Chinese CF wheels

[rePhil]

After the first 1k miles I am a satisfied BTLOS customer. 40mm,Tubeless (no spoke holes) ,Rim brake. I went with Bitex hubs with Sapim spokes. I ride Campy 10 and Shimano 11 so a quick stop at the Bikehubstore for a freehub gives me the option to ride either one. Good communication, the wheels have been solid. I will probably order another pair.

[Gianni Bianchi]

I was going to ask this in a separate thread but since we're on the subject of CF rims... what is the allure?

I've always ridden alloy rims. My Zero Nites weigh in at 1420g which is right inside the CF weight wheelhouse. I also ride rim brakes (I should add).

But when I was wheel shopping, sure some CF wheels are crazy light but then also crazy expensive. I mean Lightweight just released a new rim weighing 200g lighter than my Nites, but also cost about CA$15,000 vs the $1000 I paid for the Nites.

I'm 198cm tall and 81kg. I can't justify replacing CF wheels every few seasons and I'm a smooth but big wattage rider and I'm not certain CF rims would last with me. Hell I cracked two sets of regular Keo pedals inside of two seasons.

So other than having the money to burn on CF or being an OCD weight weenie, what's the point? A good set of alloy rims can weigh in the same ballpark and offer the same or better (longevity) performance. Is it stiffness? Cuz i can't see how a rim can be stiffer than my Nites or if they are, the stiffness would be incremental.

Educate me

[ripvanrando]

CF is stronger and more aerodynamic than alu rims. There might be other points, too.

[sg8357]

Gianni, with cf wheels you will be in first or second place in line for coffee
at the mid ride stop, with alloy wheels you will be 4th in line at best.

[grumpus]

If the comparison is $1,000 for aluminum vs $15,000 for carbon, then it's not worth it. But you can get a pair of lightbicycle 25mm depth wheels for $844 with a claimed weight of 1215g. Or you could get a big aero benefit with a deeper rim at the same weight as the shallow alu rim you're already riding. Whether 200g or an aero bonus is worth it to you is a personal choice. But the only way to get 200g or an aero bonus over your Zero Nites (or any other nice alu wheelset) is to go to carbon. So many people have gone there.

I also think the carbon rims are a lot tougher than you're giving them credit for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfjjiHGuHoc. One of the more memorable demos I've seen. Obviously marketing material not a scientific test, etc., but these things aren't made of paper and glass.

Originally Posted by Gianni Bianchi

I was going to ask this in a separate thread but since we're on the subject of CF rims... what is the allure?

I've always ridden alloy rims. My Zero Nites weigh in at 1420g which is right inside the CF weight wheelhouse. I also ride rim brakes (I should add).

But when I was wheel shopping, sure some CF wheels are crazy light but then also crazy expensive. I mean Lightweight just released a new rim weighing 200g lighter than my Nites, but also cost about CA$15,000 vs the $1000 I paid for the Nites.

I'm 198cm tall and 81kg. I can't justify replacing CF wheels every few seasons and I'm a smooth but big wattage rider and I'm not certain CF rims would last with me. Hell I cracked two sets of regular Keo pedals inside of two seasons.

So other than having the money to burn on CF or being an OCD weight weenie, what's the point? A good set of alloy rims can weigh in the same ballpark and offer the same or better (longevity) performance. Is it stiffness? Cuz i can't see how a rim can be stiffer than my Nites or if they are, the stiffness would be incremental.

Educate me

[tripmaster]

Originally Posted by jimmy-moots

I think OP is asking the difference between lightbicycle.com and "lightcarbon"

Light Bicycle is the one that has always been touted as top tier Chinese carbon, along with Winspace/Hyper, Farsports, Nextie, BTLOS

That said I am unsure if it is a genuine question from OP, they may be seeding the website/brand for search engine optimisation purposes. I only say this as they have a low post count.

I'm a new poster here, def not looking for SEO. :-D

I started down the path of getting a price quote from light /carbon/, thinking they were light /bicycle/, one of the reputable Chinese CF companies. I then realized my error -- but the LC quote for a rear disc TT wheel was a couple hundred less than LB. So I wanted to research LC's feedback online. It's been hard to find any discussion, even on Chinertown.

So my questions were, where's best place to find what my google-fu failed to find - LC quality discussions?

And secondarily, is my assumption that full disc wheel rim brake is generally more structurally sound than regular rim/spoke wheels, true? So I can feel less picky (slightly) about that purchase?

By reference LB's rear TT disc is about $850, LC's wheel is $530, pre shipping

[tripmaster]

Originally Posted by krooj

Caveat emptor - for all the positive reviews you'll find some horror stories and I'd be way more inclined to ride a disc set than anything rim-brake. The issue isn't necessarily with the rims or wheel builds themselves, but lack of QA and warranty issues. There is a thread on WW wherein Carbon-Ti hubs were initially blamed for cracked hub flanges, only to later find that the wheels were way over tension from the Farsports factory.

I'll also say that I'd be leery of buying something higher end, such as Enve, Campy, etc. used. I've been burned first hand on some Enve 3.4s that I thought were a smoking deal, only to get them home and see what I confirmed was delamination of the brake track. Enve has excellent customer service, FWIW.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that you should just bite the bullet and get something reputable. There are lots of mid-range CF wheels from Specialized and Trek that are basically decent rims laced to a rebadged DT350 hubs. Certainly not hot ****, but at least you have decent support and warranty.

I am likely to go buy Hunts for my regular wheelset (disc brake) - new, warrantied, gonna ride those in the winter/rainy season in the PNW.

Im more likely to penny pinch for a TT wheel which I'll race (and ride) 2-4 times a year!

[wai2fast]

I picked up a rear disk TT wheel via AliExpress (Elite Wheels) this past summer along with an 88mm deep front wheel. I didn't really need the front wheel, but since it was so cheap I figured why not. I believe the wheelset was about $900 before shipping. My only real complaint about the wheels are the narrow internal width, but they have been flawless otherwise.

I was also looking at the Prime disk wheel on Wiggle (~$730), but they were out of stock at the time.

[Gianni Bianchi]

Originally Posted by sg8357

Gianni, with cf wheels you will be in first or second place in line for coffee
at the mid ride stop, with alloy wheels you will be 4th in line at best.

Well that settles it then... I clearly need me some $15,000 fancy CF wheels.

[Gianni Bianchi]

Originally Posted by grumpus

If the comparison is $1,000 for aluminum vs $15,000 for carbon, then it's not worth it. But you can get a pair of lightbicycle 25mm depth wheels for $844 with a claimed weight of 1215g. Or you could get a big aero benefit with a deeper rim at the same weight as the shallow alu rim you're already riding. Whether 200g or an aero bonus is worth it to you is a personal choice. But the only way to get 200g or an aero bonus over your Zero Nites (or any other nice alu wheelset) is to go to carbon. So many people have gone there.

I also think the carbon rims are a lot tougher than you're giving them credit for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfjjiHGuHoc. One of the more memorable demos I've seen. Obviously marketing material not a scientific test, etc., but these things aren't made of paper and glass.

But... I'm 81-85kg at any given point in the season and my rides typically average 225-300w - I really don't want wheels that are crazy light because I'm sure they won't last. Plus carbon rim brake wheels wear thru on the brake track and if you go alloy brake track there's no point in going carbon, IMO.

Just because 'so many have gone there' isn't compelling enough to make me go there. I like value for my money and I just don't see the performance gain by going carbon. Not enough enjoyment units per dollar spent to justify.

[thegunner]

Originally Posted by Gianni Bianchi

I really don't want wheels that are crazy light because I'm sure they won't last.

i think you're making an argument based on flawed assumptions. i have plenty of teammates and friends who are the same weight or heavier than you, put down the same or more power, and race and train on the same set of carbon wheels full time.

with the right pads, carbon rims last quite a long time.

[ripvanrando]

I have a set of cheapo FLO carbon wheels with over 50k miles on them AND I do not use the factory approved pads and more than once have used the wrong pads; yet, the brake track is fine.

In the market for new wheels now and can't decided whether to buy Chinese wheels direct or pay the middleman like Zipp. At least with Zipp you get their hubs.....oh wait.

[krooj]

Originally Posted by tripmaster

I am likely to go buy Hunts for my regular wheelset (disc brake) - new, warrantied, gonna ride those in the winter/rainy season in the PNW.

Im more likely to penny pinch for a TT wheel which I'll race (and ride) 2-4 times a year!

Makes sense. There's very little that can go wrong with disc brake wheels and j-bend spokes.

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by Gianni Bianchi

But... I'm 81-85kg at any given point in the season and my rides typically average 225-300w - I really don't want wheels that are crazy light because I'm sure they won't last. Plus carbon rim brake wheels wear thru on the brake track and if you go alloy brake track there's no point in going carbon, IMO.

For the same weight, carbon wheels are stiffer and will generally hold true longer than aluminum wheels because of less flex. This is particularly important for a heavier rider with lots of power output.

Also, I don't believe I've seen any evidence that carbon brake tracks wear any faster than aluminum brake tracks. Personally I live in a pretty dry climate, so all brake tracks last forever, but my carbon brake tracks definitely haven't worn any faster than my aluminum ones.

I think you're just imagining flaws with carbon wheels and then using that to justify not buying them.

[Gianni Bianchi]

Originally Posted by prototoast

For the same weight, carbon wheels are stiffer and will generally hold true longer than aluminum wheels because of less flex. This is particularly important for a heavier rider with lots of power output.

Also, I don't believe I've seen any evidence that carbon brake tracks wear any faster than aluminum brake tracks. Personally I live in a pretty dry climate, so all brake tracks last forever, but my carbon brake tracks definitely haven't worn any faster than my aluminum ones.

I think you're just imagining flaws with carbon wheels and then using that to justify not buying them.

Not really... i have seen people in my city who have worn holes in their brake tracks, so at least a few. And I am thinking long-term use. Eg. my Nites are plenty stiff, have about 25,000km on them and are true as the day I bought them, never broke a spoke and never had any brake pad rub from flex.