I’m in the market for a new road wheelset but am getting lost in the noise. It seems like the Chinese wheelset market has exploded in popularity and creditiblity in recent years, but there are just so many brands to sift through.
What brands are actually worth considering, and are they actually on par with the more expensive western names these days?
I went all in and got a set of Winspace carbon wheels. They are carbon spokes, 1500 grams. 60mm deep in the front and 67 mm in the rear. 21mm internal (Measure closer to 22 with my stuff), and I can’t remember external. I have had zero complaints. They do all the things. I am about 160lb and ride an aero bike. No crosswind problems. They don’t make crosswinds disappear. But I run 30mm tires (Blow out to 32) and have never shied away from a ride with the wheels due to wind.
My dad did crack a set (not sure how), but they were responsible about getting it replaced. Not amazing out-of-the-world customer service. But nothing bad.
I dont think they are ground breaking. Not pushing any part of cycling. But they are good generic carbon aero wheels at a great price. I am considering there new lun for a grabel wheelset. If you have any questions lmk!
I personally wouldn’t bother with anything other than those listed above. I am sure there are other brands that are fine, but I don’t think they offer anything appreciably better or cheaper than what you would get from the above brands. Just more of the same which will cause analysis paralysis and decision fatigue.
For what it’s worth after spending far too many hours reading reviews, making excel spreadsheets, and weighing pros and cons, looking at pictures, etc; I ended up buying a set of Light Bicycle wheels last spring. Airia 52 rim (with a solid rim bed) plus CX-ray spokes and DT Swiss 240 hubs. It was kind of a long wait time (which I think was partially due to the popularity of the rim when it first came out). But they have been good wheels so far.
It’s still a long wait for the Airia wheels. I placed an order in mid-August for a set of Airia 47/55 wheels with upgraded hubs, and I finally got a notice yesterday that they are shipping. I didn’t really expect to have them before winter anyways, so not a huge deal, but something to keep in mind if you’ve got an early spring event you’re planning for.
IDK. I build a set for my mtb 8 years ago using Carbon Fan rims and they’ve held up great. They had the asymmetric profile and width I was wanted. 29mm inner width, 25mm high, 418gm actual. They do complete wheelsets now too where you specify hubs, spokes, etc…
All these are great. I’ve used Light Bicycle personally.
@teddygram can talk about Nextie
In addition to the brands mentioned I would add 9Velo. They are comparable to other brands. Very high quality build and materials and they do have excellent after sales service. Also a plug for Light Bicycle. Great customization options. I have 3 sets of their wheels and all have been perfect. Customer service for me has been fair.
Ive had some BTLOS 25mm MTB wheels laced to DT Swiss 350’s that Ive been riding for 4 years with zero issues.
BTLOS buyer here as well.
Between then and Light Bicycle is a toss up for me, I’ve had both and have liked them both. BTLOS is cheaper by a couple hundred bucks on my latest build so I went with them, Light Bicycle has more interesting finish layers.
BTLOS also uses a freight forwarder in Texas so you won’t see any tariff related charges.
Nextie has thoroughly impressed me. I’m not a lightweight rider (180-185lbs last season) racing rocky courses and they held up beautifully.
I got the Omega rims and laced them myself to some I9 1/1 hubs. Zero complaints…and sub 1300g.
I have the gravel set.1 year no issues.
CRW Works (via panda podium)
There are lots of great options on the market and great advice on this thread. If you have any Nextie specific question please let me know!
I bought a set from Light Bicycle 3 years ago, and have put 12k miles on them. I like them so much, I ordered an identical set a couple weeks ago. Surprisingly, with the Black Friday discount, they were only about $100 more this time around. AR46 w/DT Swiss 350s are bullet proof.
I’ve had my AR46’s for about 4 years. Love them, would buy Light Bicycle again without hesitation.
IMO at this point Chinese d2c wheels have surpassed western wheels.
You can get a set of 65mm deep wheels that are hooked, run DT Swiss style hubs and cx ray spokes, and weigh in at 1250g. Or if you go carbon spokes you save another 90g.
Lot of talk about everything except warranties so far. What happens if something breaks? Is there any support or warranty? Because a friend and I both snapped some Nextie mtb wheels and each of us had to buy a replacement rim at a slightly reduced cost. This was like four years ago, so maybe things have gotten better. But part of the allure of Reserve or Roval or Bontrager wheels to me is a bulletproof warranty.
My father had to get his warranty extended cause of a freak crack in the wheel. (Winspace) It wasn’t great. No outstanding customer service. But it wasn’t bad. They got him a full new wheel. Better than I imagine other chinese sellers like tantan would have been.
Getting away from hookless was the primary reason I started looking elsewhere. What a disaster that’s been… 
Depends on who you are purchasing from. I don’t know of any Chinese brands that have crash replacement like some western brands do but most have 3-5 year warranties on manufacturing defects.
I was in your position this time last year.
I ended up with Farrsports and have had a great time. I recently had a unfortunate meeting with a pothole and an already lowly inflated tire which resulted in a total loss of my rear wheel. Farrsports gave me a 35% crash discount and sent out a new wheel. I’m overall happy with the customer service and quality of the wheels. I have to believe any zipp or enve would have died in that situation as well.
I purchased through Panda Podium who also offered a 35% crash replacement discount, however they had slightly higher shipping costs so I went directly through Farrsport for the replacement.