How Good Are BUDGET CARBON Wheels In 2024? // SUPERTEAM Wheels

[@donttouchthisatall]

What's that shirt! looks awesome! :) And also, thanks for the review. I don't ever see myself buying carbon wheelsets but your videos are always informative, unbiased and speak to the science part in me :)

[@jjfalk]

Nice and honest review! Love your content. I saw they have another type of wheel, 1395 grams, those wide spokes, no wave pattern or shark fin indents, for just under 600€/699USD. That sort of price makes it more attractive than their higher placed wheels I suppose.

[@razorree]

how are the carbon spokes? how is the handling? not too stiff? how is the cornering ?

[@BenjaminSmith2]

Great video, I'm glad you point out the good and the not-so-good of these wheels. Having the side-entry hub and the mostly hidden nipples looks like a bad combination. The failure mode they added, where spokes can fall off the side of the hub, could be mitigated by checking and maintaining spoke tension. But now the spoke wrench has a 1/4 of the surface it's intended to work with, which makes it substantially more difficult to get purchase on. If those where my wheels, I'd at least put longer black brass nipples on it.

[@pantherv5]

I know you're a big fan of Hunt Wheels. I own 2 sets (44 Aerodynamicist disc and 40 carbon aero disc). Both freehubs gave me identical issues. I even sent a one back to Hunt and they found nothing. The problem is the pawls engaging the splines. I'd get mis-engagement 2~3 times during a typical 2~3 hr ride. Symptom is a loud clunk noise and a jolt in the pedals. After doing my own trial and error, I found that it is less likely to occur if I put more grease in the pawl/spline contact surfaces. You're right about the hubs! I also own a set of Elite Edge (Aliexpress) with ratchet freehub and it has been trouble free since day one.

[@seanw6608]

Just checking in to see how the wheels are performing. Thanks again for the great review

[@TheBikeSauce]

Still fine. Roll smooth and despite the slight lateral wobble, no issues

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Good evaluation. The concern I have with the Superteam range as a whole, is the whole 'Form Over Function' approach they have to their design. They look fantastic, but there has been no real research into what effect the rim profile/design has on the aerodynamic performance of the wheel. Sticking a spoiler to your can can have a negative impact, and the same applies here.

[@ult1m4t30wn4g3]

I heard that they basically copy older carbon wheel designs from 10+ years ago, which is why many are V shaped. Many of the new ones are U shaped now which should improve cross wind performance. They also over built the wheels so weight isn't great. and they cheap out on the hub and spokes. They are still incredible value for money, but you'd probably only see about half the aero benefits compared to a newer name brand wheels like those form Lightbicycle.

[@MauriSky2437]

​@@ult1m4t30wn4g3 funny, whatever "aero benefits" my ride group guys have been getting via their brand name wheels, I have had most of them wondering why my ICAN wheels don't seem to hold me back. My 2017 CAAD12 and I have remained within the first three of 30 riders, 21 - 23 average miles per hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Mine is the only aluminum bike in our group. The rider is a bigger factor than folks imagine.

[@deeevans324]

For you average road bike rider, expensive carbon wheels make zero sense. People like myself will never feel the difference between the brands simply because we don't ride for hours every day. So I think that budget carbon wheels are great for people like myself who can spend money on more important things in life.

[@laurenz323]

Depends on what you define as expensive. Also mainstream Brand offers start sometimes at sub 1k Dollar. If you go with the high end wheels. The mainstream ones will be 3k and more whereas the chinese competitors are somewhere in the 1-1.5k price range. I would go with the craft crw wheels bc their internal is huge (25mm) and weight is crazy light (1290g). The magenes are also nice

[@drill_fiend1097]

​@@laurenz323Hunt does seem cheap, but I read they use open mould designs and are manufactured in China by one of the wheel brands, can't remember if it was Superteam or Elite.

[@laurenz323]

@@drill_fiend1097 yeah could be. But they still have some reputation and are known in the west

[@drill_fiend1097]

@@laurenz323 oh yeah I remembered it is winspace that does orm manufacturing for Hunt. Ironically, Winspace isn't as cheap as Elite or Superteams. Just slightly less than the Hunt.

[@MauriSky2437]

​@@drill_fiend1097, the fact remains all a company has to do is add a name, logo, or emblem and everyday Joes will fall for their psychological games.

[@tipperryan]

Thank you for the honest review. I'm surprised how expensive these are

[@MemphisCult-h3j]

I still ride my 16 dollar rummage sale 1990s Huffy, watching this need a new 26' inch back rim ,any tips for just a simple 26' rim online?

[@amitkumar-wj8gn]

Velo Orange makes good ones, but if they are too pricey for you, look for Alex rims or Ryde Andra rims and pair them with a Shimano hub for a super affordable long lasting rim. Just built one with Alex Rims and Velocity hubs and they are proper fly

[@TheBikeSauce]

Try tokyobike.us. I’ve used their basic 26” alloy wheels before. Affordable and hold up well

[@ynie1]

Good review. However, I do disagree on the sentiment about budget name brand carbon wheels. For example, I got a set of the Zipp 303s open-box from a local pro-triathlete. They're fairly heavy at a bit over 1550 grams, they're hookless (I don't care, but it's certainly a cost saving measure), and the hubs started to have play after a year of riding. If these were AliExpress wheels, they would be comparable to entry level $400-$600 even though they carry a $1400 MSRP. I got a set of the Elite Drive gravel wheels with the carbon spokes for less than $1K when they were on sale. They come in at under 1350 grams, crazy stiff due to the carbon spokes, and hooked. To get something like this kind of performance from a western brand, I would have to look at something like the ENVE SES series, which is somewhere around $2.5K to $3K. When you talk about carbon wheels, there are tiers instead of just a generic term of "carbon wheels" these days and prices can be well more than double to go from budget to top-tier.

[@davidsnow5811]

'21 spokes - being who I am, it upsets me.' Me too, man. Me too.

[@MauriSky2437]

I used to hear Americans criticize Honda and Toyota in the 1980s and 1990s. Yet, even then both Japanese companies made way better cars than any American car manufacturers! I have had a set of $600 Superteam wheels for four years. Thousands of miles later, they're still true, after arriving true. Potholes, road cracks, gravel, and train tracks have had no impacts on the wheels. I weigh 214 pounds and I have had no wheel flexing. Perhaps it's still fashionable to follow the cliché of criticizing Chinese merchandise. My bikes feature ICAN, Elite, and Superteam wheels.

[@georgepagotelis]

what we really want to know is the speed and continuation of the wheels. If you are going down a hill and you max out at say 60km/hr can you put these wheels on and do you max out higher? If you're time trialling on a standard course and say you average 35km/hr can you get 36,37,38. If you can add this information you'd get more views and interest. They bumped up the price (999 to 1599 that's US and i'm in AUS which makes it almost double) so that's 1 more year on my low end wheels that I would be using for training and now for everything!

[@TheBikeSauce]

I’d say that any video claiming some kind of concrete improvement (ie 5% faster or 10% faster) would have made some huge assumptions and is likely generalizing one single data point. Things like overall aerodynamics of the rider and bike, starting weight, original wheels, etc all play a role in the benefit the wheels will yield

[@georgepagotelis]

I constantly get "speed" improvements from bike shops so instead of 4-7k wheels they want me to buy (which I won't) I'm looking for something more scientific and throw some cash at 1k wheels. I understand your point though.

[@pdlngsqrs9547]

Maximum Rider weight limit?

[@bunerautoshopp8822]

Nice Bro ❤❤❤❤😮😮😮😮

[@jered2177]

#nolanisaroadie 🎉

[@TheBikeSauce]

😧

[@thedownunderverse]

I wish there was a supplier of carbon *rims* such as DTSwiss, HED, Easton in much the same way these companies sell excellent aluminium rims for custom builds. I don’t trust Light Bicycle rims

[@TheBikeSauce]

Fair assessment

[@bunnyadrian]

21 spokes… oh I get it;)

[@TheBikeSauce]

I still don’t?

[@bunnyadrian]

@@TheBikeSauceI mean, I get the annoyance and wrongness of a science nerd being “why 21?” I don’t even like 18 spoke wheels. Give me a number divisible by 4.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Haha. Or 2

[@bikedan99]

@@bunnyadrian But 2*21 is 42 and that is the answer to everything, isn't it? ;-)

[@lolbubs11111]

It's 7 spokes on one side, 14 on the other in a 2x pattern.

[@bikedan99]

I would assume that you had no problem with these wheels in a few days. Would be strange if they would brake in a few days. But how will they be when you used them for some trails or two years? In general the thing with Chinese products is not that they were manufactured there. As you said a lot of stuff is build in China. The point is: Where is the person responsible for the safety of the stuff you bought and you life depends on? A lot of bicycle parts can kill you when they break without a warning. So did you purchase this product from a company in your country that you can make accountable in case something happens? Or do have to deal with Chinese laws from your country?

[@Cyclist-o6e]

Are these wheels using an actual aerodynamic design or are they designed to look “aerodynamic”? The way the nipples protrude from the rim, as well as the straight spoke design, is concerning. I would be concerned about the quality control process with a lesser known brand. The DT Swiss style ratchet hub isn’t a big selling point for me. The price seems quite high as a value proposition.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Fair assessment. Can’t confirm if the wavy rim design is purely aesthetic or not

[@lolbubs11111]

The lower nipple height does concretely help aerodynamics.

[@davidcrowson4745]

❤

[@hardmtnbiker]

One of the biggest reasons that I have never bought “complete” wheel sets, especially carbon hoop Chinese wheel sets, is the poor quality hubs. Perhaps I’m snobbish and only want high end hubs and that’s apparent from my current collection of ONYX hubs on Stan’s Baron CB7 or my Chis King on my Zipp XPLR 101 rims. Back to the value proposition of complete Chinese carbon wheel, they’re light, they are literally close to the same price point of just a set of high end hubs from all the top brands we know. Plus they’re light and will make you climb faster “objectively” If you’re not concerned about the other nuances of the hubs, spokes,spoke nipples and random quality control concerns. Buy them! Personally I wouldn’t and absolutely prefer to seek quality with my choices over weight savings, plus I will never be a fast climber.

[@mitmon_8538]

To me, having 21 spokes seems just like saying, "This one goes to eleven." If they could point out an actual benefit of having 21 spokes over an even number, then, I guess, but I just can't see a reasoning. But then again, I'm just a sucker for traditional 28/32/36 j-bend spoked wheels. In silver, if possible. Easy to deal with all around, even if they're 0.5-1.0 pound heavier.

[@lolbubs11111]

It's 7 spokes straight on the low tension side and 14 in a 2x pattern on the high tension side (brake side front, drive side rear).

[@mitmon_8538]

@@lolbubs11111 Interesting. Are there other wheels that do half spokes on the low tension side?

[@MattPewthers]

It’s absolutely wild to me that you don’t have a proper set of spoke wrenches. You have a respected KZbin channel…what are you doing? Treat yourself; they’re not expensive. Anyway, keep doing good stuff.

[@subliminalfreedom]

Interesting

[@FranklinAlfaroArce-qe8sp]

Been riding on SP wheels for more than 5000 km, not issues, not complaints they are still true.

[@georgepagotelis]

lol dude - nice try

[@FranklinAlfaroArce-qe8sp]

@@georgepagotelis what’s funny? If you don’t want Chinese wheels and you are looking for performance then go and buy fancy and expensive wheels. The video is about Chinese carbon wheels.

[@nuttynut722]

r u roadie now???

[@TheBikeSauce]

😆😆 I ride everything with 2 wheels on this channel!

[@iBuyGeorgiacom]

21? How does that math work? The one closeup of the front hub looks like 7 radial spokes on the drive side. Are there 14 spokes on the brake side? Same for the back wheel? Seems odd.

[@lolbubs11111]

7 radial on the low tension side, 14 in a 2x pattern on the high tension side (brake side front, drive side rear).