BladeX: 15 Years of Carbon Wheel Manufacturing, Now Building Wheels for Riders

[gribs]

This forum loves violating western copyright / trademark laws with AI mockups that include branding and break Chinese AI use guidelines (not sure if we consider them laws yet? Someone from China would know) with unwatermarked AI images — but someone who is not a native English speaker uses it to translate and formulate text so they can communicate, and we hate it?

I find it all distasteful but AI text mannerisms tend be overly long winded and very formulaic. It's just so obvious it's not written by a real person. Just putting their natural language into Google translate gives a more genuine result even if it gives odd grammar.

[zealot128]

I find it all distasteful but AI text mannerisms tend be overly long winded and very formulaic. It's just so obvious it's not written by a real person. Just putting their natural language into Google translate gives a more genuine result even if it gives odd grammar.

This forum loves violating western copyright / trademark laws with AI mockups that include branding and break Chinese AI use guidelines (not sure if we consider them laws yet? Someone from China would know) with unwatermarked AI images — but someone who is not a native English speaker uses it to translate and formulate text so they can communicate, and we hate it?

Nothing against general AI usage in general, as a software dev I use claude code every day since it's release. But for a Bike Brand that wants to focus on quality, I expect some Attention To Detail, and having a slopped generated image with the wrong brand name is sloppy in my opinion.
Agreeing with gribs - it's a matter of taste, starting to read "you are absolutely right!" with a bunch of — will shut off my brain immediately, as the AI standard output is far far to verbose, especially for this forum setting.
I prefer brevity.
AI is also really useful for translation, I agree with you Jason! I also use it reverse to CN, but you have to tune the prompt, like "keep it short, avoid complex construction, translatite as verbatim as possible".

[voidptr]

Hi! We are both based in Xiamen, but we have no formal affiliation or common connections. We’re two separate operations focusing on our own R&D paths.

I was asking, because a week ago a thread "BladeX Wheels (Xiamen)" was created by the account @ZenCarbonBike, but got quickly renamed and deleted.
Must be a coincidence.

[Jason_BladeX]

Are you sure? that sounds weird, we actually have no connection.

I was asking, because a week ago a thread "BladeX Wheels (Xiamen)" was created by the account @ZenCarbonBike, but got quickly renamed and deleted.
Must be a coincidence.

[jfcb]

What I learned though the years of using and purchasing wheels/rims from china (for me and my friends):
1) If you offer complete wheelsets, don't ignore the full system. Make sure you use the right spokes and hubs for your aimed product. A deep wheel aimed for high speed and sprinting with only 18 spokes and lightweight hubs will not be liked by the high wattage user due to the lack of stiffness, even if you have the best rims in the world.
2) Spoke tension and build quality: nobody likes to touch their new wheels for maintenance and true them within the first 1000km.
3) Follow or even pioneer in technology and trends: I'm amazed that some brands up to today still have their 29mm external width road rims as flagship product. It takes time to gain credibility on your product. The reviews need to build up. So if you join a certain trend too late, you might lost the right momentum.
4) Offer a complete range of products (road, gravel, potentially mtb). Though you don't need to have each possible dimension in your range, make sure you have a popular rim profile for each discipline/target audience. It's very annoying as a consumer who is satisfied with your products, to need to find a different supplier simply because you don't have the right range.

Good luck with your business!

[casper.f]

Ignore the rule of 105 stuff. It's nonsense at this point.

How come?
I think even latest NERO show wheel windtunnel with CADEN, Reserve, Scope, the conclusion 1.05-1.10 is optimal. Only a few watts, yet still optimal.
For me aerodynamics is still a bit of black magic, but if you can spec the rule of 105, you should right? 

[Sakizashi]

I find it all distasteful but AI text mannerisms tend be overly long winded and very formulaic. It's just so obvious it's not written by a real person. Just putting their natural language into Google translate gives a more genuine result even if it gives odd grammar.

Maybe i am just more forgiving. I would rather have someone communicate with AI rather than not at all, and I think the ability to use prompts to help formulate thoughts is an huge value add—and obviously some models are different than others. I.e., Grok sounds like a 14 year old in multiple languages.

Just glad to have another brand engaging, i guess and I feel little reason to pick them apart for using AI on a forum.

[Sakizashi]

How come?
I think even latest NERO show wheel windtunnel with CADEN, Reserve, Scope, the conclusion 1.05-1.10 is optimal. Only a few watts, yet still optimal.
For me aerodynamics is still a bit of black magic, but if you can spec the rule of 105, you should right?

The rule of 105 was designed first to select a tire for a known rim shape. The logic is not fully reversible. That and its highly shape dependent to the toroidal shape Zipp used way back when it was coined.

So while some wheels shapes benefit from it, many dont anymore. There are plenty of podcasts from more qualified people like Dan Bigham talking about this and why it is or isnt relevant.

[Gloopann]

The rule of 105 was designed first to select a tire for a known rim shape. The logic is not fully reversible. That and its highly shape dependent to the toroidal shape Zipp used way back when it was coined.

So while some wheels shapes benefit from it, many dont anymore. There are plenty of podcasts from more qualified people like Dan Bigham talking about this and why it is or isnt relevant.

Do you happen to have a link handy when Dan mentions that? I would love to have a listen

[Jason_BladeX]

Hi!

Thanks for your input, now I understand why you are sensitive about AI content. As a software developer, you can easily spot it. You are right that the AI often adds too much to my input. My goal was only to make my English smooth and avoid misunderstandings, not to generate marketing fluff.

I would like to thank you for pointing it out. It makes me realize that I need to adjust how I use these tools.

Nothing against general AI usage in general, as a software dev I use claude code every day since it's release. But for a Bike Brand that wants to focus on quality, I expect some Attention To Detail, and having a slopped generated image with the wrong brand name is sloppy in my opinion.
Agreeing with gribs - it's a matter of taste, starting to read "you are absolutely right!" with a bunch of — will shut off my brain immediately, as the AI standard output is far far to verbose, especially for this forum setting.
I prefer brevity.
AI is also really useful for translation, I agree with you Jason! I also use it reverse to CN, but you have to tune the prompt, like "keep it short, avoid complex construction, translatite as verbatim as possible".

[Jason_BladeX]

Thank you for your advice.

I agree. We focus on the purpose of each wheelset. Lateral and vertical stiffness are critical for a sprinting wheelset; a soft wheelset wastes power when the rider is out of the saddle.

Build Quality: Well, I have to say build quality actually starts with the rim. A high-quality rim has minimal radial and lateral runout. This allows the builder to achieve very consistent spoke tension (e.g., within 125kgf–130kgf).

A poor rim forces the builder to compromise spoke tension to get the wheel true, leading to a wider tension variance (e.g., 120kgf–140kgf). This variance is the main reason a wheel goes out of true quickly (within 500–1000km). A high-quality rim should last around 2000km without needing truing.

If anyone is interested, I'll write a detailed article to explain: Why 'build quality' isn't just about the wheel builder—it's about the rim.

Market Trends: I agree. However, I understand why some brands wait. Trends are not always correct; for example, the industry is still debating 'hookless' designs.

Product Range: We aim to offer a complete range, and we will ensure each model is developed with care.

Thanks again for the input.

What I learned though the years of using and purchasing wheels/rims from china (for me and my friends):
1) If you offer complete wheelsets, don't ignore the full system. Make sure you use the right spokes and hubs for your aimed product. A deep wheel aimed for high speed and sprinting with only 18 spokes and lightweight hubs will not be liked by the high wattage user due to the lack of stiffness, even if you have the best rims in the world.
2) Spoke tension and build quality: nobody likes to touch their new wheels for maintenance and true them within the first 1000km.
3) Follow or even pioneer in technology and trends: I'm amazed that some brands up to today still have their 29mm external width road rims as flagship product. It takes time to gain credibility on your product. The reviews need to build up. So if you join a certain trend too late, you might lost the right momentum.
4) Offer a complete range of products (road, gravel, potentially mtb). Though you don't need to have each possible dimension in your range, make sure you have a popular rim profile for each discipline/target audience. It's very annoying as a consumer who is satisfied with your products, to need to find a different supplier simply because you don't have the right range.

Good luck with your business!

[Smokemachine]

Mate, I’d recommend that you share genuine product images and not manipulated images. The brand logo is clearly laid over the image. The proportions are off kilter and the light reflection on the rim surface shines through your semi transparent logo.

My impression is that your product doesn’t (yet) exist and you’re building brand awareness. In case you need testers I’m happy to test any samples you’d like to share 

Good luck regardless where you are on your journey!

[Jason_BladeX]

Hi there,

I can take a video if you want to check the wheels, and what would the method you will use to test a road wheelset (all around maybe) if I may ask?

Mate, I’d recommend that you share genuine product images and not manipulated images. The brand logo is clearly laid over the image. The proportions are off kilter and the light reflection on the rim surface shines through your semi transparent logo.

My impression is that your product doesn’t (yet) exist and you’re building brand awareness. In case you need testers I’m happy to test any samples you’d like to share 

Good luck regardless where you are on your journey!

[Jason_BladeX]

Hi guys,

To be clear, for now, I'm not here to sell anything. We haven't officially launched our marketing yet because our product lineup is still being finalized. We have just completed the initial design for our road wheel series, and our website and technical materials are currently under development. You might notice some errors on our website and materials as we are still updating them.

Having been away from the retail market for years, I may be out of touch with some current rider needs, which is why I have a lot of questions while designing. I am here to listen and discuss. I know our initial designs may not perfectly align with every rider's needs, and that is exactly why your feedback is so valuable.

I’m not sure how this will go, but I’m trying to make the product development process more community-engaged. If anyone is interested, I invite you to review our designs and participate in the development process.

[PLiving80]

Hi there,

I can take a video if you want to check the wheels, and what would the method you will use to test a road wheelset (all around maybe) if I may ask?

Newbie here I would like to see factory images and video to see how these wheel are made, and get another understanding.
Great resource for information here