Chinese carbon frame and wheels thread

[winstonw]

the brake rim surfaces are no longer parallel, after not receiving any significant knocks.
it's been a common problem for members of my club who bought Farsport wheels.

[mattwilkinson]

interesting, Does anyone here run a 38mm front with 50mm rear.
Anyone advise against it?

I am about 60kg and 180cm tall. Will I be able to control it?

[rheicel]

the brake rim surfaces are no longer parallel, after not receiving any significant knocks.
it's been a common problem for members of my club who bought Farsport wheels.

Thanks. I thought aluminum braking surface will not suffer brake-rim surface imperfection.

[winstonw]

suppose it depends on the strength and thickness of the aluminium used...but I can assure you both my wheelsets are unusable due to gross brake judder. I've given up on Farsports...not even going to bother pursuing a warranty claim further as I have absolutely no trust in them.

there's been a lot of people on roadbikereview forum and here, including me who have talked their praises in the past.
However, it isn't until you have ridden a wheelset for 3000+km's on testing routes, that you can understand their build quality.
Most people who buy make a stack of glowing comments when their wheels arrive and they've ridden <500k. You rarely hear from them 3000k later. It's just part of human nature that people who buy stuff, then gloat about it, don't like to come back and admit they've bought a lemon.
I admit I've received lemons from Farsports, as have the majority of buyers in Brisbane.

from now on, it is alloy wheelsets for me. keep in mind deep section wheelsets are very rigid and transfer a lot of rough road vibration through the bike. imo, they are definitely not suitable for everyday riding and long training rides, despite many guys using them for that.

[warthog1]

interesting, Does anyone here run a 38mm front with 50mm rear.
Anyone advise against it?

I am about 60kg and 180cm tall. Will I be able to control it?

Yes you will, I would run 50 at both ends for racing.

[clackers]

interesting, Does anyone here run a 38mm front with 50mm rear.
Anyone advise against it?

I am about 60kg and 180cm tall. Will I be able to control it?

I have that combo - works really well. 50-50 side gusts affected my steering.

[DANger-is]

Thinking about getting some new carbon bars, the NESS look-a-likes off Ali but I don't see many bikes on here using them. Am I missing something?

[nickobec]

Does anyone here run a 38mm front with 50mm rear.

That is my normal racing combination (I have a 60mm front for TTs and days I expect to have my nose in the wind - not much of that lately)

I don't have any issues, though at 182cm 78kg it does take a bit to blow me around.

The first race with the 60mm on front and a gust of wind caught me on a descent at 60kph, it was interesting, lucky I was playing ticket collector.

[nickobec]

However, it isn't until you have ridden a wheelset for 3000+km's on testing routes, that you can understand their build quality.

Done at least 5000km on my two pairs of farsports carbon clinchers, most of that on the 38mm front, 50 mm back combination without an issue.

Until weekend before last, I descended in the rain like Bradley Wiggins, I lost all confidence in the braking. I just did not feel in control.

Swapped out the 60mm for the 38mm front and went racing twice this weekend in the dry without even worrying about it, confidence has returned. Though if it rains next Saturday, got a light weight alloy for the hilly handicap with 5km descent at end.

[defy1]

suppose it depends on the strength and thickness of the aluminium used...but I can assure you both my wheelsets are unusable due to gross brake judder. I've given up on Farsports...not even going to bother pursuing a warranty claim further as I have absolutely no trust in them.

.

can you post some pics?

[winstonw]

the 50mm CCs


will post of the 50mm alloy brake rims when I get them back from my wheelbuilder (he says the rims are stuffed)

[Puffy]

I'm going to race track in the off season this year. No money for a bike but I do have an old REPCO Superlite in the shed that I will convert. I have a hankering for some mid depth tubs (say 40mm) for it. Given a track bike doesn't have brakes the braking issues are moot. Heck, even the longevity issues aren't going to come into the equation for years given the number of KMs will be very low!

[ParkertR]

FM-039 frame from Hongfu. Can't fault the frame, I've ridden it through a few centuries, raced it plenty of times, crashed it once and it's still going just as well as the day it was made. Shipping was about one or two weeks after payment and everything was as I ordered it so I was very happy with their service.

Beautiful bike mate

[trailgumby]

@winston: that is huge! I was expecting half a mm when you mentioned it in your PM, but 1.5mm? That's ridiculous.

[ParkertR]

@Winson - the photos you got there - farsports rims?

[winstonw]

a blow out of 1.5mm makes a wheel seriously useless for braking.
I sent the wheels back to farsports ($65 freight to China) and the replaced and rebuilt with new alloy brake surface carbon clincher rims.
I was very disappointed these rims deformed in a similar fashion within 500k, without hitting potholes or doing significant descents.

Farsports is not a manufacturer. They are just a front for a lot of small carbon fabricators...hence why their QC doesn't cut it.
The first hubs I got in my first wheel failed too. They sent me a new set which cost me $150 to have the wheels rebuilt on.

I'm done with Farsports, as are the 400 members of my CC. bad news spreads quick.

[warthog1]

Well thanks for your feedback on them. I will steer clear also.
Still thinking about yishun 50 or 60 but have no money anyway.

[Crawf]

Farsports QC has sure gone through the floor.

[nailsaslegs]

Reading about Farsports quality of rims. I've ridden Corecarbon rims which are "built" in Victoria. Looking at other Chinese carbon clinchers they are the same mould. Corecarbon states they were tested and have the UCI tick of approval, which means they pay the UCI 4k and they are tested and given a UCI sticker. In any case, descending down a 12% gradient with switchbacks I've warped one front 38mm and warped a 58mm, with another rider on 38's doing the exact same damage from over heating. Sure enough they are carbon clinchers they are known for over heating but still you do lose confidence in the wheels.

[nickobec]

Farsports, Yishun and the other chinese carbon wheel sellers are not big businesses and AFAIK operate in a very similar manner, they buy in hubs, spokes and open mold rims from a limited number of suppliers, build up wheels and sell them to the public overseas.

A few probably have a sideline in building wheels from the same components for overseas companies to rebrand and sell as their own.

There are a bunch of companies like Corecarbon & November Cycles, who source the same components from the same factories in china and build their wheels.

So unless you are buying a big name brand (and even that is no guarantee), your rims are probably are probably made in the same handful of factories as everybody else and quality control is in the hands of the person who built you wheels.

[black4tress]

Just received the replacement front wheels today. It already looks more round (if I can use that word) but will test it out in the next couple of weeks and report back.

I also requested that they replace my rear wheel as its got a similar problem......I think they are ignoring me as it has been almost a week without a reply.

[defy1]

What brake pads do you guys use with your Carbon Rims?

[MarkG]

I use Swissatop Yellow or Reynolds Blue, usually whichever is on sale.

[warthog1]

Reynolds blue.

[clydesmcdale]

Reynolds blue.

+1