Go-Zone Wheels, bad experience

[danymax]

I bought a wheelset from the Go Zone official store on AliExpress. This is the fourth carbon wheelset I’ve ordered from Ali, and the previous three were top-notch quality. I decided to take a chance with a new supplier because I really liked the specs of one of their rims.

I received the order yesterday and inspected the wheels as I usually do. Visually, the quality looks good. I mounted them on the truing stand and found the truing to be decent, not as perfect as other wheels I’ve received from Elite, but still within an acceptable range.

However, when I measured spoke tension, I found some pretty concerning numbers. I’ve attached a screenshot from the Park Tool app. Two of the spokes exceed a 20 percent variance, and one of them is off by 44 percent compared to the average. If I lower the tolerance to 10 percent, six spokes are outside the acceptable range.

This is especially disappointing for a brand-new carbon wheelset. All the other sets I’ve received from AliExpress were within 5 percent variance straight from the factory. A spoke being off by 44 percent is borderline unsafe to ride.

I’m not even sure I want to try adjusting the tensions myself. Since the wheel is currently true despite these uneven tensions, I worry the rim may not be structurally sound and won’t stay true once corrected. I’ve already contacted the seller and plan to request a return.

Just wanted to give everyone a heads-up if you’re considering Go Zone wheels. There isn’t much feedback online, and the few posts I did find were mostly positive, so I wanted to share my own (unfortunately bad) experience.

[danymax]

Update:
I filed for a return on AliExpress and uploaded some pictures, got a return label generated automatically without needing seller approval, which was nice.

A bit later, the seller reached out, and we went back and forth for a while. I explained the issue clearly, but they just kept brushing it off, saying that as long as the drive side spoke tension is fine, everything’s fine and dandy. I shared multiple references and manufacturer specs with them, and I couldn't find a single example of anyone allowing more than a 20% variance on either side, most aim for less than 10%. So the fact that they’re calling a 44% variance on the non-drive side “normal” is pretty wild. That’s not “fine,” that’s a broken spoke or a high-speed wobble waiting to happen.



I ended up spending about an hour re-tuning the wheel myself. Managed to bring the variance down and kept the wheel true. So for now, I’m going to ride it and see how it holds up. If it stays straight and solid after some miles, I’ll keep it, but I’m definitely disappointed with Go-Zone’s customer service. They flat-out refused to acknowledge there was any problem, even when presented with clear info.

Reminder for anyone buying carbon wheels from AliExpress: Get yourself a spoke tension meter. These wheels looked totally fine during a visual inspection, but tension was way off. I’ve bought a couple wheelsets from Elite in the past and they’ve always been within spec, under 10% variance on both sides. Pricing for Go-Zone is pretty much the same, so after this experience, I can’t recommend them. There are better options out there at the same price point.

[biceryder]

This is interesting.  I purchased a set of Go-Zone wheels in November last year.  50mm depth, 24mm IW, 30mm EW.  I haven’t checked them with a spoke tension meter but after 1500mi in a variety of locations (US/UK), I haven’t experienced any concerning issues. I’ll include some rough roads, bunny hops@20mph, and moderate climbs.

They don’t feel any different than my Zipp 303s, Winspace Hyper 50s, or Giant SLR 1s.  It’s all anecdotal, though.  Good to read someone testing the quality of the build.

[Takiyaki]

I had a similar issue. 45x30 carbon spoke wheels. Front was fine, rear was out of true. Seller basically ghosted me when I messaged them on AE. I ended up buying the tools and truing it up myself. Rear wheel feels fine after about 100 miles.

But yea. Going forward... just spend the extra couple hundred bucks and eat the couple hundred or so grams for Elitewheels, Light Bicycle etc. The Go Zone rim profiles suck too (V shape vs actually effective U shape). I regret my purchase. Carbon spokes look cool though.

[RLA]

I've had a total of 4 sets of Go-Zone wheels and have not had to put any of them to truing stand so far. Although it's a good point to check the actual spoke tension, which I have not done. All my wheels are carbon spoked and 1200-1300g a set(45-50mm rim).
Most used set has around 3000km on them and going strong. Nice and stiff feel when climbing or sprinting out of the saddle.

About the rim profile, they do make proper U-shaped rims. Just pick the right ones.

I have previously bought brand new wheels from known European brands and they were not true after inflating a tire on them  . Based on that experience I already expect them not being true and then it's a nice surprise when they actually are.