Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

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jaseyjase
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby jaseyjase » Tue May 21, 2013 1:11 pm

Crawf wrote:
jaseyjase wrote:if anyone has a 54cm FM066 frame/fork they want to sell please let me know, new/used i dont mind.

English BB and mechanical please
What about an 54 098, including int Di2 battery and Di2 cables? :)
hehe na, i like cervelos more then specialized :wink:

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black4tress
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby black4tress » Sat Jun 01, 2013 12:50 pm

Guys - I posted this up on the Roadbikereview forum but thought it may be of use here also.......

Was particularly interested in the Farsports wheels and communication etc. Most seemed to come out positive so I purchased a set recently from Smart at Farsports. Received them last week so heres some background info and my take on them. I'm a casual rider from Sydney (approx 200ks a week) and only 65kg in weight. No racing yet but the odd cyclosportif rides and can avg 35km/hr over 100km ride. Riding a Look 595 and in past owned DA 7850, Fulcrum 1s and Zipp 303 clinchers (Alu). Now running on 303 Firecrest Tubs. So I needed a set of carbon clinchers for compatibility with my 303s. Fed up with changing brake pads, and needed something to use on the home trainer plus those shortish (and wet) rides. Tubular tyres seem to wear out quicker and theyre not cheap. Hence the need for a set of carbon clinchers.
Purchased:
Farsports 50mm x 25mm
Basalt braking surface
Matt 3k
Edhub Ceramics
Sapim Cx spokes
Paid: $780AUD via Paypal

Received in good order, boxed up well and relatively quick (approx 10 days from payment).
Dealt with Smart. Communication throughout was great. No issues at all.

Ride verdict.
So far I have only been out on 2 rides totally 150kms. I understand that the break in period is atleast 200ks but I will provide my experience anyhow.
Using Swisstop yellow and titanium skewers(provided)

Carbon rim surface looks great, wheels true and seem to be of good build quality, however I did notice a small imperfection on the braking surface (size of a pen tip).
Hubs are silky smooth and roll extremely well. Can't really comment on how they deal with crosswinds as we've had relatively calm weather lately.
Weight came in at 1425gm(not including skewers)
Wheels are stiff, stiffer then my previous Dura Ace wheels and very close to the 303s.
Braking is good with the swisstop yellows with very minimal squealing, however the only qualm I have at this stage is when braking, front and rear are shuttering/pulsating (not sure if thats the right term). Its as if the braking surface is not smooth and slightly warped.
If this is somehow miraculously fixed by the next ride, which I doubt then these would be a fantastic set of wheels at the price.
Compared to my 303s which have been faultless after 5 months of use - although they are almost 3 times the cost.

So theres my initial review of these - hope it helps people out there in making an informed decision.

I believe the braking shuttering is a fault of the rims as I've not had this issue with any of my other wheelsets. Not sure what can be done and whether I need to somehow advise Farsports. Any suggestions on this would be great.......

Thanks
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warthog1
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby warthog1 » Sat Jun 01, 2013 1:25 pm

Thanks for the review black fort.
How bad is the braking shudder? Is it fairly annoying only, or dangerous?
Have you tried toeing out the brake pads a bit? ie place a thin piece of cardboard or plastic between the rim and leading edge of the pad before you nip them up in the caliper.
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darkelf921
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby darkelf921 » Sat Jun 01, 2013 2:26 pm

Definitely let Farsports know. From memory their warranty s 12 months but after the first month you have to pay shipping back to them.

Definitely mention the imperfection.

My Farsport wheels (clinchers with alloy braking surface) have now done about 5000kms. I'll be buying another set when they need replacing.
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jcjordan
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby jcjordan » Sat Jun 01, 2013 6:31 pm

black4tress wrote:Guys - I posted this up on the Roadbikereview forum but thought it may be of use here also.......

Was particularly interested in the Farsports wheels and communication etc. Most seemed to come out positive so I purchased a set recently from Smart at Farsports. Received them last week so heres some background info and my take on them. I'm a casual rider from Sydney (approx 200ks a week) and only 65kg in weight. No racing yet but the odd cyclosportif rides and can avg 35km/hr over 100km ride. Riding a Look 595 and in past owned DA 7850, Fulcrum 1s and Zipp 303 clinchers (Alu). Now running on 303 Firecrest Tubs. So I needed a set of carbon clinchers for compatibility with my 303s. Fed up with changing brake pads, and needed something to use on the home trainer plus those shortish (and wet) rides. Tubular tyres seem to wear out quicker and theyre not cheap. Hence the need for a set of carbon clinchers.
Purchased:
Farsports 50mm x 25mm
Basalt braking surface
Matt 3k
Edhub Ceramics
Sapim Cx spokes
Paid: $780AUD via Paypal

Received in good order, boxed up well and relatively quick (approx 10 days from payment).
Dealt with Smart. Communication throughout was great. No issues at all.

Ride verdict.
So far I have only been out on 2 rides totally 150kms. I understand that the break in period is atleast 200ks but I will provide my experience anyhow.
Using Swisstop yellow and titanium skewers(provided)

Carbon rim surface looks great, wheels true and seem to be of good build quality, however I did notice a small imperfection on the braking surface (size of a pen tip).
Hubs are silky smooth and roll extremely well. Can't really comment on how they deal with crosswinds as we've had relatively calm weather lately.
Weight came in at 1425gm(not including skewers)
Wheels are stiff, stiffer then my previous Dura Ace wheels and very close to the 303s.
Braking is good with the swisstop yellows with very minimal squealing, however the only qualm I have at this stage is when braking, front and rear are shuttering/pulsating (not sure if thats the right term). Its as if the braking surface is not smooth and slightly warped.
If this is somehow miraculously fixed by the next ride, which I doubt then these would be a fantastic set of wheels at the price.
Compared to my 303s which have been faultless after 5 months of use - although they are almost 3 times the cost.

So theres my initial review of these - hope it helps people out there in making an informed decision.

I believe the braking shuttering is a fault of the rims as I've not had this issue with any of my other wheelsets. Not sure what can be done and whether I need to somehow advise Farsports. Any suggestions on this would be great.......

Thanks
Not unusual for new break pads to need bedding in. Whenever I put on a new set of yellow pads I always give them a couple of good hard breaks which takes off the top layer and have no problems after that
James
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black4tress
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby black4tress » Sat Jun 01, 2013 6:40 pm

warthog1 wrote: How bad is the braking shudder? Is it fairly annoying only, or dangerous?
Have you tried toeing out the brake pads a bit? ie place a thin piece of cardboard or plastic between the rim and leading edge of the pad before you nip them up in the caliper.
Shudder is pretty bad especially stopping from about 20km/hr to a stand still. Its definitely annoying - constant jerking motion everytime I need to slow down. At the moment I haven't descended any big hills but I guess it has the potential to be dangerous.
I'll give the rims and pads a clean and try "toeing" it as you mentioned - thanks
darkelf921 wrote: Definitely let Farsports know. From memory their warranty s 12 months but after the first month you have to pay shipping back to them.
Definitely mention the imperfection.
My Farsport wheels (clinchers with alloy braking surface) have now done about 5000kms. I'll be buying another set when they need replacing.
Yep, I'll go for another ride on Monday and will send Smart an email. I did mention the imperfection to Smart the day I unboxed the wheels up.....he's not replied at all and that was a week ago. Aftersales service has been non existance so far......mmmmmm

Cheers
Tony
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nickobec
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby nickobec » Sat Jun 01, 2013 6:42 pm

Tony +1 to make sure you brake shoes are toed in

had shuddering and squealing with my Farsports 60mm basalt braking surface front wheel on my TT bike with DA7900 brakes & blue supplied pads. But not with same wheel on race bike, force brakes & another set of the blue supplied pads.

Tried a few things including cleaning the wheel and pads, switching pads, etc, what solved the problem was toeing the brake shoes in a little more aggressively on TT bike

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black4tress
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby black4tress » Sat Jun 01, 2013 6:51 pm

Alright....will do tonight....once the kiddies are in bed :)

Warthog saids: place a thin piece of cardboard or plastic between the rim and leading edge of the pad before you nip them up in the caliper.

Can someone explain where the leading edge is exactly ? I'm guessing its the front part of the pads.

Thanks
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biker jk
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby biker jk » Sat Jun 01, 2013 7:09 pm

black4tress wrote:Alright....will do tonight....once the kiddies are in bed :)

Warthog saids: place a thin piece of cardboard or plastic between the rim and leading edge of the pad before you nip them up in the caliper.

Can someone explain where the leading edge is exactly ? I'm guessing its the front part of the pads.

Thanks
You want the front of the pad to contact the rim first so the gap is at the rear. I use a business card between the pad and rim at the rear.

See the diagram below.

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black4tress
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby black4tress » Sat Jun 01, 2013 7:12 pm

Thanks Bikerjk - got it :D
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warthog1
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby warthog1 » Sat Jun 01, 2013 8:45 pm

Sorry didn't explain that too well. Bikerjk has it sorted with diagrams too :)
By leading edge I meant with respect to rim rotation.
And d'oh it appears its called toeing in not out. I called it toeing out as I considered the leading edge of the pad the back of the pad not the front.
I better shut up before I confuse the situation again. :roll:
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winstonw
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby winstonw » Sat Jun 01, 2013 9:15 pm

black4tress wrote:Shudder is pretty bad especially stopping from about 20km/hr to a stand still. Its definitely annoying - constant jerking motion everytime I need to slow down. At the moment I haven't descended any big hills but I guess it has the potential to be dangerous.
I'll give the rims and pads a clean and try "toeing" it as you mentioned - thanks

Cheers
Tony
Tony, I'd suggest you buy a cheap set of calipers. You can get plastic ones from SuperCheap for about $7.
Run them around both wheel brake rims. You may find the rim isn't consistently the same width.
If not, take photos showing the variation, and email to Smart and Mae. That shuddering is totally unacceptable, and they should sort it out.

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black4tress
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby black4tress » Mon Jun 03, 2013 11:44 am

So I did the toe-in as a few of you guys suggested, went for a quick 35km ride around my local area and it has made no difference at all.
I got back home and replaced the front pads with the provided blue pads, re-aligned them and went for a couple of kms around the block.....no noticeable difference either with the same type of shuttering (braking although still quite good seemed worst then with the yellows). I did also notice a lot of squealing going on with the blue pads.

I'll hit Smart up and see how good their aftersales service is. I have 3 other good riding mates who are in the same situation as myself. They are using Zipp tubs and an alu wheel (kysriums) as their second/trainer set but are after another carbon wheel. I'm basically their guinee pig :cry:
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black4tress
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby black4tress » Mon Jun 03, 2013 11:47 am

winstonw wrote: Tony, I'd suggest you buy a cheap set of calipers. You can get plastic ones from SuperCheap for about $7.
Run them around both wheel brake rims. You may find the rim isn't consistently the same width.
If not, take photos showing the variation, and email to Smart and Mae. That shuddering is totally unacceptable, and they should sort it out.
Thanks - I'll consider that if I get desperate and they don't believe me. The more I ride them, the more I agree that it's unacceptable the way it is now, and could be dangerous too.
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Crawf
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby Crawf » Mon Jun 03, 2013 4:44 pm

I suspect an in consistent width is the issue like winston mentioned, are they also true in all respects? They dont have a hop?

warthog1
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby warthog1 » Mon Jun 03, 2013 6:31 pm

Bugger that's not good. :(
Pretty dodgy situation if their width does vary. Let us know what you find and how farsports treat you
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beaujewel
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby beaujewel » Thu Jun 13, 2013 4:55 pm

Crawf, you serious bout selling the FM098?

defy1
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby defy1 » Wed Jun 19, 2013 8:39 am

I am interested in these carbon wheelsets. So far I've been reading all the forums, and 99% feedback is good.
There is an ebay seller that similar to Farsports in price...
anyone dealt with them?
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/251270312577 ... 1436.l2649" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby boss » Wed Jun 19, 2013 8:27 pm

Farsports 29er wheels on a CX bike.

CX bike is aluminium and has discs already (factory setup).

Discuss.

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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby bosvit » Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:58 pm

boss wrote:Farsports 29er wheels on a CX bike.

CX bike is aluminium and has discs already (factory setup).

Discuss.
Is the rear wheel 130mm or 135mm?

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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby boss » Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:34 pm

Unsure - this is critical right?

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bosvit
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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby bosvit » Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:58 pm

boss wrote:Unsure - this is critical right?
Yep

29er hubs are the same as MTB = 135mm

Road hubs are 130mm

AFAIK you can get CX in either but most of the higher end ones I am familiar with use road hubs eg 130mm so 29er rims won't fit

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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby DANger-is » Thu Jun 20, 2013 9:52 pm

I've been reading through this thread for several days now and I've learnt heaps from your advice and experiences with the different options and suppliers.

I've narrowed my choice down to three supplier who I have been talking to via email.

Yeoleo - $415
50mm clinchers, 23mm wide
Basalt Brake surface
Novatec Hubs (A271SB/F372SB)
Aero494 bladed spokes
Weight - 1710grams

Yishun - $360
50mm clinchers, 23mm wide
Basalt Brake surface
Novatec Hubs (A271SB/F372SB)
Aero494 bladed spokes
Weight - 1600 grams

FarSport - $550
50mm clinchers, 23mm wide
Hi temp Brake surface
Novatec Hubs (A271SB/F372SB)
Sapim Cx ray spokes
Weight - 1480 grams

So, I'd love to get some thought on which way you would go

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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby rheicel » Thu Jun 20, 2013 9:57 pm

DANger-is wrote:I've been reading through this thread for several days now and I've learnt heaps from your advice and experiences with the different options and suppliers.

I've narrowed my choice down to three supplier who I have been talking to via email.

Yeoleo - $415
50mm clinchers, 23mm wide
Basalt Brake surface
Novatec Hubs (A271SB/F372SB)
Aero494 bladed spokes
Weight - 1710grams

Yishun - $360
50mm clinchers, 23mm wide
Basalt Brake surface
Novatec Hubs (A271SB/F372SB)
Aero494 bladed spokes
Weight - 1600 grams

FarSport - $550
50mm clinchers, 23mm wide
Hi temp Brake surface
Novatec Hubs (A271SB/F372SB)
Sapim Cx ray spokes
Weight - 1480 grams

So, I'd love to get some thought on which way you would go
I will go with farsports if you don't mind paying extra 190quid for 120grams lighter and brake surface longeavity.

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Re: Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

Postby DANger-is » Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:28 pm

I do question the weight of the Farsport wheels, the only difference between these wheels and the other two are the spokes. Others who have purchased the same wheels from Farsport on this thread have given a weight of 1650grams. So is it worth spending an extra $190?

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