Serenade 4550 Wavy Wheelset SUB 1200g steel spokes 500USD

[makl]

Mine arrived on 02.04.2025, ordered on 12.03.2025. Communication via WhatsApp was very good, also regarding technical questions (for instance, I wanted to know if and which third-party freehubs are compatible, DT Swiss are, which now I can confirm ...). Weight is 1226 g (with SRAM freehub), which is a bit disappointing, as I was also hoping for a sub 1200 g wheelset. At the moment they are set up with GP5000s and ridenow tubes. Mountain tires, rotors, freehub, etc. went smoothly.

[serenadebikes]

Mine arrived on 02.04.2025, ordered on 12.03.2025. Communication via WhatsApp was very good, also regarding technical questions (for instance, I wanted to know if and which third-party freehubs are compatible, DT Swiss are, which now I can confirm ...). Weight is 1226 g (with SRAM freehub), which is a bit disappointing, as I was also hoping for a sub 1200 g wheelset. At the moment they are set up with GP5000s and ridenow tubes. Mountain tires, rotors, freehub, etc. went smoothly.

Freehub compatible DT Swiss,
The weight under 1200 g, Since it was a little on the soft side, we ultimately chose a weight that would work for most people, Our primary focus is to eliminate potential misunderstandings and provide reliable wheel performance. For those particularly concerned about weight, customized solutions are available upon request.

In addition to reducing the weight of the rim, the weight of the spokes is equally important.

[Sebastian]

1700k now. Lots of outdoor riding on steep pinches out of the saddle. I found them stiff enough. I also really like the hubs. They feel super smooth.
The only criticism I have: The spoke tension wasn’t as uniform throughout the wheel as I would have liked. Maybe I’m picky being a wheelbuilder myself. But I corrected that and retrued the rear wheel to evenly distribute spoke tension as much as possible.

[frewster]

Arrived today, they look good. Will test :-)

Any updates on how they're performing? I'm interested in getting a set for my road bike and will provide feedback for the MTB set I ordered in the MTB forum once they arrive.

[Avalius]

Any updates on how they're performing? I'm interested in getting a set for my road bike and will provide feedback for the MTB set I ordered in the MTB forum once they arrive.

Friend is using these on his bike for gravel competitions. He says they are the best wheels he had.
Spoke tension was perfect on mine. My friend finished top 30 is most big gravel fondos for what it's worth. So he's really bombing them offroad.

[Sebastian]

I was about to write a review on these. I’m hugely impressed. I’ve ridden them on lots of different types of terrain. I’ve also raced on them. I’ve ridden these for roughly 2-2.500km now. For a wheelset that light I‘m very impressed with how much of a beating they’ve taken without any issues. I’m not light. Around 85kg currently. I’m particularly impressed by the hubs. Serenade confirmed to me that they’ve switched to TPI bearings from Taiwan which allegedly also DT Swiss use in their hubs. True or not, but these are some of the smoothest spinning hubs I’ve ever had.

These are the best allrounders I’ve ever had. They can do pretty much everything on a very high level. And I love how nimble and agile they feel on steep ramps. Only for purely flat riding I feel that some even deeper wheels are a bit more satisfying in how they feel and also marginally faster.

[cramy]

thanks for the review, might consider them as well.

Nice looking bike, which frame do you have?

[Rebel_Yell]

I was about to write a review on these. I’m hugely impressed. I’ve ridden them on lots of different types of terrain. I’ve also raced on them. I’ve ridden these for roughly 2-2.500km now. For a wheelset that light I‘m very impressed with how much of a beating they’ve taken without any issues. I’m not light. Around 85kg currently. I’m particularly impressed by the hubs. Serenade confirmed to me that they’ve switched to TPI bearings from Taiwan which allegedly also DT Swiss use in their hubs. True or not, but these are some of the smoothest spinning hubs I’ve ever had.

These are the best allrounders I’ve ever had. They can do pretty much everything on a very high level. And I love how nimble and agile they feel on steep ramps. Only for purely flat riding I feel that some even deeper wheels are a bit more satisfying in how they feel and also marginally faster.

Which frame is that you built up?  Very nice.

[Sebastian]

thanks for the review, might consider them as well.

Nice looking bike, which frame do you have?

It’s a Chinarello Dogma F in size 57.5 from QILEFU Store on Aliexpress.
Nothing special really. Cheap. Nice paintjob. Not particularly light (like me). But I love the geometry. I’ve had no issues with the bike apart from some trouble with a slipping seatpost. I think the fact that it’s painted and has no anti slip kind of surface adds to the problem. Grip tape and assembly paste helped.
The bike including pedals and all accessories weighs just under 7.7kg. Light enough for a guy like me.

[frewster]

For those of you who have ordered from Serenade: how long did it take between payment and shipment? I purchased my set on June 3rd and was told rims would take 2-3 days to arrive with the wheels being built and shipped soon after. I am having them made with nonstandard Koozer 450 hubs (for high engagement) but these were confirmed to be received on the 12th. I'd be fine if they gave me an estimate for when the wheels will be built, but I keep getting told, "I will update you when I have more information" despite asking for any kind of estimate.

This is the first time I've ordered something directly from a Chinese company rather than via Ali or eBay and I suppose I'm getting anxious. Any of your experiences are appreciated.

[Sebastian]

This seller is notoriously bad at communicating. Don’t worry. You’ll get your wheels. I waited roughly four weeks for wheels that needed to be built and shipped from China to Germany. I ordered on April 29 and they got here on May 26. But I only ever received updated when I kept asking for it. I’ve told them many times that they need to do better.

[DavidG]

I was about to write a review on these. I’m hugely impressed. I’ve ridden them on lots of different types of terrain. I’ve also raced on them. I’ve ridden these for roughly 2-2.500km now. For a wheelset that light I‘m very impressed with how much of a beating they’ve taken without any issues. I’m not light. Around 85kg currently. I’m particularly impressed by the hubs. Serenade confirmed to me that they’ve switched to TPI bearings from Taiwan which allegedly also DT Swiss use in their hubs. True or not, but these are some of the smoothest spinning hubs I’ve ever had.

These are the best allrounders I’ve ever had. They can do pretty much everything on a very high level. And I love how nimble and agile they feel on steep ramps. Only for purely flat riding I feel that some even deeper wheels are a bit more satisfying in how they feel and also marginally faster.

which spokes did you get with the wheels? Sorry I think I may have missed it if you had written it before.
Any weight differene between the Pillar Wing20 and Sapim CX-Rays spokes?

[frewster]

This seller is notoriously bad at communicating. Don’t worry. You’ll get your wheels. I waited roughly four weeks for wheels that needed to be built and shipped from China to Germany. I ordered on April 29 and they got here on May 26. But I only ever received updated when I kept asking for it. I’ve told them many times that they need to do better.

Yes, I have learned that. Towards the beginning I was told rims would take 2-3 days for them to receive and then the wheel would be built and ship soon. That's what I expected when I placed the order. After asking directly what was taking so long with the rims I was finally told today that the AM weight were out of stock and need to be made... but with no timeline for how long that will take. It feels like they are worried providing more details for why things are taking longer will make me worry when the opposite is true. I'll just have to be patient as you say.

[Sebastian]

which spokes did you get with the wheels? Sorry I think I may have missed it if you had written it before.
Any weight differene between the Pillar Wing20 and Sapim CX-Rays spokes?

CX-Rays. But I have several wheelsets with Wing20s. No difference, really. You could argue that in theory the Wing20s could be marginally stiffer while the CX-Rays could be marginally more aero purely judging from their minimally different cross sections. But I sure can’t feel it.

[Sebastian]

It feels like they are worried providing more details for why things are taking longer will make me worry when the opposite is true. I'll just have to be patient as you say.

Yes. That seems to be a common practice that I’ve also experienced with other sellers that I find super annoying. I just ordered a replacement seatpost for my Chinarello from Velobuild. They assured me they had it in a 3K finish. After I ordered they went silent. When I asked they told me the finish wasn’t available and the only thing I could get was matte black. Similar things happened also with others.