Superstar Components Carbon AM Wheels
We’ll admit that when carbon rims first came on the scene we were a little sceptical. Fragile carbon on possibly the most punished part of a bike? It didn’t seem to make sense, but now after having ridden various carbon rims we can safely say that we’ve never before come across such bombproof rims, and they save weight. What’s not to like then? The price! Most of the carbon wheels we have previously tested will have emptied almost two grand out of your bank account, putting them far out of reach for most riders. Prices have come down a little over the years, but what we really wanted was a quality offering that rivalled a decent aluminium set when it came to price. We thought it might never happen, but thanks to their direct sales method Superstar Components have managed to pull off that dream.
£599.99 buys you a set of these wheels, that’s less than the price of a single carbon rim from some brands! Don’t let the low price make you think these are low quality though, as that certainly doesn’t seem to be the case. Superstar have spent an awful lot of time doing their research into carbon rims and these ones have been made bespoke for them. They’ve even gone to the lengths of having them tested against some other benchmark rims at Bath University. In the 26 Joule impact test (equivalent to a big rock strike which would write off a rim) they withstood a 250% higher load than a Stan’s Flow EX, whilst being 30% lighter! For comparison, Light Bicycle carbon rims (which a lot of people rave about) were around 30% weaker than a Flow. Part of their high strength comes down to the extra thick tubeless compatible bead walls, which is illustrated by the 30mm external and 24mm internal width.
Click on the gallery below to see these wheels in more detail…
Of course a set of fancy rims doesn’t necessarily make for a good set of wheels, there’s a lot more to consider too. Superstar haven’t scrimped here either though, in fact when it comes to the spokes they’ve gone full bore and used the best that money can buy. Sapim CX-Ray spokes are insanely strong and light, but they’ll normally set you back almost £100 per wheel! To get them included on these wheels is incredible. The Tesla EVO hubs are quality bits of kit too with SKF bearings throughout and a super fast pickup with 72 points of engagement. Every axle size is catered for via easy to fit (but secure) end caps, and you get a choice of a standard or XD freehub body. If you really feel the need for some fancier hubs then Superstar are also offering these wheels built up with either Chris King or DT Swiss hubs, and once again the prices are far lower than you’d expect.
These quality components still need to be built up into a wheel though, and this is an area where Superstar have impressed us over the years, they definitely know how to build a wheel. They also offer the best after sales service for wheels that we know of, I mean does anybody else offer free truing for life, a two year warranty, and a crash replacement scheme? The latter is a killer deal in itself in that if you damage a rim beyond repair in a crash they will build your hub up with a new rim and spokes, all for just the cost of a new rim.
So yeah, we like the look of these wheels a lot, and we like the price even more. Is there anything we don’t like? I suppose the only thing is that they aren’t available in a 29″ size, only 26″ and 27.5″. If there’s one wheel size that benefits the most from stiff and strong carbon rims it’s 29″, but hey that just means all of you riding smaller wheels can feel extra smug about owning a set of these wheels.
Price: £599.99
Weight: Front 822g, Rear 901g (27.5″)
Try some more carbon gear options through the links below:
Halo Vapour Carbon Wheels – sub £900 carbon wheels that come in all three sizes
Carbon Downhill Bike Test | Storm Control Amongst the Rocks of San Romolo
