Orient Express - Cheap Chinese Rims / Wheels / Forks / Frames / Cranks / Etc

Very true I was just having that very thought, although the hubs on the Mavics are great and i don't know if Novatechs or any other cheaper hubs will be as good?

Also I'm guessing that the fully built rims from Alibaba have hubs that ain't so great...

^

do novatec make good quality track hubs?

Good enough for everybody without their own hub factory to put their name to. By the time you need hubs better than Novatec, you won't be buying your own and you won't be using wire spoked wheels.

and re hubs/wheels:

This is worth reading. Nothing wrong with the hubs or rims on most wheels, just the build quality and nipples seem to be an issue...

http://paolocoppo.drupalgardens.com/content/chinese-carbon-clinchers-report-rebuild

so probably best to use some of the money saved by getting parts and a wheel-builder to build them

Perfect, thanks for the help!

Think I'll wait till I can get a nice deal on some hubs then take it from there.

novatechs / (inert mdcc_tester's choice here)

Plenty of love on here for Ambrosio Zenith as road hubs too, see 'Road Wheel Recommendations' thread.

btw, it's Novatec (no H), made by Joy Industries who also make Joy-Tech (with an H) branded hubs for lower end/OEM stream.

Also I'm guessing that the fully built rims from Alibaba have hubs that ain't so great...

So you're worried about the quality of the hubs, but you're cool with the big roundy bit with the braking surface and tyre contact?

; )

Yeah, hubs are always more of a permanent fixture than rims, non?

But anything from KT Industries or Joy Industries or Shimano or Ambrosio, including their most basic OEM lines, will make a safe and reliable hub. With rims, where all the safety issues in a wheel lie, you're trusting your luck with a no-name Chinese factory.

You can probably spec them to use novatec or bitex hubs anyway.

My front brake has started squealing like a bitch all of a sudden. Reynolds blue pads on carbon braking surface. I tried sanding the pads down a bit and changing toe in and that made it worse. Anything else i should try? Only thing else I can think of is check the bolts are tight.

HoP tonight will be embarrassing tonight...

As I understand it. The pads function better with a little residue on the brake surface. So if you've accidently cleaned your wheels. It might just go away.

Chinese carbon cyclocross frameset with disc brake mounts. What do we reckon? Could it take the abuse of a cross race?

Don't see why note. My crabon fibber 29er frame and forks have just taken a good week's kicking off road in Scotland, including a fair few major stacks. I think it survived the experience better than I did - some of my scars are still livid, while its scratches have all polished out pretty well.

Chinese carbon cyclocross frameset with disc brake mounts. What do we reckon? Could it take the abuse of a cross race?

Zdrenka bought one and used it well in race (dirty disco copy)

FM 066 (cervelo R3) or FM 069 (canyon ultimate CF SLX) ?

Either Shimano 105 + Aksium or £200 extra Ultegra 6800 + RS31, depends on how much I love debt. I have finishing kit ready (3T ergonova, ARX, Doric, Arione VS, Keo Classics). There are good chances of 105 going 11 speed soon. I like the groupset, its a workhorse and I want it to be a budget build but the diff between current gen 105 and next gen 11 speed ultegra is just £200 which is a bit tempting.

do you really need another road bike? whats wrong with your TF ?

do you really need another road bike? whats wrong with your TF ?

n+1 innit
tbh need a WW when I hit the weight target that I am aiming this year (68kg god help me)

Chinese carbon cyclocross frameset with disc brake mounts. What do we reckon? Could it take the abuse of a cross race?

Given that quite a few of the carbon CX frames kicking around are just re-branded crabon, I'd say yes.

Zdrenka bought one and used it well in race (dirty disco copy)

Heh - it's not a copy though is it - it's just a DD directly imported without PX adding their decals and getting a slice.

Yup

FM 066 (cervelo R3) or FM 069 (canyon ultimate CF SLX) ?

Either Shimano 105 + Aksium or £200 extra Ultegra 6800 + RS31, depends on how much I love debt. I have finishing kit ready (3T ergonova, ARX, Doric, Arione VS, Keo Classics). There are good chances of 105 going 11 speed soon. I like the groupset, its a workhorse and I want it to be a budget build but the diff between current gen 105 and next gen 11 speed ultegra is just £200 which is a bit tempting.

FM 069 is not THAT superlight apparently (ww forum), I'd rather FM066 if I was roadiewankering

yea FM 069 is out of question, its only available in 56 and 58 atm

n+1 innit
tbh need a WW when I hit the weight target that I am aiming this year (68kg god help me)

For what? Hill climbs? Grand Tours? Crit races?

Define: need...

haha, all of those.

totally

need? i dont know that word :P

hill climbs

n+1 innit
tbh need a WW when I hit the weight target that I am aiming this year (68kg god help me)

Some kind of calculation based on your current bodyfat %?