KULT wheels input needed

Quoted message said:

I am fixing up my old road bike. I needed a new set of wheels. Any
input on these wheels would be much appreciated -
http://www.kultbike.com/shop/wheels-NP.html.

These wheels are up on ebay for around $210. I am a recreational rider
and will be using the bike for weekend rides outside the city.

Thanks

Will they get you laid? Are you under 2 seconds off the podium in what
ever category you race?

If not then forget the boutique [censored] and get a set of 32 or 36 cross 3s
that might last you many years.

Quoted message said:

I am fixing up my old road bike. I needed a new set of wheels. Any
input on these wheels would be much appreciated -
http://www.kultbike.com/shop/wheels-NP.html.

These wheels are up on ebay for around $210. I am a recreational rider
and will be using the bike for weekend rides outside the city.

Thanks

I would worry about the long term reliability of the hubs...no name
type with perhaps unique to this wheel parts, like the freehub body.
For about the same $, a local wheel builder can make you a set with
veloce/105 hubs and Velocity rims for about the same $...wee bit more...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I am fixing up my old road bike. I needed a new set of wheels. Any
input on these wheels would be much appreciated -
http://www.kultbike.com/shop/wheels-NP.html.

These wheels are up on ebay for around $210. I am a recreational rider
and will be using the bike for weekend rides outside the city.

Thanks

Will they get you laid?

Wheels can do that?

"The amazing power of boutique wheels!"

Mark J.

Thanks for the opinions.

Quoted message said:

Any
input on these wheels would be much appreciated -

They *look* like they'd be pretty fragile with so few spokes (18/24)
and not a very beefy rim. Aluminum freehub body tends to get gouged
easily. Really no idea of the quality of any of the parts.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

I am fixing up my old road bike. I needed a new set of wheels. Any
input on these wheels would be much appreciated -
http://www.kultbike.com/shop/wheels-NP.html.

These wheels are up on ebay for around $210. I am a recreational rider
and will be using the bike for weekend rides outside the city.

Thanks

Unlike most of your respondees, I actually have a set.

With the usual tedious caveat that for non-racers, boring old
box-section rims laced to 32+ spokes are the right choice, these are my
racing wheels.

They are hand-built by a local mechanic of some repute, and they work
fine. The only functional problems I've had with them are the two (!)
times in two years that a race incident has wrecked spokes in the rear
wheel. Purchasing replacement spokes is no problem (they're standard
bladed spokes) and I can get them directly from the designer/importer in
town here. I think I had a problem with a loosened-off stop nut at one
point, which may have been a crash casualty, and which was fixed by
tightening up the stop nut.

Hubs are quite serviceable:
http://www.kultbike.com/shop/technical.html

My club-mate has run some tests on them:

http://bikephysics.com/results.htm

His opinion seems to be that the Kults are astonishingly light and
aerodynamic for their price, but that the Neuvations are a better
compromise of price (worse than Kult), performance (not as light or aero
as Kult), and quality (better than Kult).

I'm not kind to my wheels: I drop curbs on these things as happily as I
would on my commuter machines or my heavier wheels.

So if you're looking for some cheap race-day or race-and-training
wheels, I think you'll like them. But for your weekend rides needs, I
believe there are more appropriate choices.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

On Fri, 18 Aug 2006 06:31:38 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

I am fixing up my old road bike. I needed a new set of wheels. Any
input on these wheels would be much appreciated -
http://www.kultbike.com/shop/wheels-NP.html.

These wheels are up on ebay for around $210. I am a recreational rider
and will be using the bike for weekend rides outside the city.

Thanks

Unlike most of your respondees, I actually have a set.

With the usual tedious caveat that for non-racers, boring old
box-section rims laced to 32+ spokes are the right choice, these are my
racing wheels.

They are hand-built by a local mechanic of some repute, and they work
fine. The only functional problems I've had with them are the two (!)
times in two years that a race incident has wrecked spokes in the rear
wheel. Purchasing replacement spokes is no problem (they're standard
bladed spokes) and I can get them directly from the designer/importer in
town here. I think I had a problem with a loosened-off stop nut at one
point, which may have been a crash casualty, and which was fixed by
tightening up the stop nut.

Hubs are quite serviceable:
http://www.kultbike.com/shop/technical.html

My club-mate has run some tests on them:

http://bikephysics.com/results.htm

His opinion seems to be that the Kults are astonishingly light and
aerodynamic for their price, but that the Neuvations are a better
compromise of price (worse than Kult), performance (not as light or aero
as Kult), and quality (better than Kult).

I'm not kind to my wheels: I drop curbs on these things as happily as I
would on my commuter machines or my heavier wheels.

So if you're looking for some cheap race-day or race-and-training
wheels, I think you'll like them. But for your weekend rides needs, I
believe there are more appropriate choices.

Dear Ryan,

Thanks for a link to an interesting set of tests:

http://bikephysics.com/results.htm

I added up the worst and best wheels for watts to maintain about 18
and 30 mph:

50kmh 50kmh 30kmh 30kmh
best worst best worst
watts watts watts watts
front 2.14 4.79 0.53 1.31
rear 2.45 3.31 0.64 1.84
---- ---- ---- ---- ----
total 4.59 8.10 1.17 3.15
-4.59 -1.17
----- -----
3.51 1.98 = 5.49 watts max total difference

For a racer, the possible 5.5 watt difference may matter--as long as
he doesn't lose it from his legs thrashing, head bobbing, or any of
the other details that afflict bicycle wheels that travel in the
company of riders who weigh up to ten times as much as their bikes.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Carl commented, in part:

Quoted message said:

....details that afflict bicycle wheels that travel in the
company of riders who weigh up to ten times as much as their bikes.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Ten times, hah! I say, damn lightweights! Try 13 times! And Chalo,
well, fugedabowdit!

D'ohBoy, whose Mommy always said he was just big-boned.

Quoted message said:

On Fri, 18 Aug 2006 06:31:38 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

I am fixing up my old road bike. I needed a new set of wheels. Any
input on these wheels would be much appreciated -
http://www.kultbike.com/shop/wheels-NP.html.

Unlike most of your respondees, I actually have a set.

With the usual tedious caveat that for non-racers, boring old
box-section rims laced to 32+ spokes are the right choice, these are my
racing wheels.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My club-mate has run some tests on them:

http://bikephysics.com/results.htm

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

So if you're looking for some cheap race-day or race-and-training
wheels, I think you'll like them. But for your weekend rides needs, I
believe there are more appropriate choices.

Dear Ryan,

Thanks for a link to an interesting set of tests:

http://bikephysics.com/results.htm

I added up the worst and best wheels for watts to maintain about 18
and 30 mph:

Quoted message said:

----- -----
3.51 1.98 = 5.49 watts max total difference

For a racer, the possible 5.5 watt difference may matter--as long as
he doesn't lose it from his legs thrashing, head bobbing, or any of
the other details that afflict bicycle wheels that travel in the
company of riders who weigh up to ten times as much as their bikes.

Danny Coyle notes that when he was racing, Armstrong had an advantage
over his top rivals (read: Ullrich) of about 10 watts.

http://www.booknoise.net/armstrong/qanda.html

It seems to have made a difference.

I recommend "Lance Armstrong's War" to all bike racing fans. Also, "The
Rider" by Krabbe.

As I said, chasing 5W differences is madness for tourists and charity
riders. It's not entirely insane among bike racers, and it's worth
noting that these Kult wheels are now down around the price of
well-built traditional wheels. At that price, the relatively minor
compromises (since Jobst isn't around, I feel safe in asserting that
unassisted spoke breakage is rare, and rarely worth worrying about as a
wheel-choice issue) become something of a wash with the relatively
minor benefits.

But still, 1500g wheelset. That's pretty fancy territory for a pair of
clincher wheels, and I don't think there's anything comparable at
anything close to the price of the Kults.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

On Fri, 18 Aug 2006 06:31:38 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] wrote:

> I am fixing up my old road bike. I needed a new set of wheels. Any
> input on these wheels would be much appreciated -
> http://www.kultbike.com/shop/wheels-NP.html.
Unlike most of your respondees, I actually have a set.

With the usual tedious caveat that for non-racers, boring old
box-section rims laced to 32+ spokes are the right choice, these are my
racing wheels.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My club-mate has run some tests on them:

http://bikephysics.com/results.htm

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

So if you're looking for some cheap race-day or race-and-training
wheels, I think you'll like them. But for your weekend rides needs, I
believe there are more appropriate choices.

Dear Ryan,

Thanks for a link to an interesting set of tests:

http://bikephysics.com/results.htm

I added up the worst and best wheels for watts to maintain about 18
and 30 mph:

Quoted message said:

----- -----
3.51 1.98 = 5.49 watts max total difference

For a racer, the possible 5.5 watt difference may matter--as long as
he doesn't lose it from his legs thrashing, head bobbing, or any of
the other details that afflict bicycle wheels that travel in the
company of riders who weigh up to ten times as much as their bikes.

Danny Coyle notes that when he was racing, Armstrong had an advantage
over his top rivals (read: Ullrich) of about 10 watts.

http://www.booknoise.net/armstrong/qanda.html

It seems to have made a difference.

I recommend "Lance Armstrong's War" to all bike racing fans. Also, "The
Rider" by Krabbe.

As I said, chasing 5W differences is madness for tourists and charity
riders. It's not entirely insane among bike racers, and it's worth
noting that these Kult wheels are now down around the price of
well-built traditional wheels. At that price, the relatively minor
compromises (since Jobst isn't around, I feel safe in asserting that
unassisted spoke breakage is rare, and rarely worth worrying about as a
wheel-choice issue) become something of a wash with the relatively
minor benefits.

But still, 1500g wheelset. That's pretty fancy territory for a pair of
clincher wheels, and I don't think there's anything comparable at
anything close to the price of the Kults.

Which tells you that they cut some corners. I had (have but don't
ride) a pair of FSA RD400s which weigh about 150 grams more but look
very similar, and I broke maybe six spokes -- three front and three
rear. That was in less than 1,000 miles. Within only fifty miles, my
rear wheel went slack, and I had to wobbled home. Because they have
hidden nipples, my handy key-ring spoke wrench was useless. I sent the
wheels back to the factory (I have to say they were very polite). They
had QC problems I was told. I got a new pair. Within 50 miles, the
rear wheel went slack. I brought the special spoke wrench this time
but still wobbled home. I quit riding the rear wheel and went back to
my works-perfectly-well, personally built Aerohead OC rear wheel. I
still rode the FSA front wheel for a while, until I broke another
spoke. They were generous and sent me a replacement. Those wheels are
now sitting on a bike that I am trying to sell. I am sure some 150lb
guy will love them to death. -- Jay Beattie.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Jay Beattie said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

On Fri, 18 Aug 2006 06:31:38 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]>
wrote:

>In article <[email hidden]>,
> [email hidden] wrote:
>
>> I am fixing up my old road bike. I needed a new set of wheels. Any
>> input on these wheels would be much appreciated -
>> http://www.kultbike.com/shop/wheels-NP.html.
>Unlike most of your respondees, I actually have a set.
>
>With the usual tedious caveat that for non-racers, boring old
>box-section rims laced to 32+ spokes are the right choice, these are my
>racing wheels.

Quoted message said:

>My club-mate has run some tests on them:
>
>http://bikephysics.com/results.htm

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

But still, 1500g wheelset. That's pretty fancy territory for a pair of
clincher wheels, and I don't think there's anything comparable at
anything close to the price of the Kults.

Which tells you that they cut some corners. I had (have but don't

I think they mostly cut the LBS: the components are all spec'd and
sourced from somewhere in Asia (probably Taiwan), but the wheel building
seems to have been done reasonably well. The eBay sellers you see are
the design-and-marketing staff. I'm

Quoted message said:

ride) a pair of FSA RD400s which weigh about 150 grams more but look
very similar, and I broke maybe six spokes -- three front and three
rear. That was in less than 1,000 miles. Within only fifty miles, my
rear wheel went slack, and I had to wobbled home. Because they have
hidden nipples, my handy key-ring spoke wrench was useless. I sent the
wheels back to the factory (I have to say they were very polite). They
had QC problems I was told. I got a new pair. Within 50 miles, the
rear wheel went slack. I brought the special spoke wrench this time
but still wobbled home. I quit riding the rear wheel and went back to
my works-perfectly-well, personally built Aerohead OC rear wheel. I
still rode the FSA front wheel for a while, until I broke another
spoke. They were generous and sent me a replacement. Those wheels are
now sitting on a bike that I am trying to sell. I am sure some 150lb
guy will love them to death. -- Jay Beattie.

The Kults have no hidden nipples. Standard bladed spokes, brass nipples,
sockets on the front wheel but not the rear.

Meanwhile, a club-mate sold me a set of very normal-looking wheels for a
song, because he was having chronic spoke-breakage problems with them.

Tensioning and truing them ended the spoke-breakage.

I remember one other problem I had with the wheels: a nonspecific creak.
On the advice of my club-mate (same one doing the bike tests), I lubed
the pawls with a very small amount of grease. End of creak.

Regarding durability, I raced cyclocross on these things, badly. No
problems. The guy who got his handlebar stuck in my rear wheel? That
broke four spokes, but the rim is okay.

I don't have any fiduciary interest in the company. They're local to me,
and they offer local club racers (including me) some pretty good deals
on these wheels (I think I paid more than the eBay going rate, though)
and some nice tires (Kenda Kaliente). So I like them.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos