Description At 1570 grams, these are great wheels for racing or any type of road riding. 5.0 mm stainless aero spokes, 27 mm deep V section rim. Comes with rim strips, skewers, and extra spokes.
Summary: Just replaced my old, cracked Ksyrium SSC rear wheel with the 2009 R28 Aero4. Out of box true was excellent (5mil longtitude runout - 8mil is considered excellent by Park). I tweeked it to get 3 mil runout, but not necessary. Dish and tension were good as well. Easy to mount continenetal gatorskins and specialized pro tires. Weight was 942g without skewer (claimed 930). Smooth bearing and quiet freehub which Im not used to. Time will tell with durability.
Strengths: Great value with at least equivalent performance to the Mavic Elites. Its nice to have steel spokes (no more spoke to hub creaks with the Zircal spokes). Extra spokes come with wheel and easy to true and repair with standard wheel tools. Hub has nice finish, bearings roll nice.
Weaknesses: Brake pad area is thin. Already rubbed decals with older campy brake width. I liked ksyrium width on brake pad width. It would be nice if they were built anywhere else but china/Taiwan, but look at the price. Hard to walk away from Mavic with their neutral support at local races, but I was ready to try something different.e
Similar Products Used: numberous handbuilt wheels and ksyrium SSC. With so many negative reviews (hard to mount tires, cracks, bad bearings, Ive got to wonder if those are bogus - written by neuvation competitors. So far, I found that out of the box they are excellent. With my 200lb weight, time will tell if the rims crack.
Bike Setup: 2005 Specialized Roubaix Comp.
2005 Orbea Onix
Summary: I put a set on both by wife's and my bikes and for the first 2k miles we thought they were great as they were responsive, fast, and we liked the handling,ride and looks. We are strong riders, but we are in the 55-60 age range and and 130-175 weight range.
Then after 2k miles the problems started with a sloppy free hub on my rear wheel which my local shop repaired after ordering some parts from Neuvation. The front wheel bearings were never smooth and become more gravelly over time. At 4k miles and 2 days into a 6 day tour my rear wheel began to wobble due to nipples pulling out of a cracked rim. I checked my wife's wheel and it was cracked as well. To complete the tour we had to buy one wheel and borrow another from the tour bike shop. Neuvation replaced the rims, but then my wife broke spokes on two occasions within a month. At 6k miles the hub flange broke on my rear wheel just one day before a 3 day tour. Close inspection of my wife's back rim revealed more cracks. We continued to run the front R28s, but soon noticed small cracks beginning in them as well. At this point, I had no confidence in continuing to try to use these wheels. The failures combined with rough bearings and 1/16" lateral slop in the rear wheel (that the local shop could not fix) all pointed toward a very poor quality wheel set.
Strengths: Handling, speed, and ride performance. Looks.
Weaknesses: Poor quality in all respects. In my opinion, cheap materials and components are used and the wheels are not adequately engineered and tested.
Similar Products Used: Mavic Equip & Aksium Race
Easton EA90SL
Summary: I've cracked by second wheel neuvation R28 wheel...i've got one more left to crack. I loved these wheels until they rims cracked. The first one cracked after 6 months (racing) and the second one cracked after a year(no racing on these...just training) Neuvation did send out a new rim, but I still had to pay to have the wheel re-built. So far, so good.
Strengths: Stiff, rides great. if you can get a set that doesn't crack...it would be a great deal. Obviously, I was initially impressed because i bought 2 sets.
Weaknesses: have to replace or repair at 6-12 months. if you factor in the additional cost and the time without a wheel...not as good of a deal.
Similar Products Used: xero, spinergy, shimano, mavic wheels
Summary: I have ridden these wheels for a year and a half. In August last year I sent them in for a warranty, as the rims cracked where the spoke joins the rim. John replaced this under warranty, and things were fine until I looked closely at the rims a week or two ago, and noticed that they were riddled with cracks, and that the rear has one large crack in them 2 inches long. Needless to say I am disappointed as these wheels clearly do not last.
The shocker though, was I rode this past weekend on borrowed wheels, and what a difference. There was a noticeable difference in the stiffness of these wheels compared to my nuevations, such that it improved my cornering on descents dramatically. I couldn't believe the difference.
The saying you get what you pay for seems to sum this up. Stay away from these wheels. Be warned. Cheap sometimes ends up being more expensive and aggravating.
Strengths: Price is not one when you have to go out and buy new wheels. Customer service doesn't count because I keep needing to send them back. It doesn't matter how nice they are when my bike sits at home without wheels. So none.
Weaknesses: Not stiff
Crack easily it appears
longevity?
Similar Products Used: Easton, Velomax, Shimano
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Summary: I’ve been an avid cyclist for over 20 years and I would have to say, for the quality and cost, hands-down, Neuvation builds an excellent wheel!! The hub bearings are smooth and bullet proof. John (the owner) has truly engineered a superb line-up of wheel assemblies. The ride quality and speed is what you would expect in any well built top of the line wheel set. In the past, I use to build my own wheels. Neuvation has made that approach pointless. Neuvation’s website is intuitive and prices are rock bottom. Truly a cost saving without a compromise to ride quality and integrity.
Strengths: Engineering of the hubs, quality of the wheel assembly, cost.
Weaknesses: None- So far so good!
Similar Products Used: Mavic Open pro
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