (of VAM, the importer). He was really helpful and a pleasure to deal with. He said to keep riding them unless the play became noticeable when riding. The vendor (PBK) didn't want to know as 3 months went by from the purchase to noticing the issue because I was waiting for better weather before I used them for the first time.

I took the wheels to Italy and rode the Stelvio on them. Great choice. Despite weary legs from riding in the days before they went up the mountain brilliantly (1:55 if anyone is interested). However, on the same ride I knocked the rear wheel out of true somewhere. I didn't notice it on the ride, only when I got back home. Back in the UK, I took the wheels to my LBS who trued the wheel, but said in order to do so one spoke was not tensioned properly so I should exercise caution.

I used the wheels in the Ride London sportive (in the biblical rain), they were great, but by the end the rear wheel was badly out of true and rubbing terribly on the brakes. Again, I didn't notice exactly when it took a hit, so it couldn't have been a big hit. But hit it was and that spelled the end of the road for the rim unfortunately.

Riding in the rain also affected the bearings. I disassembled the rear hub completely and all of the bearings have a gritty feel to them, not so bad it's game over, but they're definitely nowhere near as smooth as they were. To be honest, that amount of rain would test most hubs, let alone hubs with a unique, open design like the Stilettos.

I'm 74kg, so perhaps wheels this light were not the wisest choice. I'd like to think I ride quite smoothly (2 punctures in 8000 miles), but considering my weight and the crap British roads, I think I should have gone with something more robust.

They come with a 2year warranty, and like I said, Alex has been very helpful and patient when dealing with me, so I wouldn't advise avoid buying the wheels at all, just perhaps take the weight limit with a pinch of salt and only use them in the dry. If they suit your riding style (and vice versa), these wheels could be the best you've used.

My house insurance covered the wheels, and given the cost of new rim, spokes and build added to the fact the wheels only come as a pair, they wrote them off.

New wheels acquired, I may well rebuild the rear wheel with a more robust rim in the future, might even give tubs a go! But that's for a different thread when the time comes.

So, all in all, great wheels if you treat them right!

bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

Pretty much sums up what I thought. I rode the that london thingy too but on carbon rims with miche hubs. Hit a few big holes one big enough to pich flat the front (done that more than once) and the rim was fine. The miche hubs are still smooth. I suppose though my wheel are not 1260g (try 400g heavier) but I would take robust and aero over fragile and light anyday.

I don't think you treated the spada wheels badly you treated them like wheels. If you have a wheelset that you can only use in the dry as your mainset and that cannot cope with a hole or too it is not a very good wheelset. Also a hub that has play after 3 months is one where the bearings had already gone bad you just hadn't noticed it yet when riding. Bearings should be changed when they start to detoriate, leaving it until you notice the play when riding just ruin that ride, bad advise imo.

The Pacenti SL23 or archtype rim are very good choices. No point in weight weenie wheels that let you down.

mrj
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Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2014 1:44 pm

by mrj

The play was in the wheel from new, I just didn't notice it for 3 months because I didn't ride them more than around the block until then.

bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

No hub should have play from new and if you did not notice for three month you have no way of knowing if the play was there from new or developed from riding around the block (which is worse as that is a really shoddy hub rather than a manufacturing defect). A hub with play is one reason why the bearings failed so quickly.

mrj
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Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2014 1:44 pm

by mrj

bm0p700f wrote:No hub should have play from new and if you did not notice for three month you have no way of knowing if the play was there from new or developed from riding around the block (which is worse as that is a really shoddy hub rather than a manufacturing defect). A hub with play is one reason why the bearings failed so quickly.


Sounds plausible

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Stolichnaya
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by Stolichnaya

Well, for the most part true, but some older rear hub designs (Velomax and then early gen. Easton) were designed to have slight play in the hub when in the workstand and then when rider weight was on the wheel they tightened up under load. Terrible design, in all honesty... :wink:

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