Bike Setup: Scott CR1 w/Dura Ace/Ultegra gruppo. Selle Italia saddle. FSA carbon seatpost and stem. Vittoria Rubino Pro and Vredestein Fortezza SE tire sets.
Summary: The Bad. Broke the front wheel on the first 30 mile ride at the weld/sleeve seam!
The Good. Back to Performance for a no questions asked wheel exchange...from then on, no problems with the wheelset despite pounding over chip seal and other rough road surfaces as well as smooth roads at speeds up to 49 MPH.
Online support from Perfomance confirmed that the Forte Titan wheels are the same as Neuvation M28 Areo2-3 series and support also stated the hub problems that the Neuvo/Forte wheels had been having were solved.
So, after the inital 600 miles and lots of sprints, hills and tough testing, my confidence in the Titans continues to grow...I'll post again after the winter riding season.
Rating a 3.5 at this time...rating will go higher if the performance/durablitiy continues to hold up, making the Forte/Neuvo's an even better value.
Strengths: Smooth, quiet wheels, quiet hubs. CNC machined braking surfaces provide smooth, strong, predictable braking. Aero spokes w/ low count allow coasting speed w/Ksyrium ES riders! Stiffer than my old Mavic Ksyrium Equipes w/excellent power transfer, and 120 grams lighter. Peeled off all the stickers for a flat black stealth look which goes great with my Scott CR1.
Weaknesses: Broke the front wheel in the first 30 miles! Performance replaced with no question...hopefully, I don't have to replace again!
Similar Products Used: Ksyrium Equipes
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Bike Setup: Diamondback Edgewood with some upgrades here and there.
Summary: Maybe I bought a defective Titan (heard of this case), but I really can't relate to anyone's sucess with how true their wheels stay. I only have the front since my previous one was damaged and of low quality. Also, the Titan was at sale price so I figured it could be a potential "steal".
6 months, 3 times had to be re-trued, swapped out for some higher-grade spokes, and the Titan still comes undone easily - and I usually take evening rides on a smooth private neighborhood road and weigh 148lbs. My bike is a hybrid is one that would be heavier than a typical road bike, but it has a suspension fork to abosrb any bumps whatsoever. Like I said, I can't relate to any reviews about it's reliability so maybe I really just got myself a defective wheel.
Realibility aside, I thought it was a very light wheel, and rolled very smoothly. The only aspect of performance I wasn't liking was the lateral flex in corners. It makes for a very numb feeling when cornering and sometimes it'd hit my brake pads. I also had a hard time accelerating as "powering out" felt flexy. These two issues draw towards the spoke integrity, which likely draws to the wheel's reliability all over again.
I never saw the wheel on any other bike I've seen. Maybe it does work a lot better with a performance road bike, but in the end you just have to know if you REALLY need such a light wheel. Daily rider = a no-no, despite the reviews praising long-term reliability. It could be a great budget race wheel or back-up.
Strengths: Light, pretty, deep rim profile, price.
Weaknesses: This thing would be a dream deal if it was stiffer, and more reliable.
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Bike Setup: scattante cross frame and fork,and misc. parts
Summary: I put these on my commuting/urban bike because they were cheap...like dirt cheap. They have held up well though. I am ~200 pounds, and I constantly ride them off curbs, onto curbs, over potholes, put it on the bus bike rack. No problems at all.
If you want a wheelset for less that $150, I think you have to give these a look.
Strengths: cheap, smooth, suprisingly strong.
Weaknesses: weight is at the edges, affecting acceleration. Don't like the bladed spokes.
Similar Products Used: ritchey ds comp, other homebuilt wheelts
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Bike Setup: Scattante Zonal frame w/Ultegra triple
Summary: I have the Titan rear wheel only, purchased as an inexpensive replacement for an older wheel that was suffering broken spokes on a regular basis. After ~800 miles, it has already proved itself worth the $70 I paid for it on sale. The wheel was delivered tight and true, with consistent spoke tension, and has remained that way with no adjustment necessary. The hub is smooth and really quiet; all I hear is the wind in my ears when I coast.
Strengths: - true and smooth when new, and has remained that way
- quiet
- inexpensive
Weaknesses: - I'm still nervous about a 20-spoke wheel for everyday use, after mediocre experience with a 16-spoke wheel
Similar Products Used: Xero XR2
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Summary: I bought these as a set of training/beater wheels. I figured I would write a review as they seem to get a bad rap from some riders.For the price they were a steal. I have about 1500 miles on them and they are completely true and the spoke tension is uniform. I used to have a set of alex alx 320s which are very similar ,they broke alot of spokes until I changed them out with 14g DT swiss spokes. These ,on the otherhand ,seem to have a better spoke and I have had no issues with breakage. The only issue I have with them is a creak at the rear hub that I remedied with some teflon chain lube where the spokes cross and join the hubs. I think the problem some riders have with breaking spokes is incorrect spoke tension. I have broken spokes on 32h wheels as a result of this. Also I would not recommend them for heavy riders.
Strengths: Cheap ,strong , stay true ,VERY smooth bearings. For the price a super value.
Weaknesses: creaky spokes (no real problem)
Similar Products Used: Mavic open pros, FSA RD400, alx 320, Ambosio excellence, Trek matrix, Ritchey comp
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