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Buying Carbon rims

Hi
Does anyone have any advice regarding buying carbon rims from China, there seems to be many suppliers, I have used gigantex rims before, these seem to be of decent quality but am unable to find a supplier for these. Grateful for any advice.
many thanks

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18 comments

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700c | 9 years ago
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The concern for me would be dubious/ non existent safety certification/ warranty and customer service in the event of a problem. I could be grossly generalizing, but would anticipate lower quality and higher risk of failure among the direct Chinese suppliers online. Notwithstanding the positive reports your hear about companies such as FarSports of their customer service during the buying process.

I would also consider carbon clinchers a greater risk than tubulars, as they may not have cracked that particular nut of heat build up on long descents..

One of the things that persuaded me to by a big-brand carbon wheel two years ago was their warranty and crash replacement policy, plus unique technology that had gone into the manufacture. I got a good reduction from RRP (but even then still expensive), but you're paying for peace of mind I suppose.

Interesting article in latest 'Cyclist' Magazine about the darker side of the Chinese carbon bike industry

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Cyclist | 9 years ago
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Farsports 50mm, excellent value and quality.

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TheFatAndTheFurious | 9 years ago
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Road.cc blogger Sam Shaw blogged about buying FarSports 38mm rims in Feb last year (http://road.cc/content/blog/110047-chinese-revolutions), and provided one update in May (http://road.cc/content/blog/117866-38mm-far-sports-carbon-wheels-update-1), but since then no more feedback.

Sam - anything new to report?

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SamShaw replied to TheFatAndTheFurious | 9 years ago
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neildmoss wrote:

Road.cc blogger Sam Shaw blogged about buying FarSports 38mm rims in Feb last year (http://road.cc/content/blog/110047-chinese-revolutions), and provided one update in May (http://road.cc/content/blog/117866-38mm-far-sports-carbon-wheels-update-1), but since then no more feedback.

Sam - anything new to report?

I've got a last update in the pipeline. I damaged the rear rim, the carbon held up thought and I rode it for a while like that. I got a new rim from Farsports (still to be put on) and at the same time got a new set of their wider rimmed wheels.

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tandellcycling | 9 years ago
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Far Sport carbon rims and wheels are awesome,be proud of Chinese carbon products

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Carlosfoznango | 9 years ago
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Another recommendation for Farsports. Easy to communicate via email, one week to send another waiting for uk customs. Wheels well made, still true after over 1000 miles. I weigh 84Kg, the wheels weigh 1280g. They come with titanium skewers and carbon specific brake blocks.

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zanf | 9 years ago
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I have a pair of 50mm aeros with Powerway hubs from Velobuild.com. They roll really nice and at around $450(ish) cant beat the price.

//i.imgur.com/vS81G32.jpg)

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wheelz | 9 years ago
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I got a pair of pair of far sport 38 mm wheels too, they have been faultless.

Good people to deal with too, I had numerous emails go back and forth sorting what type of wheel set I wanted.

Cant recommend them high enough.  41

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oxygendebt replied to wheelz | 9 years ago
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wheelz wrote:

I got a pair of pair of far sport 38 mm wheels too, they have been faultless.

Good people to deal with too, I had numerous emails go back and forth sorting what type of wheel set I wanted.

Cant recommend them high enough.  41

+1. Bought 38mm wheels from Farsports in the spring and have had 2,500k on them this summer. Good price, delivered when they said, true (and have remained so) and plenty light and fast.

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FMOAB | 9 years ago
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I bought the Farsport 60mm tubular wheelset a few months ago. They're not the cheapest of the Chinese options, but I reckon a large part of this is because they use quality Sapim spokes and nipples. They are pretty light at just under 1400g for the pair and were true out of the box and the Bitex hubs are very smooth running.

Apart from the Sapim spokes, in terms of the product I was also attracted by the high temperature braking surface. In terms of the company, they appealed to me because in an online Q&A section on their (awful) website, they refuse to do ripoff Zipp or any other brand transfers despite custom transfers being an option. To my mind they are a company trying to build their brand, which has to be worth supporting.

Delivery was prompt. I think the wheels were with me within two weeks and were well packed.

I've just realised that this sounds like an advert, but apart from their clunky website, I've been really impressed with their product. Would I use them again, unquestionably, yes.

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leqin replied to FMOAB | 9 years ago
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FMOAB wrote:

In terms of the company, they appealed to me because in an online Q&A section on their (awful) website, they refuse to do ripoff Zipp or any other brand transfers despite custom transfers being an option. To my mind they are a company trying to build their brand, which has to be worth supporting.

A few months ago, when I was building up the new bike that I am riding, one of the things I seriously researched was whether it was worthwhile sourcing my wheels from a Chinese company and I have to admit that you get great value for money with many using quality hubs, spokes and nipples with their own rim or a bought in part. The plain and simple fact that so many of those same companies have no problem with applying decals from another brand such as Campagnolo or Zipp or Vision onto their own wheels was a total switch off and for that reason I bought closer to home - eventually I ended up with a FFWD handbuilt set and am tremendously happy with them, even if they cost me more.

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The _Kaner | 9 years ago
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Tubs always look better than clinchers, especially on CF wheels...Nice bike BTW Cliffg...liking the 'dragster' stance with the different rim sizes...

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Eg3ftp1 | 9 years ago
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I also got a pair of the farsports 38mms at the start of this season, and I think they're brilliant. I went for the 25mm wide ones for the supposed aero and clearly noticeable comfort improvement. 23mm tires fit on perfectly with a slight widening but smooth transition from tire to rim. Also splashed out on the DT Swiss hubs, at it seems to be about the cheapest way to buy these.

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rickm replied to Eg3ftp1 | 9 years ago
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Thanks for the reply, just looked at the farsports site, plenty of options and not bad prices
thanks
Rick

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Cliffg | 9 years ago
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I've recently taken delivery of some of these: http://www.wheelsfar.com/road-wheels/tubular/50t/38mm-x-20-5mm-clincher-...

Done around 500 miles so far and really happy with them. Using SwissStop yellow pads, braking performance has been great - not had any really wet rides yet only the odd bit of rain.

Went for 50mm on rear and 38mm on front - purely a cosmetic choice as I like the split size look. Ride then in quite strong winds and had no issue with handling.

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rickm replied to Cliffg | 9 years ago
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Thanks for the reply, that is an impressive looking machine, love the colour coordination.
Rick

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Dobbo31 replied to Cliffg | 9 years ago
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Cliffg wrote:

I've recently taken delivery of some of these: http://www.wheelsfar.com/road-wheels/tubular/50t/38mm-x-20-5mm-clincher-...

Done around 500 miles so far and really happy with them. Using SwissStop yellow pads, braking performance has been great - not had any really wet rides yet only the odd bit of rain.

Went for 50mm on rear and 38mm on front - purely a cosmetic choice as I like the split size look. Ride then in quite strong winds and had no issue with handling.

Looks great Cliff, are you racing with them or sportive riding?

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getfast (not verified) replied to Cliffg | 9 years ago
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