Serenade 4550 Wavy Wheelset SUB 1200g steel spokes 500USD

[Sebastian]

Sebastian…..did you figure out who produced that 218 frame you bought off Ali?  All of their frames look very very clean!

No idea really. But there is enough of a difference in the supplied hardware and details to assume that it’s a different manufacturer from Velobuild. The headset bearings on this one are 8mm tall instead of 7mm on the VB, for instance. Which is great because I could swap in a Japanese stainless steel bearing from Tange in the bottom to prevent rust and corosion issues.

[srf0638]

Very interesting, thanks OP. I wonder how the Serenade frames are.

[Avalius]

How long did it take after ordering before delivery btw?

[Sebastian]

How long did it take after ordering before delivery btw?

Around 10 days, I think it was.

[Imaginary_Chemical]

Around 10 days, I think it was.

Well, thanks to you, and to me casually researching wheels for my build, I just ordered a frame. 

[McMadigan]

Communication with Serenabikes is very tedious, slow and exhausting.
It's hard to get binding information.
I've been trying in vain to fix an order for more than 10 days and I'm starting to lose patience.

[Avalius]

Communication with Serenabikes is very tedious, slow and exhausting.
It's hard to get binding information.
I've been trying in vain to fix an order for more than 10 days and I'm starting to lose patience.

It's a disaster lol, still have no clue where my wheels are at this moment. After two weeks the answer was "Next monday will leave to China"
Pfff, if it takes time I understand that but they should atleast give serious updates. Like 'Our stock in Spain was empty, these will be shipped from China with(insert shipping company) and will arrive at +- (insert date). But no ..

[wandulus]

Write yesteday for a set, still no answer on whatsapp.

[McMadigan]

It's a disaster lol, still have no clue where my wheels are at this moment. After two weeks the answer was "Next monday will leave to China"
Pfff, if it takes time I understand that but they should atleast give serious updates. Like 'Our stock in Spain was empty, these will be shipped from China with(insert shipping company) and will arrive at +- (insert date). But no ..

Marya from serenadebikes told me, that in Spain is no stock and only wheel repair.


@ wandulus
@ Avalius

Who is your contact person?

[Sebastian]

Quick communication isn't exactly their forte, sometimes at least. There's three Whatsapp numbers for three different sales agents on their website. I have dealt with Marya exclusively so far, however. I was told that there's a warehouse in Spain and wheels can be shipped directly from there, if they're in stock. They established it there because they have a big customer base among MTB riders in Spain apparently.

They've been nothing but reliable in my case. My first wheelset from them came from China which took the usual two to three weeks via DPD.

[wandulus]

Marya from serenadebikes told me, that in Spain is no stock and only wheel repair.


@ wandulus
@ Avalius

Who is your contact person?

I wrote via Whatsapp to Marya.

[Ultramic]

I was about to pull the trigger on the wavy set but a couple of people on the below forum have experienced structural issues with the rim including the wavy design which is enough to put me off this brand. YMMV.

PS it's a Spanish forum so use google translate - the last 3-4 pages is where the issues pop up.

https://www.foromtb.com/threads/censo-ruedas-chinas.1184418/page-973

[Sebastian]

My set of 55deep/25internal wheelset has seen a lot of abuse and is holding up fine. That one is 1450g however. The wavy wheels have not seen too much road use and I will report back.

The squeeze test is not really indicative of build quality. Wall thickness will obviously be thin on a lightweight rim just like with frames. Long term durability is an unknown with these. So let’s see. Maybe I give them a run on cobbles to see if they can take it. That’s usually a good indicator for durability.

[Avalius]

I wrote via Whatsapp to Marya.

Same here