Zen Carbon Wheels Xiamen

[Sander2177]

Zen have now jumped on Crank Bandwaggon! 

[h0ldb88r]

They sold bottle cage too?

[Sander2177]

Yes
Who knew!

[Rebel_Yell]

Wanting to hear from any or all of you they have purchased Zen wheels?  Considering these and XMCS and trying to decide.  Looking for yalls insight since you have been riding them.

Thanks.

[Rebel_Yell]

You aren't the only one!! I also asked them.to put their zen decals however I went with the old font design instead.

Do you have pics of your wheels yet? Would love to see pics.
Thanks

[JustinFox]

How does these wheels compare to CRW and does it worth to overpay for them ?

I'm very happy with the 40/45 ZEN Carbon Bike wheelset that Sander helped me to order from Zara. They're cheap, very light, and look good, but I have a set of the 2026 CRW 4045's too and side by side there just is no comparison when it comes to appearance.

The CRW's just visually look so much better. Thicker carbon bladed spokes look killer, but more importantly LESS spokes on the front wheel make them look truly unique (and they sound unique too!). And side by side the CRW's just give off a much more classy/expensive/better quality look vs. the very understated ZEN wheelset.

All that said I'm very happy with both wheelsets, and for the money I'm considering another ZEN wheelset (50/60) for my Cervelo S5 over CRW's because my main gripe with the CRW wheels is that their hub is way too quiet to be considered obnoxiously loud!

[Sander2177]

Wanting to hear from any or all of you they have purchased Zen wheels?  Considering these and XMCS and trying to decide.  Looking for yalls insight since you have been riding them.

Thanks.

I also have my 40/45s, and I’m really happy with them.
I haven’t posted much about the wheels yet—this month’s been hectic, and I haven’t had many chances to ride, let alone ride them properly.
I’ll try to post some photos this weekend if I get the chance.
One thing I would say: if I could go back, I’d opt for a gloss finish over the UD Paintless. Another guy on the Weight Weenies thread posted his 55/64s with a gloss coat, and they look fantastic.
The finish on mine is the same as my XM CarbonSpeed 50/60s—more of a satin look—but I think gloss would really elevate the UD Paintless aesthetic.
I’m also considering another wheelset from Zen for winter training here in the UK—something like a 60/60 build with Sapim CX-Ray Super spokes and brass nipples to handle the typical grim weather, also another excuse to get another set oof wheels 

Have a look at the Zen thread on Weight Weenies as well if you have not already.
https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1948343#p1948343

[JustinFox]

Ditto. As soon as I saw the ZEN wheels in gloss I knew I made the wrong decision lol.

I think ZEN is at the top of my list now for a lightweight and deep wheelset for the Cervelo S5.

[DavidG]

Do you have pics of your wheels yet? Would love to see pics.
Thanks

I only got them last week and got to fit them in the bike this. The box came damaged so I wouldnt go again with this shipping method. Luckily for me, wheels were undamaged.

I've only done two short rides with the wheels so too early to have any real conclusions on them. So far happy with them. They roll very well but time will tell I guess.

https://ibb.co/7thCCfRF

Rest of photos in links below

https://ibb.co/839G2H1
https://ibb.co/j9p54NC4
https://ibb.co/zH09QGkD
https://ibb.co/8LGqLrj4
https://ibb.co/dwMfpDXV
https://ibb.co/hJTF5yQL
https://ibb.co/MxL8VSR4
https://ibb.co/V0MZz0Vr
https://ibb.co/N2V5rhJq
https://ibb.co/V02Mp50f
https://ibb.co/gLCtv7Sv
https://ibb.co/Mx4fXN2R
https://ibb.co/FfFNN2t
https://ibb.co/MDDGrNLW

[Sander2177]

Ditto. As soon as I saw the ZEN wheels in gloss I knew I made the wrong decision lol.

I think ZEN is at the top of my list now for a lightweight and deep wheelset for the Cervelo S5.

Does not happen to be maybe a set of those crazy light 60/60 you have just seen on WW buy an chance 1101grams! 

[Rebel_Yell]

Thanks guys. Great information!!

[cccccccccccccccx]

I might reach a biased crowd posting in this thread.

Do you rate Zen over XMCS nowadays? Are there any other players competing in price/performance?

[Bobinski]

FWIW I now have 2 sets of XCMS wheels. The 50’s and the 35’s for mountain climbing. I don’t have Zen wheels but am more than happy with the quality, ride feel and weight of the wheels. The 35’s are 1050g. Also have their cranks which are no logo gorgeous.

[Sander2177]

I might reach a biased crowd posting in this thread.

Do you rate Zen over XMCS nowadays? Are there any other players competing in price/performance?

Not really—I’ve got wheels from both Zen and XMCS, and they each have something to offer depending on what you're after?

XM CarbonSpeed stands out because they invest heavily in developing their own products. That includes not just rims, but also frames, bars, cranks, and even their own hubs, which gives them more control over quality and performance.

There are loads of OEMs in Xiamen—up to 50 active manufacturers maybe more but not all of them are at the same level. I’ve been speaking to another one recently, and while they do manufacture their own rims, they still buy in spokes and hubs, so it’s not as advanced or cohesive as what XMCS offers.

[Willos]

Do they have a website or a contact point? I am looking for 650c wheels.