Zen Carbon Wheels Xiamen

[Sander2177]

Yeah no problem. Total was around $750 USD, shipping included.

And did most of my communication with them over the IG page. Went back and forth over specs and finishes for a couple weeks before getting an email invoice and paying with PayPal.
Hoping to receive the wheels in 2 weeks or so.

Great to hear — sounds like a really positive experience! That’s incredible value in my opinion — CBK would be around $800, not including shipping. And a two-week turnaround is excellent! 😄

I’ll admit I’m a little jealous of the weight though 😅 — 1120g is seriously light compared to my 50/60mm XMCs at 1194g. But to be fair, mine have a 120kg rider limit, so that extra 40g per wheel (they’re sold as 1200g) translates into the added strength for the higher weight rating.

I won’t lose any sleep over it… maybe just a little! 😄

[DavidG]

Yeah no problem. Total was around $750 USD, shipping included.

And did most of my communication with them over the IG page. Went back and forth over specs and finishes for a couple weeks before getting an email invoice and paying with PayPal.
Hoping to receive the wheels in 2 weeks or so.

That's an amazing price. Did it include all import taxes etc?

[Sander2177]

That's an amazing price. Did it include all import taxes etc?

Yes the lot mate.
Look at joeynailz posts above on this thread  he has got a set of 50/60 wheels all in for $750usd.

[DavidG]

@Sander2177
Thanks so much for this finding.
I am going to make an order this next week for two set of wheels. One in 45s and second one in 50/60 combo. Both with the sr270 hubs.

Hopefully these wheels get on well with the Irish roads (not the best).

[Sander2177]

@Sander2177
Thanks so much for this finding.
I am going to make an order this next week for two set of wheels. One in 45s and second one in 50/60 combo. Both with the sr270 hubs.

Hopefully these wheels get on well with the Irish roads (not the best).

Well, I have a Brit  and  Irish passport, I’d say there’s definitely some competition when it comes to the sh*ttiest roads! 😂

Happy to help, mate. I don’t get any kickbacks, but if you end up messaging Zara, let her know you read my thread on the forum.

Would be great to see Zen get some positive feedback—maybe they’ll even start posting on the forum themselves.

From my experience, I’d definitely recommend them. They’ve been really responsive, and right now their 14-day turnaround on wheels is impressive—probably helped by the fact they’re still a relatively small operation.

[Sander2177]

I spoke with Zara from Zen—she may be posting on the forum soon. But for anyone interested in the meantime, here’s some useful information:
   •   ✅ Rim specifications, including rider weight limits and individual rim weights
   •   ✅ Carbon spoke weights
   •   ✅ Example pricing for a 50/60 mm wheelset

These wheels are built with the H-Works SR270 rear hub
https://h-works.cn/products/hw-261-rear
3.95 mm or 5 mm carbon spokes, offering a high-performance, lightweight setup ideal for road disc builds.
Price varies obviously depending on rim carbon type
Shipping is offered with taxes but you will need to contact for prices for your own country!
https://www.instagram.com/zencarbonbike?igsh=bGtvdDcxdzVxMzA0

https://zencarbonbike.com

info@zencarbonbike.com

WhatsApp
+86 15160726618
+86 13218277787

[JustinFox]

Order placed, cheers for all the hard work on these Sander!

[Sander2177]

Order placed, cheers for all the hard work on these Sander!

Hey Justin

No worries always happy to help fellow forum members   

[glepore]

Interested to see what you think back to back with the carbonspeed wheels after these arrive.

[gbrnole]

he has the data points to go back to back to back between DFS / XM / Zen. and possibly memory compare to his former CRW's too.

[Sander2177]

he has the data points to go back to back to back between DFS / XM / Zen. and possibly memory compare to his former CRW's too.

All very different wheels for different scenarios.

The DFS wheels are my full-on aero set — 60/65mm — and they’ve been great for holding speed and general road feel. In gusty winds (up to 25mph), the front gets a bit twitchy, which is expected at that depth. They handle it reasonably well, but the sidewinds are definitely noticeable.

The XM CarbonSpeed wheels (50/60mm) are more of an all-rounder. They arrived yesterday, and I took them straight out for a 100km ride — around 50km of that was in a chain gang averaging 37.8kph. Not exactly a scientific test, but they definitely felt rapid.

What really stood out was the ride quality — stiff, responsive, and solid under load. They also have a noticeably more premium feel and finish compared to the DFS wheels although both Matte UD Paintless the DFS are shinier and the XMs are more matte.
The build quality just feels that bit more refined and premium on the XMs

CRW rate their wheels to 100kg, while the XM CarbonSpeed set is rated to 120kg — that extra stiffness is noticeable when putting down power. The 24mm internal width on the rear (vs 21mm on the CRWs) adds comfort too.

Overall, really impressed — stable in the wind, fast, and a very nicely put-together wheelset.

Will be interesting like I said to see how the Zens shallower wheel performs

[gbrnole]

my kid picked up a pair of 8lien L6 wide's for his build, i'm eager to try those out (34mm outer / 25mm inner / 60mm deep). i'm running 45's on my SL8 and have actually been super happy with that depth. i run 65's on my Madone. No hills where i live in Florida so wind is the beast that makes up for them. the 65's were always fun in low yaw but in high yaw heavy crosswinds it could feel like i was dragging a sack of potato's behind the bike when the wheels stalled. none of that feeling on the 45's which honestly i see as a net win.

[Lotnik]

Quick update on the 40F/45R wheelset I ordered from Zen Carbon…

Zara has just sent through the finished build photos and I’m happy to say they’ve come in under the magic 1kg mark — final weight: 993g 🔥

Really pleased with that — the original estimate was 1010g, so to see them sub-1kg fully built is a great result. They’re being shipped out today, so fingers crossed for a smooth 8–13 day delivery.

Looking forward to getting them out on the road and seeing how they ride — I’ll follow up with a first impressions post once they arrive.

That is spectacular pair of wheels! Pictures look very pro too! I'm waiting for the first impressions and I would like to order some 45 mm deep wheels too. Maybe H-works will supply this HX hubs to the public soon.

[gbrnole]

do you have an idea of what the maximum outside width of the Zen rims is? it indicates 31 at the brake track, but appears to get a little wider at its midpoint. pondering doing a set in 50/55 and move my 45's to my gravel bike.

[Sander2177]

do you have an idea of what the maximum outside width of the Zen rims is? it indicates 31 at the brake track, but appears to get a little wider at its midpoint. pondering doing a set in 50/55 and move my 45's to my gravel bike.

Yep, those 24mm internal rims — that’s actually the outside diameter you’re seeing. Picture this: 34.15mm external, and then you’ve got some rims going up to 50mm deep with a 25mm internal width, and even others with a 29mm internal.