# Chinese Carbon Wheels



## Mapster1989 (27 Aug 2013)

Been looking at getting some carbon deep section wheels and I've come across some Chinese specials on eBay which are around £250 cheaper than the big name brands. 

Has anyone bought any of these and are they worth the money or am I better saving my money for some better 'branded' wheels?

Thanks.


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## jayonabike (27 Aug 2013)

As with anything in life, you get what you pay for.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (27 Aug 2013)

Have a look on roadbikereview.com. There's a whole section dedicated to chinese carbon parts and builds.

They seem to get on just fine.


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## Mr Haematocrit (27 Aug 2013)

I would never touch them. A guy from my club has them and in cross winds they are terrible, I borrowed them out of interest and would get hand built over these.
Save your money and buy Zipp, ENVE or if your on a smaller budget ffwd.


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## VamP (27 Aug 2013)

Are you looking for clinchers or tubs, and will you be taking them down any really long descents?


I think that, much like the crabon frames, the wheels are good value, but of a lesser finishing quality and perhaps a bit heavier due to higher resin content. Given the structural complexity of carbon clincher wheels, and their braking surfaces, I might hesitate before going that way.

I have just had a set of tubular Gigantex rims built up locally, and they are wonderful, but obviously not as cheap as the Chinese crabon. A thread on those here.


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## VamP (27 Aug 2013)

Mr Haematocrit said:


> I would never touch them. A guy from my club has them and in cross winds they are terrible, I borrowed them out of interest and would get hand built over these.
> Save your money and buy Zipp, ENVE or if your on a smaller budget ffwd.


 
It's worth mentioning that the widely used Planet X carbon wheels are Chinese rims.


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## Mr Haematocrit (27 Aug 2013)

VamP said:


> It's worth mentioning that the widely used Planet X carbon wheels are Chinese rims.


 
Im aware that the PlanetX rims are Chinese however I would think/hope/believe that they sourced from a particular supplier and had certain requirements. You should also take comfort in the fact that you have a company you can return to should anything go wrong.
A ebay seller can simply disappear and you have no real knowledge of the manufacturing conditions of the wheels, are they produced during a workers lunchtime behind and employers back, do they use a high grade carbon, how are they tested?, how often are they tested?, what safety standards do they meet and other things.

With something as structural as wheels, I think its false economy and unwise to put your safety at risk to save a couple of quid.
You can get some great safe wheels at most price ranges, the need for deep dish wheels is not one I consider necessary


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## Globalti (27 Aug 2013)

You'd do better spending your lolly on a good quality wheelset, which will be made of quality alloys and will be light, stiff, strong and repairable. 

Ksyrium SLs get my vote.


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## Herzog (27 Aug 2013)

VamP said:


> It's worth mentioning that the widely used Planet X carbon wheels are Chinese rims.


 
Indeed! I have a pair of 50mm and love 'em.


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## VamP (27 Aug 2013)

Globalti said:


> You'd do better spending your lolly on a good quality wheelset, which will be made of quality alloys and will be light, stiff, strong and repairable.
> 
> *Ksyrium SLs* get my vote.


 
Sorted it out for you there.

So if he's looking to get a cheap set of wheels to TT on, then the Ksyrium's are the best option for him?


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## Globalti (27 Aug 2013)

errr.... is that a trick question? They're hardly cheap!


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## Rob3rt (27 Aug 2013)

What VamP means is, if the OP is looking for a set of deep section wheels for a reason such as racing/TT'ing and has a limited budget, such they can't afford Zipp, ENVE, HED, FFWD etc and is looking for a "cheap" set of wheels for this purpose, are the Ksyrium really the best option?


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## ziggys101 (27 Aug 2013)

Well I got a pair of BladeX Pro 450C about 3 months ago and I love them, very stable even in pretty strong winds. They are not the cheapest and work out more expensive than planet X's cheapest wheel sets but having used both I much prefer the Bladex both for the ride and looks.

Don't get me wrong if I could justify paying the best part of 2k on wheels then I would have ZIPP 404's on my bike :-)

But on a budget I personally don't think you can go wrong with these.

http://www.bladexcycle.com/carbon-wheels/pro-road-carbon-wheels.


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## TonyEnjoyD (27 Aug 2013)

Was out with a mate the weekend and he had a set of deep rim carbon jobbie s on from China.
He paid £300 and has had loadsa probs with them.
One spoke broke and he had to get it specially made and shipped over from America.

As he said, buy cheap - buy twice.


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## oldroadman (27 Aug 2013)

All the above have good points. A UK based supplier with a good reputation will stand behind their products. Unbranded stuff off Ebay, no thanks. You would have no idea of the quality of the carbon, the mix, how it was produced, and no come back if it all went nasty.
As has been said, in most cases, you get what you pay for.


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## Mapster1989 (28 Aug 2013)

Thanks for all these valid points. 

You're right. I'm looking for some to do some TT's on initially and then race in the future. 

I have a Planet X bike at the moment so as you can tell my budget isn't massive hence why I ask about the eBay wheels. 

In response to an earlier question I live out in the Peaks so long descents will be had quite regularly. 

Thanks for all of your input so far.


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## jdtate101 (28 Aug 2013)

http://www.cycledivision.co.uk/product-info.php?pid138.html

These are supposedly very good and not a bad cost for a pair....


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## Pedrosanchezo (28 Aug 2013)

For budget i don't think you can better the Planet X's. Seem decent quality and Planet X stand by the product. Most importantly this means dealing with a UK company should problems occur. 

I have a set of 50's Tubular and they perform very well in many different scenarios. Best with the No Logo version's if you can get them.


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## VamP (29 Aug 2013)

Pedrosanchezo said:


> For budget i don't think you can better the Planet X's. Seem decent quality and Planet X stand by the product. Most importantly this means dealing with a UK company should problems occur.
> 
> I have a set of 50's Tubular and they perform very well in many different scenarios. Best with the No Logo version's if you can get them.


 
I paid £650 for my Gigantex rimmed handbuilts with Novatech hubs and CX Rays and they weigh in at 1300g. The PX tubulars are Chinese inferior rims, you don't know who built them, they come in with unbranded hubs and spokes, weigh 1421g and retail at £500.

As always the purchaser has to judge the value but to my mind there is no comparison.


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## Pedrosanchezo (29 Aug 2013)

VamP said:


> I paid £650 for my Gigantex rimmed handbuilts with Novatech hubs and CX Rays and they weigh in at 1300g. The PX tubulars are Chinese inferior rims, you don't know who built them, they come in with unbranded hubs and spokes, weigh 1421g and retail at £500.
> 
> As always the purchaser has to judge the value but to my mind there is no comparison.


I got them for £400. I would be over half the PX's again to buy Gigantex.

PX hubs have been rock solid so far and the wheels still true as bought. Put on decent rubber and you are £500 all in.
At that price, and decent performance, i cannot fault them.

If you have had both wheels then i can take your opinion based on experience, I am however still happy to ride the PX wheels often without fear of them falling to bits and having a warranty worth zilch - the latter i consider paramount and importing from China will be a risk.


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## VamP (29 Aug 2013)

Pedrosanchezo said:


> I got them for £400. I would be over half the PX's again to buy Gigantex.
> 
> PX hubs have been rock solid so far and the wheels still true as bought. Put on decent rubber and you are £500 all in.
> At that price, and decent performance, i cannot fault them.
> ...


 
Yeah at £400 they are not a bad option. Not sure if you can get them for that now though?

I believe that the PX hubs are actually Novatech too, although the problem with their own branded stuff, of course, is that they can change to another supplier without you being any the wiser.

If you've had them a while, they might even be Gigantex rims, as I believe that PX used them before they switched to Chinese suppliers. I think it's Carbontech they use mostly now, but don't take my word for it.

Of course, most of us will smash a rim rather than it falling apart by itself, and then low replacement cost becomes more important than warranty considerations. This was ultimately the main factor why I stopped looking at Zippp's/Enve's as I can replace a Gigantex rim for under £200. 

Another option for the OP is to get the rims directly from China, and have a local wheelbuilder build them up on kit of his choice. That takes out a fair bit of the uncertainty.


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## Pedrosanchezo (29 Aug 2013)

VamP said:


> Yeah at £400 they are not a bad option. Not sure if you can get them for that now though?
> 
> I believe that the PX hubs are actually Novatech too, although the problem with their own branded stuff, of course, is that they can change to another supplier without you being any the wiser.
> 
> ...


Did you get them from Wheelsmith's in Scotland? If not where did you get them? I very nearly bought a set of Gigantex, and it was my belief at the time that PX rims were Gigantex too, from Wheelsmiths in Larbert. I had some questions RE spec and the guy never replied very quickly (about 9 days to reply) so i went to PX instead. I would defo consider them for another bike in the future.

PX do their wheels on special a few times a year. they drop the price to £400. That's the time to buy.


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## VamP (29 Aug 2013)

Pedrosanchezo said:


> Did you get them from Wheelsmith's in Scotland? If not where did you get them? I very nearly bought a set of Gigantex, and it was my belief at the time that PX rims were Gigantex too, from Wheelsmiths in Larbert. I had some questions RE spec and the guy never replied very quickly (about 9 days to reply) so i went to PX instead. I would defo consider them for another bike in the future.
> 
> PX do their wheels on special a few times a year. they drop the price to £400. That's the time to buy.


 
No I got them through a local wheelbuilder, he worked out cheaper than Wheelsmith, and I could meet him easily and have a chat about spec.


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## VamP (29 Aug 2013)

Pedrosanchezo said:


> Did you get them from Wheelsmith's in Scotland? If not where did you get them? I very nearly bought a set of Gigantex, and it was my belief at the time that PX rims were Gigantex too, from Wheelsmiths in Larbert. I had some questions RE spec and the guy never replied very quickly (about 9 days to reply) so i went to PX instead. I would defo consider them for another bike in the future.
> 
> PX do their wheels on special a few times a year. they drop the price to £400. That's the time to buy.


 
No I got them through a local wheelbuilder, he worked out cheaper than Wheelsmith, and I could meet him easily and have a chat about spec.


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## Rob3rt (30 Aug 2013)

The problem with PX wheels is that you have to deal with PX, unless you buy second hand, in which case you have no warranty anyway so may as well go with Chinese specials if warranty is your concern.


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## Pedrosanchezo (30 Aug 2013)

Have nothing but praise for PX. Have bought many items from them and never had a problem. 

Similar to Ribble though, others have had different experiences. Such is life.


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## cervelo chic (30 Aug 2013)

I have raced and won on Chinese carbon imports (in cross winds and head winds), they perform well so not sure why people are so against them??
I cant stand my PX wheels, they don't feel as responsive as the Chinese ones and I certainly wouldn't race on them


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## Rob3rt (30 Aug 2013)

Most of the chinese rims will hardly vary from the PX rims in terms of design anyway, they are almost all "out of date" standard deep profile (V profile) rims. Most will be equally as lively in cross winds etc. They all basically rely on the deeper the more aero philosophy and I very much doubt many of them have any R&D behind their profile.


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## PhunkyPhil (30 Aug 2013)

I had 4 sets of wheels at the start of the month. I sold my planetX tubulars as I didn't like tubular tyres so have 3 pairs left.

I now have a £1300 pair of DuraAce C35 wheels, £1700 pair of Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLRs and a cheap set of 50mm Chinese imports.

I love the imports and don't have any more difficulty in the wind with these than my 52mm Mavic wheels. Like any wheels if you get a big side wind you will get blown about. I think they are fantastic value and mine came with spare spokes which are fairly standard anyway so getting spares will be easy.

There are plenty of posts on here and other forums where people have had problems with branded wheels and I think like everything in life you will get haters and lovers.

I was speaking to the people at my LBS and they commented how the Novatec hubs are easily serviced and I've not had any problems with the,.


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## grandmike (16 Feb 2014)

ziggys101 said:


> Well I got a pair of BladeX Pro 450C about 3 months ago and I love them, very stable even in pretty strong winds. They are not the cheapest and work out more expensive than planet X's cheapest wheel sets but having used both I much prefer the Bladex both for the ride and looks.
> 
> Don't get me wrong if I could justify paying the best part of 2k on wheels then I would have ZIPP 404's on my bike :-)
> 
> ...



Hi I just got to test out these clincher rims BladeX 450G , It has some serious safety issue . The Basalt coating caused the brake to be jammed under friction, causing my bike to lost control . I am using the brake pad provided from the manufacturer. 

Here is a video on it : http://www.mediafire.com/watch/y0496g1o78ddgac/20140215_162716.mp4.

Also , I have brought my bike to the shop and swapped brake pads and brake caliper , problem still persisted. The owner is kind enough to to let me try out a zipp 404 carbon clincher and true enough it is the basalt coating problem as the zipp 404 works perfect ! even with the brake pad provided .

Anyone has any experience on this ? I am thinking to get a full refund. I almost crashed head-on to a car because of this.

Please let me know your thoughts.


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## ziggys101 (16 Feb 2014)

grandmike said:


> Hi I just got to test out these clincher rims BladeX 450G , It has some serious safety issue . The Basalt coating caused the brake to be jammed under friction, causing my bike to lost control . I am using the brake pad provided from the manufacturer.
> 
> Here is a video on it : http://www.mediafire.com/watch/y0496g1o78ddgac/20140215_162716.mp4.
> 
> ...



Wow, No did about 1000 miles on the BladeX 450C last summer and no issues at all, if you contact them from what I've seen on their facebook account the after service is pretty good.


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## sean8997 (16 Feb 2014)

Sportpursuit.com have Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLS WTS wheelsets on offer at the mo at £686 thinking about a set of these myself


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## Mr Haematocrit (16 Feb 2014)

grandmike said:


> Hi I just got to test out these clincher rims BladeX 450G , It has some serious safety issue . The Basalt coating caused the brake to be jammed under friction, causing my bike to lost control .



I ran into the back of someone ages ago at Hillingdon circuit with BladeX, looked liked he just braked really hard in an unexpected area. He said the brakes jammed.
No idea if its related


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## jojjo74 (4 Jul 2014)

ziggys101 said:


> Wow, No did about 1000 miles on the BladeX 450C last summer and no issues at all, if you contact them from what I've seen on their facebook account the after service is pretty good.


Hi,
I´m thinking about ordering Bladex 438GC or 450GC. Are you still satisfied with the wheels? It seems to be very good wheels at an affordable price. I´m just a little concerned about break issues. But I have only seen one comment with that problem. Otherwise the wheels has very good reviews.


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## ziggys101 (4 Jul 2014)

jojjo74 said:


> Hi,
> I´m thinking about ordering Bladex 438GC or 450GC. Are you still satisfied with the wheels? It seems to be very good wheels at an affordable price. I´m just a little concerned about break issues. But I have only seen one comment with that problem. Otherwise the wheels has very good reviews.



Absolutely, the only issue I've had is a broken spoke and they send you a number of spares with the wheels so that was easily solved :-). I would have no hesitation in getting another pair in the future.


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## jowwy (4 Jul 2014)

Im getting a pair in 50mm 23mm wide for the 29er.........just cause they look bling and are very light, disc brakes too, so no worries on braking surface


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## jojjo74 (23 Jul 2014)

ziggys101 said:


> Absolutely, the only issue I've had is a broken spoke and they send you a number of spares with the wheels so that was easily solved :-). I would have no hesitation in getting another pair in the future.


Ok, thanks. I ordered a pair of 450GC it will be very interesting to test them when they arrive.


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## idahocycle (12 Aug 2014)

I know this thread hasn't been active in a bit here is my experience with bladex
i was descending a 6 percent grade at about 50Mph when i developed an issue in the rear wheel got the bike slowed down to 15 mph when the rear wheel locked up and blew the tire the rim had de-laminated in about a 2 inch section. contacted bladex and was told i needed to ship it back but they felt I hit something customer service with these guys suck
as i explained that if i had hit something hard enough to do that i would have been on the ground and that it was a faulty brake strip
ataching a pic for your thoughts


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## Pedrosanchezo (12 Aug 2014)

idahocycle said:


> I know this thread hasn't been active in a bit here is my experience with bladex
> i was descending a 6 percent grade at about 50Mph when i developed an issue in the rear wheel got the bike slowed down to 15 mph when the rear wheel locked up and blew the tire the rim had de-laminated in about a 2 inch section. contacted bladex and was told i needed to ship it back but they felt I hit something customer service with these guys suck
> as i explained that if i had hit something hard enough to do that i would have been on the ground and that it was a faulty brake strip
> ataching a pic for your thoughts
> View attachment 53126


Clincher?

Edit: I only ask as i haven't heard of these problems with Carbon tubs but i have with Clinchers. It's to do with braking temps and the rims delaminating at the braking surface.


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## idahocycle (19 Aug 2014)

Pedrosanchezo said:


> Clincher?
> 
> Edit: I only ask as i haven't heard of these problems with Carbon tubs but i have with Clinchers. It's to do with braking temps and the rims delaminating at the braking surface.


yes it was a clincher
my thoughts as well on the brake strip delaminating although they claim the basalt braking strip takes a higher heat


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## Herzog (19 Aug 2014)

idahocycle said:


> ...they claim the basalt braking strip takes a higher heat



It's guff. Cheap carbon clinchers and descents are a very bad idea.

Glad you're OK!


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## jdtate101 (21 Aug 2014)

One of the reasons why I saved up for a while and got the Mavic 40C's. I was worried about brake heat, but so far I'm really happy with them. not the lightest, but they're backed by MP3 cover for 3yrs (£1 for the cover via the mavic website) and they have proven braking heat resilience.


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