Carbon wheels!

JimN

Captain Wildcat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I wonder if @jdog has any statistics on what percentage of SC wheels get replaced? Based on my experience with carbon rims, they are quite durable. I'm sure the warranty is great peace of mind, but it might make more financial sense to buy much cheaper off brand carbon rims, even if you have to end up replacing a rim or two.
 

rick81721

Lothar
I wonder if @jdog has any statistics on what percentage of SC wheels get replaced? Based on my experience with carbon rims, they are quite durable. I'm sure the warranty is great peace of mind, but it might make more financial sense to buy much cheaper off brand carbon rims, even if you have to end up replacing a rim or two.

Good points but Kev says they will eventually blow up like hand grenades. Some real data would be helpful
 

JimN

Captain Wildcat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Good points but Kev says they will eventually blow up like hand grenades. Some real data would be helpful

Yeah, I'm sure that's true. But buying the Zipp/SC wheels for the warranty is just like paying insurance on your wheelset. Those rims are $700. I don't know what regular off brand carbon rims cost, but my fat bike rims were $330, so I assume skinny wheels are significantly cheaper. You could probably replace them after they explode several times before you reach the cost of name brand wheels. I should also preface all of my comments by saying that I don't know shit about bikes, and I don't really care to learn much about them either though.
 

UtahJoe

Team Workhorse
Team MTBNJ Halter's
1910 grams, they are certainly not light....aluminum stans flow mk3's would be lighter. I mean I get they are intended for heavy enduro use, so the weight probably isnt key factor when buying. Like to me, these wheels are built for what @Ryan.P does at enduro races....not @rick81721 out there in the Florida sand ;) I would be shocked Rick if you would ever damage these short of a flat tire rock strike. I mean I am 180-185 lbs and I have been using 1280grm stans podiums...prior to that, 1350 gram valors....They can take a hell of a beating. I would also check out a set of CB7 arches, they can had for less than zipps, they are considerably lighter, stans warranty is pretty solid and man are they easy to mount tires too.
 

Ryan.P

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
At that weight it makes no sense . They clearly state not for downhill use . Also state that spoke length is crucial and 2 layers of tape is needed because spoke and nipples will protrude into tire channel , no thanks . Stans carbon rims ride amazing that whole radial compliance thing is very noticeable and there warranty is top notch
 

Captain Brainstorm

Well-Known Member
Real data plus an opinion: 1910g seems heavy for $2000, no?

I thought that part of the point of carbon wheels was to shave some weight? Why would anyone pay that kind of money when you could get good aluminum for much that's lighter cheaper? And I don't really buy the whole compliance thing that Zipp is trying to sell, not enough to pay twice as much for a heavier wheel. And as far as the enduro thing goes, why not get the lighter Flow MK3's? If guys can throw themselves off of cliffs at Rampage with these, they should be strong enough for enduro.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
I thought that part of the point of carbon wheels was to shave some weight? Why would anyone pay that kind of money when you could get good aluminum for much that's lighter cheaper? And I don't really buy the whole compliance thing that Zipp is trying to sell, not enough to pay twice as much for a heavier wheel. And as far as the enduro thing goes, why not get the lighter Flow MK3's? If guys can throw themselves off of cliffs at Rampage with these, they should be strong enough for enduro.
I think it is for stiffness and ride quality.

@rick81721 are you looking for number over all for the reserve rims or how many Trip has trashed? Reserve wheelsets were the first ones that came out that the price didn't see retarded. My whole thing is that I can get a stans rim for less than $100 and beat the poop out of it and it works just fine. So now carbon rims are $600-$1200 for a single rim and has the high probability of breakage? Then you have ENVE say "whoops those rims were too stiff, but these are better" and you have reviews like this?

Review: Enve’s M735E Wheelset Fails Our Test

Why would I want to put up with that?
 

Captain Brainstorm

Well-Known Member
I think it is for stiffness and ride quality.

@rick81721 are you looking for number over all for the reserve rims or how many Trip has trashed? Reserve wheelsets were the first ones that came out that the price didn't see retarded. My whole thing is that I can get a stans rim for less than $100 and beat the poop out of it and it works just fine. So now carbon rims are $600-$1200 for a single rim and has the high probability of breakage? Then you have ENVE say "whoops those rims were too stiff, but these are better" and you have reviews like this?

Review: Enve’s M735E Wheelset Fails Our Test

Why would I want to put up with that?

A lot of frames these days are stiff enough that you would want the compliance of a good set of aluminum wheels, no? Aside from price, the internal spokes on the Enves were always a show-stopper for me, what a pain in the ass to true a wheel. Surprised that they're failing like this though.
 

Magic

Formerly 1sh0t1b33r
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Since everyone says that light wheels make a world of different, would you rather have:
1. Aluminum frame with carbon wheels.
2. Carbon frame with aluminum wheels.
 

JDurk

Well-Known Member
I've been witness to a fellow rider's Enve wheel equipped Scalpel, while J.R.A. at Ceres Park and White Clay (I think?), blow a spoke in the rear wheel. The sound was shockingly loud. The nipple rifled through the rim tape and spewed sealant out of the spoke hole.
 

rick81721

Lothar
1910 grams, they are certainly not light....aluminum stans flow mk3's would be lighter. I mean I get they are intended for heavy enduro use, so the weight probably isnt key factor when buying. Like to me, these wheels are built for what @Ryan.P does at enduro races....not @rick81721 out there in the Florida sand ;) I would be shocked Rick if you would ever damage these short of a flat tire rock strike. I mean I am 180-185 lbs and I have been using 1280grm stans podiums...prior to that, 1350 gram valors....They can take a hell of a beating. I would also check out a set of CB7 arches, they can had for less than zipps, they are considerably lighter, stans warranty is pretty solid and man are they easy to mount tires too.

Great points - I had no idea you can get Al wheels that much lighter. Plus at a buck 50 I don't see myself ever blowing up carbon wheels. Just saved me $1200 - thanks!
 

Captain Brainstorm

Well-Known Member
Great points - I had no idea you can get Al wheels that much lighter. Plus at a buck 50 I don't see myself ever blowing up carbon wheels. Just saved me $1200 - thanks!

I weigh about 15lbs more than you, and when I was having a new wheel discussion at the LBS, I was seriously considering lighter, more expensive, carbon wheels. I'd been doing my research, and to actually get substantially lighter than aluminum, you had to spend some $$$. They told me that carbon wheels "are really not for you". Well, if they're not for me, I'd say they're not for a lot of people, because I'm not really doing anything that most others aren't doing. As a result of failures, I guess carbon wheel weights have been creeping up.
 

Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
I second the valors. I have around 2000 mikes on mine. I did manage to break one but in reality I am heavy for them and I don’t have “winter wheels”. I ride them all the time. I have bravos on my other bike and it’s the same. Easy to mount tires to. If any serious racing I’d stay away from crest mk3s as I have seen to many pull lots of spokes through. Should be fine for florida sand though.
 

choop

Well-Known Member
I went through 2 rear and 1 front Stans Crest MK3 in a year before I gave up and got Ibis carbons. They are pretty light, but only come in 32 hole drilling so you can’t get a super light build. While they are a bit heavier (30 wide internal) then the crests the are way more durable and I haven’t cracked a spoke drilling in almost a year of having them. The spin up fast at corner beautifully.
 
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