Chinese carbon (wheels)

I know of one rider I ride with who bought a set from China, cost $460 delivered, complete wheels. After several hundred miles he had some problems with the spokes, one broke, wheels would not stay true. A LBS rebuilt the wheels, using the same spokes, just replacing the broken one and once properly assembled, they have been fine for many months. I forgot the numbers, but the wheels weigh more then the Ebay add stated. I think it was about 20% more

Mr645 said:

I know of one rider I ride with who bought a set from China, cost $460 delivered, complete wheels. After several hundred miles he had some problems with the spokes, one broke, wheels would not stay true. A LBS rebuilt the wheels, using the same spokes, just replacing the broken one and once properly assembled, they have been fine for many months. I forgot the numbers, but the wheels weigh more then the Ebay add stated. I think it was about 20% more

That is why it is very important to check the website from which you bought the product. There are many websites providing the cycle parts. Most of them are reputed but few of them sell old repolished products. You should always check the reputation of a specific site before buying the products from that site.

Mavic Cosmics are on sale for $900-$1100 all the time...just sayin'.

The Chicom stuff is 'decent'. Nothing more. The spoke tension may need to be evened up to keep them rolling, but that's no big deal. The major problem, based on what I've seen of them and it's a small sample size, is durability. They don't hold up well under the heavier or the more powerful riders. They also crack a little easier from impact damage...maybe.

A 190# friend popped an asphalt joint (1" to 2" step up of freshly laid pavement) and cracked the el cheapo rear rim. No crash or injury, but buh bye wheel.

Again, take that very informal 'data' with a grain or two of salt. Who hasn't seen a $1000 Zipp wasted in an 'easy' crit fall? It happens to the best of them.

As far as aero goes, I'm sure the latest Zipp's and Mavics and <insert favorite high zoot wheel set here> have better drag numbers and Pro rider so-and-so says they handle better in cross winds, but I don't have a wind tunnel so...who knows?

Braking and rim sidewall durability? The Chicom cheapies as not the best in slowing according to guys using the factory supplied pads. Swiss Stops do improve that, but there is still the question of heat and distortion for those living in the mountains and for riders that can not bomb down descents like Fabian. For that, alone, it's worth spending a few hundred more for safety and security.

For warranty and service it's a no brainer to go with a known brand and a dealer representing them locally. Worse case scenario you toss them through his plate glass showroom window. A crash replacement policy or partial replacement might be worth paying that extra money up front.

Sorry if this is a bit off subject, but a word about warranties or guarantees - many years ago I had some double glazing fitted by a well-known, large company: affiliated to this and that trade body, backed by this and that organization, five year guarantee, etc. After a few months the door broke and could not be opened, so I contacted the company who couldn't be bothered to fix it. I went to a solicitor who told me that a, his fee would be way over what a replacement door would be, and b, guarantees are not worth the paper that they are printed on. He told me that guarantees rely on the company protecting their good name, so if the company are not bothered about that there is realistically nothing that you can do. Ever since than I've not been impressed by guarantees.

As a foot note, I had some more double glazing done by another company and two months before the guarantee ran out one of the window handles broke. I rang the company and they came next day and replaced all the handles, after almost five years. Not bad a?

So...warranties can be good or they can be worthless. Got it.

I'll still choose to take my chances with the outfit with a good rep every time. I bought some Wilier bicycles from an outfit, Competitive Cyclist, after doing some research on how well a few online resellers handled customer service claims. Lo and behold, two years into riding the first Wilier the frame developed a crack. In a word, my claim was well 'handled'. New frame dispatched. Happy customer. Customer continues to buy more bicycles from said reseller.

Maybe Won Hung Lo in Chengdu would treat me as well. Maybe not. It was a much shorter drive to CC regardless.

With what little I know about no name carbon wheels durability there is no way I'm willing to take a chance on customer service. Tossing $400 into the fire isn't the end of the world, but I put a high priority on not doing a face plant because my inferior carbon wheel failed at speed. No, I'm no one's mother and I really don't care if any one else buys a particular product. Their money. Their life. Other riders can vote with their wallets and I wish them a safe and economical path to higher speeds and aerodynamic success.

Like I said, you can always do 'something' though when it comes to getting a specified warranty claim resolved. Lobbing a faulty product through the plate glass window of the local thief...er...corporate representative is not legal, but might even the match score. Sort of hard to do if the local rep is in Chengdu, China.

The Chicoms build some very, very good carbon products for the bicycle industry and for the highly critical aviation industry. They also build some absolute [censored]. The OP needs to decide upon a path. My advice is that if $400+ doesn't matter much, go for it. It is also that if you can swing a little more money...go for a name brand that backs their product or at least has a wealthy owner you can sue for your dental implants after the crash. That's a joke...sort of. JH for the plaintiff!

I do remember a guy that...uh...let's not talk about that. What happened at the dealership stays at the dealership.

Legal disclaimer: The employees of the CampyBob Institute For Wheel Buying Advice and Warranty Negotiation Strategies does not condone the use of violence, recommend the destruction of public or private property nor does it support Carbon Riders' Lives Matter.

Last September I decided to bite the bullet and lash out some of my hard earned on a set. As I was on a limited budget I decided ebay would present me with the best deals and settled on a company called cn*carbon wheels and ordered a set of 50mm carbon clinchers with ceramic bearings for $608.00 AUD.
Any correspondence with the seller prior to ordering usually took a day or two due mostly to the time difference and was only possible through messages on ebay or email.
Once ordered the wheels took about three weeks to arrive and I have to say I was pretty damn excited when they showed up at the post office for me to pick up.
I had them on the bike that night and couldn’t wait till the next day when I could take them out for a spin.
On ride one I was pretty chuffed they looked the goods the only criticism I had was that the holes which the valves went through were a little oversized and allowed the valve to rattle around making things sound a quite agricultural.
Ride two was also fun and the wheels felt good on the road.
After ride three the wheels didn’t actually fall of but started to look like they might. Holes had developed on the braking surface of the front wheel and had started to show on the back. It looked as though there had been air bubbles just under the surface and breaking quickly heated and wore through the thin layer which covered them and exposed the cavity which they created.

Not happy, what happens now? I was always concerned about how things would pan out should there ever be a problem. My first email came back with a reply saying that if I paid for return postage they would fix the front wheel, when I told them this was unacceptable as both wheels were faulty I never heard from them again, even after several more emails from me. Thankfully Pay Pal came to the party and I got my money back in full but get this only after I paid return post and provided a receipt showing such. The whole thing took weeks
I wasn't deterred from Carbon rims so I eventually bought another set from a real person that had a phone number and I could speak to and an outlet that I could call in to, any questions were answered and I was even advised on how to set them up on the bike (by the wheel builder). The wheels cost a bit more around $1300 AUD but were worth it and I love them.
My advice would be if you don't have money to waste buy them from a real person that stands behind their product.

Personally I wouldn't buy anything directly from China, but that's just me...but I'm so bad I try my best not to buy anything made in China sold in USA stores, but I know that's impossible to do all the time.