American Classic Carbon 38 wheelsets - tubular Reviews

Price Paid:  $1000.00 at All Three Sports

Favorite Ride:
Santa Barbara area

Bike Setup:
Motobecane Immortal Ice Ultegra SL 10 speed. (nice bike)

Summary:
I bought Carbon tubular 38 mm about 3 years ago from All Three Sports. Mind you, though purchased 3 years ago, the wheels were used mainly for special events, so low mileage. Also, I only weigh 145 pounds, so not especially hard on wheels. From the git go, nothing but problems. First a nice little crash due to defective hub which had to be replaced. A year or so later a crack developed at a spoke hole, so back for replacement. Most recently the front rim cracked going over a minor bump. I called AC and was informed their warranty is good for only one year, so no replacing their garbage wheel. I might add, the rear wheel is very flexy. Even at my relatively low power, it bends almost to the well open brake pads. If you feel you want to risk over a grand on these wheels, good luck!

Strengths:
Light, fast. Good for climbing.

Weaknesses:
Poor workmanship, unreliable, limited warranty.

Comments

skcyclist (09/07/2008)

I inadvertently posted this message twice and could not find a way to delete one of them. Also wanted to edit entry but couldn't find a way to do that either. No edit button. Anyway was going to change rating to 3 stars, because the wheels do perform well. They are just somewhat fragile. Fastrack shop owner Dave Lettiere said 100% of Zipp rims eventually crack (AC uses Zipp rims)

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Price Paid:  $1000.00 at All Three Sports

Favorite Ride:
Santa Barbara area

Bike Setup:
Motobecane Immortal Ice Ultegra SL 10 speed. (nice bike)

Summary:
I bought Carbon tubular 38 mm about 3 years ago from All Three Sports. Mind you, though purchased 3 years ago, the wheels were used mainly for special events, so low mileage. Also, I only weigh 145 pounds, so not especially hard on wheels. From the git go, nothing but problems. First a nice little crash due to defective hub which had to be replaced. A year or so later a crack developed at a spoke hole, so back for replacement. Most recently the front rim cracked going over a minor bump. I called AC and was informed their warranty is good for only one year, so no replacing their garbage wheel. I might add, the rear wheel is very flexy. Even at my relatively low power, it bends almost to the well open brake pads. If you feel you want to risk over a grand on these wheels, good luck!

Strengths:
Light, fast. Good for climbing.

Weaknesses:
Poor workmanship, unreliable, limited warranty.

Price Paid:  $0.00 at bicyletires.com & wi

Bike Setup:
2005 Orbea Orca, Dura ace components, FSA Crank, Zero Gravity brakes, RXS carbon time pedals

Summary:
Best Wheelset on the market today. I have two sets. One with ceramic bearings and Sapim spoke upgrade. This wheelset is super light and fast. Acceleration is awesome, immediate power transfer to the wheels. Flys up hills and mountains. Awesome, what more can I say. Oh yea awesome customer service from the folks at AmClassic also.

Strengths:
Fast, light, acceleration, cost's less than those pricey Zipps

Weaknesses:
None after thousands of miles ridden.

Similar Products Used:
FSA RD600 wheelset, Bontrager junk, Zipp 404

Price Paid:  $600.00 at eBay

Favorite Ride:
Uphill

Bike Setup:
2003 Orbea Euskatel Team, Ultegra group, FSA bars, Specialized stem and saddle.

Summary:
I picked these wheels up off eBay last August and they have not failed to impress. I was using Bontrager RaceXLites that came with my Trek 5200.
All I can really say is that its a ton of fun to accelerate past people on an uphill now. The acceleration is nearly instant, as fast as you can think it your making it happen.

Strengths:
Acceleration
Super light weight wo the huge price tag

Weaknesses:
Braking could be a little better, but so could the operator

Similar Products Used:
Bontrager RaceX Lites