NSS38C Carbon Whelset from Iplay

[Vipassana]

A few weeks ago I ordered the NSS38C carbon wheelset from Peter at Iplay.  They arrived today.  As with all the parts I've ordered from Iplay so far, they arrived in good shape and packaged very well.  The fit and finish looks great.

Wheels Specs:
RM38C 38mm profile carbon rims - Matte 3K weave
20F/24R
Novatec 482F/582R hubs w/ sealed bearings
Titanium skewers
Sapim CX-Ray spokes (flat profile)
1220g per pair (claimed for the tubular set, no weight given for the clinchers that I bought)


 




I will get them mounted up next week and see how they do.  I will be using Specialized Armadillo 700x25 tires (because they are what I have laying around). 

When I get official weights I'll post them up. 

These will be replacing an old, tired, heavy set of Alex cyclocross wheels with non-sealed bearing hubs (and the bearings are toast). 

[Vipassana]

OK, I now have weights for these wheels as measured on my calibrated work scale:

Front - 609g
Rear - 785g

Total: 1394g

While this is by no means heavy for a wheelset, it is heavier than I had hoped.  Especially with a claimed weight of 1220g for the tubular version of these.  I find it hard to believe the tubular version would be that much lighter.  Either way, I think the bulk of this weight if from the rear hub which feels pretty heavy.

However, I'm guessing my current wheelset is in the 2100g range based on research, so even at ~1400, this is a huge improvement to rotational mass.

[carbonazza]

A heavier hub, being near the center, should have a negligible impact on the rotational torque compared to heavier rims.
I'm very interested to know if you will feel a big difference with the new wheels.

[roubaix]

I have been looking at the same wheelset and was wondering about weight thanks for posting.  I did have one other question that I haven't asked Peter yet maybe you can help. What is the inside width of the of the rim. I switched a few years ago to HED Ardennes with 23mm and love the ride.   

[Vipassana]

I would need to measure them as I don't know off-hand.  I'll try to remember to do that tonight.

[Carbon_Dude]

Nice wheels!  I'm not a cyclocross kinda guy but when you get them mounted, post up some pics of your bike.

[roubaix]

I just got and email back from Peter they can assemble the wheel set in 23mm or 25mm.....nice!

[Vipassana]

Nice wheels!  I'm not a cyclocross kinda guy but when you get them mounted, post up some pics of your bike.

I'm actually not much of a road/cyclocross guy either.  It's simply a fitness bike for me.

I actually just took it all apart to paint it to match my MTB and to install new brakes and cables.  I'll post up pictures when it is done.

[roubaix]

First I would like to apologize for not introducing myself. I live in the mountains of western NC near the Blue Ridge Parkway Brevard NC. We are very fortunate here in that we have the best of both worlds, back country roads for roadies, over two hundred miles of single track and even more of gravel/double track/old logging roads, 60% of our county is in Pisgah National Forest. Our area has become a destination for east coasters and beyond.
I'm receiving an IP-256SL this week from iplay, building it up as a rigid hardtail with XX1. My other bikes are a Specialized S Works Roubaix and a Santa Cruz Tall Boy. What I ride doesn't matter nearly as much as having fun with my buds no matter what bike we are on.
I'm glad Peter turned me on to this website it's a great source of info with lots of posters sharing their positive thoughts and opinions. Thanks! Kevin         

[Andy]

Welcome to Chinertown Kevin and thank you for introducing yourself.  Sounds like you have some great bikes and great friends.  We look forward to lot of input from you.  Keep us posted about the new build!
Andy.

[houckstar]

Vipassana - now that you've been using these for a while, how do you like them? Are they holding up and staying true? Quality-wise, on par with brand name wheels? Thanks!

Houckstar

A few weeks ago I ordered the NSS38C carbon wheelset from Peter at Iplay.  They arrived today.  As with all the parts I've ordered from Iplay so far, they arrived in good shape and packaged very well.  The fit and finish looks great.

Wheels Specs:
RM38C 38mm profile carbon rims - Matte 3K weave
20F/24R
Novatec 482F/582R hubs w/ sealed bearings
Titanium skewers
Sapim CX-Ray spokes (flat profile)
1220g per pair (claimed for the tubular set, no weight given for the clinchers that I bought)

I will get them mounted up next week and see how they do.  I will be using Specialized Armadillo 700x25 tires (because they are what I have laying around). 

When I get official weights I'll post them up. 

These will be replacing an old, tired, heavy set of Alex cyclocross wheels with non-sealed bearing hubs (and the bearings are toast).

[Vipassana]

Houckstar - I actually haven't ridden them nearly as much as I've wanted as I've been training on my MTB almost exclusively for most of this season.  However, they are still running fine and I have no complaints thus far.  I found the tires a bit hard to seat on the rim, but I think this is more a function of road wheels in general and I'm spoiled by MTB tires that I can nearly do with my bare hands. 

Sorry I can't give to too much feedback, I just haven't used them nearly as extensively as my MTB carbon wheels, which I am unbelievably happy with.

I can also say that the carbon set I have seem stiffer than my other set of low-end Alex aluminum rims and they seem to accelerate much faster.  I also have a fair bit of squealing when braking if my pads aren't setup just so with the toe-in.  But Cantilever brakes like I'm running are much more prone to squealing anyway from what I read.

I will likely be building a dream road bike this winter and plan to go disk only carbon rims, so this set will probably not be my main set soon.