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Re: Zen Carbon Wheels Xiamen
I am very thrilled about these wheels. Please advice which configuration would better suit me. The last time I spoke with anyone, who bought a set of Zen wheels, the manufacturing time was about 15 working days. Shipping, including taxes, took around 10–15 days. As I’ve mentioned, and as discussed in this thread, Zen is an OEM manufacturer, not a retailer. Their website often isn’t fully up to date, so it’s best to contact them directly via email or WhatsApp for the most current information. I can’t directly compare these wheels to CRW, but I do have a pair of XM CarbonSpeed wheels in a 50/60 configuration. I sold my 50/60 CRWs to buy those, and I’m extremely happy with them. From what I’ve seen and experienced, if I were spending money on wheels again tomorrow, I’d still choose a set of Zen 40/45s over CRW, mainly because they’re almost half the price. That said, the CRW hub—with the spoke directly threaded into it—is very well designed, but that alone isn’t enough for me to prefer CRW wheels. Advising others on which wheels or configuration to buy can be tricky. Obviously, if you buy a set of CRW 40/45s, the choice is straightforward, but a like-for-like setup for Zen wheels would be… CRW wheels have a system limit of 100 kg, which aligns with Zen’s superlight layup. Although, based on your weight, you would also be well within the limit for the ultralight version at 90 kg. Superlight 40mm rim front 360g 45mm rim rear 380g now as I’m a heavier rider and to help balabace spoke tension in the rear I opted for an asymmetric rear rim this also helps with lateral stiffness. Now you don’t notice the asymmetry when the wheels built also most wheel brand will not do this as it means an extra wheel mold. For example Extralite do asymmetric front and rear. At your weight though you should be ok with a regular rim profile it’s up to you or speak with Zara at Zen she may ask the engineer who is her father who owns the company. 3.25mm carbon spoke 40 number including nipples 136g HX Hub 20 spokes from and rear 226g Zen Wheelset estimated weigh 1102g CRW Generation Wheelset 1180g (21mm internal width) CRW 2025 wheelset 1140g (24mm internal width) That said, if you often ride through potholes, hitting any pothole hard enough on a carbon wheel isn’t ideal—damage can happen regardless. If you want something sturdier, you could choose the lightweight layup, which adds about 40g to the wheelset, bringing it to around 1142g—comparable to the CRW 2026 wheels. Or you could opt for the standard layup, which adds about 80g, making the wheelset roughly 1182g. That’s on par with the previous generation CRWs and still considered lightweight! August 09, 2025, 03:34:03 AM |
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Re: Zen Carbon Wheels Xiamen
Attached are examples of steel-spoke road wheels. Gravel Wheel Options Gravel wheels can be made lighter by choosing different rim layups. Here's a breakdown of the 35mm and 45mm profiles: 35mm Profile Lightweight: 380g per rim (see attached photo), system limit 135kg Superlight: 355g per rim, saves 50g per set, system limit 100–110kg Ultralight: 315g per rim, saves 130g per set, system limit 90kg 45mm Profile Lightweight: 420g per rim, system limit 135kg Superlight: 395g per rim, saves 50g per set, system limit 100–110kg Ultralight: 355g per rim, saves 130g per set, system limit 90kg Lighter layups do increase cost slightly. Superlight is around $40 USD extra, Ultralight about $80 USD. Best to check with Zara for exact pricing. There’s also a lighter hub option for carbon spokes, which could save another 50g if suitable for gravel. I’ve asked for a cost example using Berd spokes. If they can offer it at a sensible price, I might try it on a road set myself. 45mm Lightweight Rim 420g per rim per attached 135kg limit 35mm Superlight 395g per rim saving 50g per set 100-110kg system limit 35mm Ultralight 355g per rim saving 130g per set 90kg system limit Lighter layups will increase the cost a touch think supwrlight is like $40usd and ultra $80usd but anyone intretsed would be best to get Zara to confirm obvioulsy Lighter hub available for carbon spokes another 50g saved if suitable for gravel And I have askde for a cost example with Berd spokes. If they can do Berd at a sensible price consider giving that a go on a road set myself maybe. August 11, 2025, 06:32:54 AM |
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Re: New wheels: what to mount FarSports vs 8LIEN
Hi all FYI: The 8LIEN wheels use the SR270 hub from H-Works, which retails for around $150 USD. While I appreciate many of the options discussed in this forum, I personally lean toward OEM manufacturers like XM Carbonspeed, Zen Carbon, and Taglooa. My current Zen wheels use a hub that I consider more premium than the H-Works SR270, and from experience, I’d say the quality is on par. I recently sold my Gen 1 Craft CRW 50/60s and replaced them with a set of XM Carbonspeed 50/60s. These new wheels are lighter, more affordable, and have a premium finish that rivals more expensive brands. Many members here are very knowledgeable about what the Chinese market offers factory-direct, so I encourage others not to dismiss their insights. Like many road riders, I started with brands like Zipp, then moved to Winspace when they released the original carbon-spoked Hyper 50 rim brake wheels, followed by the Craft CRW 50/60s. Eventually, I discovered the world of OEM manufacturers. If you know what you're looking for, OEMs are the actual factories producing wheels and rims for many well-known brands. There are exceptions—Farsports, for example, doesn’t make all their rims in-house and outsources to OEMs. Brands like ENVE and Lightweight do manufacture their own rims and wheels, but they’re among the few. The majority—including Winspace—outsource at least part of their production. Bottom line: If you do your research and listen to experienced riders, you can get a wheelset of equal quality for significantly less money https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=177440 https://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,5260.0.html https://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,6093.0.html https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=178056 September 01, 2025, 02:12:42 AM |
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Re: Xiamen Carbon Speed 2025 new carbon crankset
PS: Just been speaking to Peter from XMCS and thought it would be only fair for me to give a final report on the issue I was having with the 12-Speed Shimano quick link not meshing well with the XMCS narrow wide chainring. Problem is solved with a YBN quick link. IE: I tried 2 Shimano 12-Speed quick links, one used, one brand new and both did not mesh. I tried a ZTTO 12-Speed quiick link, it too was too narrow and did not mesh, but the YBN quick link works fine. September 09, 2025, 10:02:13 PM |
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Re: Replica Factor Ostro VAM
Following up on my previous comment Re: with Yohobikes. They do offer the "Black" raw carbon paint with dark reflective decals. I'm 90% certain I will order a size 56 without decals in the next week. Will keep you all updated on how it goes 
September 23, 2025, 07:36:59 AM |
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Re: Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc!
Tool with laser to align stem/bar: https://aliexpress.com/item/1005009357302771.html (13$) September 28, 2025, 12:19:47 PM |
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DFS Carbon Wheels
Long-Term Review – DFS Carbon 60/65mm Wheelset After 6/7 months of consistent use it’s time to share a proper long-term review. I bought these back in April Specs Rims: T1000 UXL Front: 60mm – 400g Rear: 65mm – 423.6g 25mm inner / 32.4mm outer width UV profile Hubs: H-Works SR270 – 276g 20 spoke holes from and rear Spokes: 5.1mm wide bladed carbon, Actual Weight: 1231g (vs 1256g estimated) — This was light when I bought them now these are likley considered heavy afet only 6 monts l :lol: I bought direct from DFS Carbon after chatting with Angler Wang, the owner. He was persistent in saying he had a quality product — and to be fair, he backed it up. Super responsive, answered all my questions, and gave me confidence to go ahead. I paid via bank transfer (better rate, no PayPal fees) — and yeah, I did wonder if anything would actually turn up . But everything arrived perfectly packaged and bang on time Over 6/7 months of use, I had zero issues. No truing, no bearing replacements, no spoke tension problems. Just consistent, reliable performance. The build quality was spot on — and the finish looks great too. I have now sold my XMC 50/60s and have a set of DFS 55/55mm ordered on there own R2 hub 21/24H in Titanium Colour picture attached is an example on 3.2mm Carbon spokes same rim rim profile as the 60/65S Estimated Weight is 1157.5grams. Originally did not order this hub at the time as did not want to spend the extra dosh: Hub Specs below have anyone else by chance have these hubs at all? Material & Construction Hub Shell: Imported 7075 T651 aluminium alloy Axle: TC4 titanium alloy Axle Diameter: Front & Rear: 17 mm Dimensions Brake Mount: Front Disc: 50 mm Front Non-Disc: 33 mm Rear Drive: 74 mm Rear Disc: 45 mm Spacing: 100 / 142 mm Flange Distance: 18.5 mm Flange Diameter: Front: 62 mm Rear: 56 mm Center-to-Flange: 51.8 mm Spoke Configuration Hole Count: 21 / 24 Pattern: Front & Rear 2:1 ratio, 3-cross drive side Bearings Type: TPI Steel or TPI Ceramic Front Hub: 6803 × 2 Rear Hub Shell: 6903 × 1 + 6803 × 1 Freehub Body: 6803 × 2 Ratchet System Model: THR SSF low-resistance, fast engagement Tooth Count: 45T (standard) / 72T (optional) Engagement Angle: 8° / 5° Axle System Type: Thru-axle with bearing preload adjustment Insertion: Push-fit Compatibility Freehub: HG / XDR Sealing: No sealing ring, water-resistant design Weight Front: 89 g Rear: 194 g Total: 283 g November 11, 2025, 09:29:38 AM |
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Re: DFS Carbon Wheels
So today for you DFS is better that XCMS? If you need buy a new set your first option will be DFS? I never said DFS was better than XMC! I don’t recall ever saying one brand is better than another—some may offer better specifications than others, but it really depends on what’s available at the time I’m looking at a wheelset. At the beginning of the week, I had four sets of wheels across two bikes:
I’ve been asked a few times: If I could only keep one wheelset, which would it be? For me, it would be the DFS 60/65mm—not because it’s “better” than the others, but because out of all the sets I have, it would cover everything I need if required. I like deep wheels; they look great with 5 mm spokes, they’re light enough for climbing, feel fast and roll well on the flats, and they’re not too bad on a windy day. I don’t have a “first choice” brand—I go with what’s available at the time, what specifications I need, and what options I’ve been given before making a decision. For the 55/55mm build, I mainly want to see this R2 hub and how wheels look and perform at that depth. Instead of using the wider 5 mm spokes like I did on the 60/65 and 50/60 sets, I decided to try narrower, lighter spokes for a change. The 60/60mm wheels I ordered were based on a few factors: the price is super competitive, I can get the exact specification I want, and for the cost, the weight is excellent. Plus, the brand has consistently positive reviews, which gave me confidence in the decision. November 13, 2025, 04:09:42 AM |
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Re: Leoseek power meter spider - USB-C charging
screenshots attached for anyone that's wondering what the Wechat mini-program app looks like. There is no english but Wechat has an automatic translation function
November 21, 2025, 04:26:43 AM |
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Re: Zen Carbon Wheels Xiamen
Wheelset ordered November 26, 2025, 03:32:50 AM |
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