velociraptor

Was bored & started Googling 'cheap carbon wheels'.

Found cheapcarbonbike.com

Has anyone tried?

I admit the prices look so very tempting, but the little voice in my head keeps repeating, "you get what you pay for... you get what you pay for...".

BigJeff

who do you sue when they fail due to manufacturing defects Nd you are stuck with $20,000 in medical bills and physical therapy?

velociraptor

Hmm... So from your response, I take it that The Dude does not abide?

lsberrios1 

No, his point is: Given that both zip and chinese wheels are pretty much the same thing, when you have a $20k medical bill after a carbon assplosion, who is gonna pay for your bill? If you think about it, the reason why there is a $2k difference in price between the zipp and the chinese carbon is the premium paid for product liability insurance.

rpenmanparker 

True, but if anyone thinks the expensive rim makers will gladly accept liability, because you already paid for it, good luck with that. We all need our own medical coverage, period.

OP, if you're adventurous, try some cheap Chinese wheels. Use a maker who has done well by others. Choose a sensible weight suitable for your own weight and riding style. Stick with tubulars for the most arduous descents. Your chance of a catastrophic failure will be very small.

velociraptor

Ok, interesting perspective - thanks.

soma5

Might be his point, but there are decent Chinese wheels being sold and used. It is just difficult for someone coming in to this to figure out who is selling reliable product and who is not. The thread ought to be "Who is selling reliable Chinese wheels?" The thread after that should be, "Who is selling consistently good product?" so that one could buy with confidence. Full disclosure: I have both Zipp FC wheels and Chinese generics. I think the Zipps are better (and faster), but the Chinese wheels I have are not bad. I cannot guarantee that the next set of Chinese wheels I buy from the same seller will be of the same quality. I have complete confidence that the Zipp wheels you buy will be just as good (if not better) than mine. As good as the Zipp wheels are, I am not in the least confident that Zipp will pay any of my medical bills should the wheels I have "assplode" as you put it. For whatever reasons, I feel that the Zipps will not "asplode" and at this point I feel the same about the Chinese generic carbon wheels I own.

gregf83 

Same outfit you sue if the used Zipps or any other used products you bought off of ebay fail. If you aren't comfortable assessing the safety of a used bike or wheels on your own then you probably shouldn't be buying no name Chinese wheels.

lsberrios1 

I've learned something while being here, legal matters go the way of water and electricity... through the path of least resistance. I hate it because what's profitable is not always right.

I have a set of ENVE Smarts and a pair of Yoeleos.... While the Enves have better braking performance and slightly better aero characteristics the Yoeleos are 20% the price and 85% the performance. The Yoeleos are actually lighter by 40g, deeper by 15mm and have ceramic bearings. It cost me 700 dollars to replace a spoke and a rim after a crash at a race on the ENVES, I threw my bike with Yoleos to a wall and they barely got out of true. I have to accept braking is under-par, but I think that also has to do with the pads I used. Also, I need to ride my rear caliper 50% open because the flex of my enve smart will rub the pads.

lsberrios1 

International legal matters are not handled the same. That being said i would rather avoid a catastrophic failure than embrace one. I'm in the insurance field and it's called avoidance. It's all about taking risk but given my experience you get more return with wheels built by a "reputable" chinese builder than with a quality control consultant like zipp. Risk is relative given that a person that can easily affordto buy a pair of zipps is probably going to buy the set of wheels that offers a lesser percentage of failure due to the fact that the cost of failure may be greater than the cost in the forseable future if the item were to fail @ a 2% vs a 6% probability.

soma5

Enve wheels have never impressed for their braking. Both my Zipps and my generics brake better, from my testing. However, they are impressively light and fast Ride them when it is sunny and kick booty. I use my Chinese generics for training, fun and questionable conditions. My Zipps are just for racing. The Zipps ran me close to 2K (even with bro deal) but the Chinese wheels were under $600.

hueyhoolihan

i've recently built up a set of generic carbon tubular wheels for about $450. 1100gms. probably the easiest build and strongest set of wheels i've ever owned. the previous leader was a set of 36h mtb wheels with heavy clincher rims.

and i think i've finally resolved my braking dilemma that i had had with carbon rim braking when i found an ancient (1993), unused, set of rock hard campy black rubber pads that don't squeal and don't grab.

velociraptor

So, who are the 'reputable' Chinese builders, if I were so inclined?

lsberrios1 

Yoeleos and Farsports. Others may chime in but that is the extent of my knowledge. I'll sell you mine for $250. Since I got the elves they've been laying against a wall. I'm not saying they are bad but I've got the enves and I have no need for 2nd pair.

velociraptor

A very cool offer (and very nice bike, btw).


I'll have to think on it. I'm in the middle of sourcing for a build and kinda have my budget already parceled out... Maybe in a couple of weeks if you still have them?


I see you're in ATL... I'm OTP North, so it would be easy to meet up.

lsberrios1 

Roswell GA to be exact. We may even know each other as I am very in touch with the OTP Club rides, if you do any

EnsitMike

Got mine off amazon for customer service and product quality assurance.


Going strong. I also went with the aluminum brake surface—for clinchers, they have me worried less about descents as well as tire pressure causing a failure.

velociraptor

I'm just west of the Woodstock line off 92. Just bought a new house up here, so I haven't gotten involved in the scene yet. Moved from Midtown where I was pretty active... Was a regular on the ATL Cycling rides, the Ansley Sunday ride and the CNN 'Hack & Wheeze' Saturday ride. Also did the airport ride a few times and the Wednesday Cumming ride. Lately I've been in my basement trying to suffer my winter girth away on the trainer.

lsberrios1 

Well just send me a PM if you want to get in touch with the area. My in-laws live in Woodstock right off 92 and I live in Roswell 2 miles off 92. I am more than happy to show you around, even let you test the wheels if you want. I am slowly integrating myself into the cycling advocacy movement in GA and definitely looking forward to meet and introduce more cyclists to the area. Cheers and welcome to the neighborhood

velociraptor

Thanks man, I will definitely take you up on that!

mkadam68

+1

SteelCan

Not a lawyer but you may be confusing warranty with liability. If I purchased the premier wheel second hand and it asploded due to a manufacturing defect, the MFR would still be liable for injury. (if OTOH, the braking surface warps resulting in a non-functional wheel, you are SOL).

BoJaffa

A friend of mine who has a great reputation as a wheel builder has used Light-Bicycle carbon wheels for road and MTB wheel builds. He and his customers have been pleased with the results.

Hiro11

I have ~7K miles on a two year old pair of 50MM Farsports wheels (alloy braking surface, Novatec hubs) with no issues. I use them as everyday wheels and have not been gentle. $600 delivered, ~1,500g out of the box. They have a parallel-knurled brake track and brake better than my alloy Ultegra wheels. Not sure what else I could ask for.