New wheels today - Checkmate Carbon Clinchers 50mm
02-19-10, 10:49 PM
#1
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New wheels today - Checkmate Carbon Clinchers 50mm
***Ride report in post 20***
Got these in the group buy for about $660. I figured why not take a chance at that price. I've been waiting for a bit for them but I have 2 other sets of wheels so no biggie. There were some unforseen delays with the factory but the owner of Checkmate, James, kept his buyers informed every step of the way.
The wheels were well packaged when they arrived. Both were in separate foamish bags and the box had cardboard stabilizers in there to keep the wheels in place. He even labeled the box on which side to open it hah.
Pulled them out of the box and both wheels were true and the hubs spin freely. The box contained the wheels, skewers and brake pads. He didn't send any decals which is fine by me but I would have been happy to put some on too. James if you read this and that was an oversight PM me and I'll send you my address for decals.
The hubs are unlabeled as well so I don't know what they are. The flange spacing is narrower than my Psimet wheels but in fairness my Psimet wheels have an Alchemy front and White Industries rear. I will say the front resembles my front Williams hub so I don't know if they are made by the same company or not. As mentioned, hubs spin freely. The freehub is pretty loud based on my tests in the house. Certainly louder than my White Industries one so if loud is a concern keep that in mind.
Rims seem to be well made. These are my first carbon wheels so I'm not 100% sure what I'd be looking for but there are no visible blemishes or anything. They are glossy and the weave is "exposed". Brake track is present and seems fine. Again, no major imperfections or noticable blemishes.
The wheels came with cork brake pads. I went to my team's LBS but they didn't have any Swisstop in stock. So, I'll try the cork for now. Pads went into my 105 shoes just fine. The rim was a bit wider than my Kinlins so I had to adjust the brakes a little. Additionally, the brake track is lower on the rim than my Kinlins so pad adjustment was necessary. I can see this becoming a PITA if I change wheels often so I may need to just get another bike
The skewer reminded me of KCNC. They seem well made. My only issue is the skewer handle seems to be a hard plastic as opposed to metal. No biggie but I feel more confident with alloy skewer handles.
I mounted some Vittoria Corsa Evo CX 320 TPI tires on these which are new tires for me. I've heard good things so I'm excited to try them out. Tire mounting was easy with no issues.
I haven't ridden these yet but will post some thoughts once I do. So far, they seem worth the $660 in the groupbuy.
Cheers
Rob
Got these in the group buy for about $660. I figured why not take a chance at that price. I've been waiting for a bit for them but I have 2 other sets of wheels so no biggie. There were some unforseen delays with the factory but the owner of Checkmate, James, kept his buyers informed every step of the way.
The wheels were well packaged when they arrived. Both were in separate foamish bags and the box had cardboard stabilizers in there to keep the wheels in place. He even labeled the box on which side to open it hah.
Pulled them out of the box and both wheels were true and the hubs spin freely. The box contained the wheels, skewers and brake pads. He didn't send any decals which is fine by me but I would have been happy to put some on too. James if you read this and that was an oversight PM me and I'll send you my address for decals.
The hubs are unlabeled as well so I don't know what they are. The flange spacing is narrower than my Psimet wheels but in fairness my Psimet wheels have an Alchemy front and White Industries rear. I will say the front resembles my front Williams hub so I don't know if they are made by the same company or not. As mentioned, hubs spin freely. The freehub is pretty loud based on my tests in the house. Certainly louder than my White Industries one so if loud is a concern keep that in mind.
Rims seem to be well made. These are my first carbon wheels so I'm not 100% sure what I'd be looking for but there are no visible blemishes or anything. They are glossy and the weave is "exposed". Brake track is present and seems fine. Again, no major imperfections or noticable blemishes.
The wheels came with cork brake pads. I went to my team's LBS but they didn't have any Swisstop in stock. So, I'll try the cork for now. Pads went into my 105 shoes just fine. The rim was a bit wider than my Kinlins so I had to adjust the brakes a little. Additionally, the brake track is lower on the rim than my Kinlins so pad adjustment was necessary. I can see this becoming a PITA if I change wheels often so I may need to just get another bike
The skewer reminded me of KCNC. They seem well made. My only issue is the skewer handle seems to be a hard plastic as opposed to metal. No biggie but I feel more confident with alloy skewer handles.
I mounted some Vittoria Corsa Evo CX 320 TPI tires on these which are new tires for me. I've heard good things so I'm excited to try them out. Tire mounting was easy with no issues.
I haven't ridden these yet but will post some thoughts once I do. So far, they seem worth the $660 in the groupbuy.
Cheers
Rob
Last edited by robncircus; 02-20-10 at 06:25 PM.
02-20-10, 01:21 AM
#4
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someone was going to say it might as well be me.
things wrong: cranks not at 3 o clock, saddle bag, not in front of the garage, dirty white bar tape
nice wheels though
things wrong: cranks not at 3 o clock, saddle bag, not in front of the garage, dirty white bar tape
nice wheels though
02-20-10, 01:55 AM
#5
Senior Member
I agree. Cool post. I am curious why you would want to immediatly go with the Swissstop pads. Do the supplied cork pads not do the job, or maybe you just want the best brake pad for carbon rims.
02-20-10, 02:01 AM
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Nice wheels. Give a nice test report when you have put some miles on them. They certainly look good
02-20-10, 02:05 AM
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02-20-10, 02:41 AM
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I got those very same wheels coming.... this is like being on a date when you know you are going to score at the end (now I know what women feel like on dates).
02-20-10, 02:58 AM
#9
Hills hurt.. Couches kill
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Nice write up, can't wait for your ride report.
02-20-10, 08:11 AM
#10
Roadie
02-20-10, 08:33 AM
#11
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Dont know anything about carbon wheels but do you think they will survive 'our' roads? Plan to use them for your daily riding?
02-20-10, 09:29 AM
#12
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Ride report to come this afternoon along with a race report tomorrow.
Hang tight
Rob
02-20-10, 10:03 AM
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sweet purchase!!!! let us know the ride report!
02-20-10, 03:51 PM
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02-20-10, 05:49 PM
#19
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Hey guys,
My post, with 'our' roads was addressed to vkalia. We live in India and you guys have no idea...
My post, with 'our' roads was addressed to vkalia. We live in India and you guys have no idea...
02-20-10, 06:24 PM
#20
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Thanks it's the dog's favorite toy.
RIDE REPORT
So I got my first ride on these in today. I chose a ride that I do often since I know well how my other wheels feel. For those from the area, it's basically a repeat up Mandeville Canyon. One thing to consider before I begin - there was certainly a placebo effect on today's ride so my review should be taken subjectively.
I left the house ready to roll. Quick test of the wheels and brakes and all was good to go. I hit the road and my first order of business was to try the breaks since I'm new to carbon wheels. The cork pads grip well. Real well. Almost too well. I had to loosen the breaks a bit because I am more used to my other Dura Ace pads. The Dura Ace have a much "softer' feel but more consistent. The cork pads grip well, however the braking is "spotty" kinda grab-release-grab-release, etc... I don't know if that's normal or not. Either way, it was fine and controllable.
After getting comfy with the cork pads, I focused on the wheel's feel on the road. These are great. They don't feel overly stiff or soft. FWIW, I only weigh about 142 so I don't notice a lack of stiffness very often anyway. It was a little windier than normal in Santa Monica today (maybe 8-10 MPH) and I was anxious to see how hard these wheels would be to control. I was surprised to find that I didn't notice the wind at all and had no issues with control.
The wheels are a little more sluggish than my Psimet wheels. (The Psimet wheels are Kinlin 30mm rims, with Alchaemy (F) and WI (rear) hubs) Once these wheels get going, they seem to just want to roll forever. I found it much easier to maintain speeds over about 22-23 MPH and I look forward to racing these tomorrow. I did 2 4-mile hill repeats which include a >10% section at the top. The wheels were fine while climbing and I didn't notice the extra weight (couple hindred grams mabye?).............. until I hit the 10% climb. The steep stuff felt much more difficult with these wheels over the Psimet wheels. I would say as long as climbing is <10% these are fine even for longer rides.
I didn't wear any headphones today since I wanted to hear the wheels. When going over bumps the wheels have a plastic-ish "ting" type sound. Basically they sounded like carbon going over a bump. Other than that, there were no odd or weird sounds.
The wheels held true for today's ride which I would expect any wheels to do no matter how cheap. I am satisfied with this purchase so far and these seem like decent budget carbon wheels. They will become daily wheels due to the PITA of changing the bads and shoes whenever I want to change wheels.
Any questions let me know.
Cheers
Rob
RIDE REPORT
So I got my first ride on these in today. I chose a ride that I do often since I know well how my other wheels feel. For those from the area, it's basically a repeat up Mandeville Canyon. One thing to consider before I begin - there was certainly a placebo effect on today's ride so my review should be taken subjectively.
I left the house ready to roll. Quick test of the wheels and brakes and all was good to go. I hit the road and my first order of business was to try the breaks since I'm new to carbon wheels. The cork pads grip well. Real well. Almost too well. I had to loosen the breaks a bit because I am more used to my other Dura Ace pads. The Dura Ace have a much "softer' feel but more consistent. The cork pads grip well, however the braking is "spotty" kinda grab-release-grab-release, etc... I don't know if that's normal or not. Either way, it was fine and controllable.
After getting comfy with the cork pads, I focused on the wheel's feel on the road. These are great. They don't feel overly stiff or soft. FWIW, I only weigh about 142 so I don't notice a lack of stiffness very often anyway. It was a little windier than normal in Santa Monica today (maybe 8-10 MPH) and I was anxious to see how hard these wheels would be to control. I was surprised to find that I didn't notice the wind at all and had no issues with control.
The wheels are a little more sluggish than my Psimet wheels. (The Psimet wheels are Kinlin 30mm rims, with Alchaemy (F) and WI (rear) hubs) Once these wheels get going, they seem to just want to roll forever. I found it much easier to maintain speeds over about 22-23 MPH and I look forward to racing these tomorrow. I did 2 4-mile hill repeats which include a >10% section at the top. The wheels were fine while climbing and I didn't notice the extra weight (couple hindred grams mabye?).............. until I hit the 10% climb. The steep stuff felt much more difficult with these wheels over the Psimet wheels. I would say as long as climbing is <10% these are fine even for longer rides.
I didn't wear any headphones today since I wanted to hear the wheels. When going over bumps the wheels have a plastic-ish "ting" type sound. Basically they sounded like carbon going over a bump. Other than that, there were no odd or weird sounds.
The wheels held true for today's ride which I would expect any wheels to do no matter how cheap. I am satisfied with this purchase so far and these seem like decent budget carbon wheels. They will become daily wheels due to the PITA of changing the bads and shoes whenever I want to change wheels.
Any questions let me know.
Cheers
Rob
02-20-10, 07:57 PM
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The hubs are American Classics (or clones). Does your freehub have an aluminium body with steel splines? The newer AC hubs have the steel to keep the freehub body from getting notched.
When you use brake pads on aluminium rims, tiny shards of aluminium get embedded in the pads. Those will chew up a carbon rim. If you swap wheels from aluminium to carbon you need to swap pads or carefully inspect the pads and pick out the shards. A "wipe down" is not enough. It's quicker to swap pads than to pick out the shards.
When you use brake pads on aluminium rims, tiny shards of aluminium get embedded in the pads. Those will chew up a carbon rim. If you swap wheels from aluminium to carbon you need to swap pads or carefully inspect the pads and pick out the shards. A "wipe down" is not enough. It's quicker to swap pads than to pick out the shards.
02-20-10, 09:40 PM
#22
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The hubs are American Classics (or clones). Does your freehub have an aluminium body with steel splines? The newer AC hubs have the steel to keep the freehub body from getting notched.
When you use brake pads on aluminium rims, tiny shards of aluminium get embedded in the pads. Those will chew up a carbon rim. If you swap wheels from aluminium to carbon you need to swap pads or carefully inspect the pads and pick out the shards. A "wipe down" is not enough. It's quicker to swap pads than to pick out the shards.
When you use brake pads on aluminium rims, tiny shards of aluminium get embedded in the pads. Those will chew up a carbon rim. If you swap wheels from aluminium to carbon you need to swap pads or carefully inspect the pads and pick out the shards. A "wipe down" is not enough. It's quicker to swap pads than to pick out the shards.
Re: Brakepads. My understanding is the Swisstop Yellow are designed to be used between alloy/carbon wheels. I know severl people who use them and don't swap pads... they just do a wipedown. Anyway, the cork are fine for now
02-20-10, 11:45 PM
#24
Senior Member
I hit the road and my first order of business was to try the breaks since I'm new to carbon wheels.
02-21-10, 12:24 PM
#25
My grammar sucks.
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i agree, there should be more posts such as this.
enjoy the wheels.
enjoy the wheels.