Lew Racing PRO VT-1

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This review is for the pro vt-1 rims with the green labels (the most recent version of many.)These are great rims if you are a light rider, ride on smooth roads, and are lucky enough to get a rim that doesn't crack when you biuld it up. I tried to biuld these wheels up for a customer. I cracked two of the rims while biulding. Spoke tension had reached about 50kg and 80kg before they just cracked. Lew was good about getting out new rims but the whole process still took a good month and a half before I was able to get the wheels out to the customer. They promply returned complaining about the braking surface being uneven causing unpredictable braking. Lew recommended sending the rims back so they could sand the side walls. I sent the whole wheel set to them. They found two cracks in the rear wheel at the edge of the rim where the tire meets the rim. They were very nice and replaced and rebuilt the wheel for free. It took about three weeks to get the wheels back at which point I checked the rear wheel to make sure it was biult properly only to find a crack at one of the spoke holes. Also, the front wheel, while better, still had uneven braking. At this point we decided enough was enough. So we went with a rim that we new would be reliable. Think twice before getting these rims. Since this incedent with Lew, they have changed there web site to say that you should not stress relieve your wheels and spoke tension is limited to 100kg for the 280g rims (the old claim was that they could handle 200kg without cracking.)They have also come out with a pro vt-1ht which weighs 350g and can handle much higher spoke tensions than the 280g rim.

Strengths:
Very light and very stiff for its weight.

Weaknesses:
Tend to crack when biulding. Uneven braking surface.

Price Paid:  $2500.00 at LBS

Bike Setup:
2008 Colnago Extreme Power w/ SRAM Red and FSA aluminum cockpit/Thomson Elite Masterpiece seatpost and Fizik arione seat.

Summary:
I purchased a set of Lew VT-1 rims and had my buddy build them up for me with some DT Swiss hubs. The initial set of rims purchased came after a month long delay, and had to be sent back (sections of the gluing surface were cracked, and the brake track was bumpy). A few weeks later, Lew sent another set, once again the brake track had two horrible seams, right at the valve hole on each rim. I decided to have them built up anyway, figuring ALL of their rims must have this defect. Anyway, the wheels lived up to their much over-hyped weight (I recall each rim weighed under 270 grams).

On my first ride, I was utterly blown away at how quickly the wheels boosted my acceleration, and climbing with such a light, stiff wheelset was sweet...and then came the descent: the scariest ever: my entire bike shuddered, the bumps on the braking surface caused the brakes to grab and the bike to leap about. It was unnerving to say the least, and in a race situation, it could have been deadly, especially if a less experienced rider had them on his/her bike. Needless to say, I had my buddy (who is a Pro racer) try them out. He said it was the worst braking/brake surface he had seen, and set about trying to get a refund for me. I have since purchased rims from a more reliable/reputable manufacturer, and had great success with them. The Lews were tossed into the garbage. An expensive mistake...Don't make the same one...Don't buy LEW rims or wheelsets. The only saving grace is the fact my local shop is 100% supportive and will back up my case with the manufacturer.

Strengths:
Lighter than advertised.
Stiff.
Look cool.

Weaknesses:
Horrible build/no QC.
Horrible customer service.
Horrible braking.
Awful fit/finish

Similar Products Used:
Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate, HED Jet, Fulcrum racing 1, Velocity/DT Swiss custom wheels.