Spinergy Rev X wheels dangerous?
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1723 days
Anton posted 25 weeks ago.
My first set of race wheels were Spynergy, previously used demos, bought from a well known Tri store. The rear wheel lasted one season. Two sprints, an Oly an HIM and an IM. That's it. The wrench at my LBS found a crack while he was giving the bike a going over that winter. I'm not a big lad..5'7" and 160
I still use the front wheel ...for streatching my tubular tires. After the crack was found on the rear, I just couldn't trust the front.
Here is my take. There are two things I won't by "used." Climbing ropes and carbon wheels. Your life depends on them and you just don't know where they've been.
"If e wishes to sweem in dangerous waters, oo are we to deny im?
-Chef Skinner
http://antonspath.blogspot.com
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tri_guy_40 posted 25 weeks ago.
I have heard that they are really great wheels - light, and very aero - but, I've heard that if there are stresses in the wheels where the spokes are, the spokes can break and the wheel can fail - and that there have been some fatalities as a result.
Don't believe everything you read on the Internet, but...if the fatality thing is true, I don't know if I'd ever trust them!
Good luck to you!
J:)
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warrenp posted 25 weeks ago.
aren't the zipps carbon wheels?
i've never heard any problems with them at all.
I have a pair of flashpoints(zipp) with well over 3000miles on them and i'm 6'1 210lbs.
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1761 days
brittda posted 25 weeks ago.
TriSooner wrote:
Anton wrote:There are two things I won't by "used." Climbing ropes and carbon wheels.+1 Bottom line is that such wheels are still just carbon fiber-reinforced plastic.
I would add SCUBA gear to that, but totally another topic :)
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Gsal posted 25 weeks ago.
Anton wrote:
Here is my take. There are two things I won't by "used." Climbing ropes and carbon wheels. Your life depends on them and you just don't know where they've been.
well said.
"You can never be too rich or too skinny."
-My doctor
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f1oored posted 25 weeks ago.
I'm pretty sure the fatality thing is not true and most of the online reports of failure are people with firends who saw the wheel fail or something like that. I found very few first hand accounts of wheel failure that resulted in a crash. Spokes can break on any wheel and any wheel can fail. I have a revX tubular I just got on craigs list for $50 and I'm totally going to race it this summer, probably at 190+lbs. You show me a faster front wheel for $50 and I'll race that instead. Is there more risk running this wheel than say a 32 spoke pro open? Sure but thats part of the game. People race used wheels all the time. People rent carbon wheels all the time. Do you think the rentals are being treated nicely? They are visually inspected and then sent out. Check your stuff before you ride and you should be fine.
If you can afford new carbon wheels, by all means buy away. The Rev-X is a fast wheel and people are still racing them and people are still winning on them. The sprint tri I'm doing next month was won last year by a guy with a Rev-x front wheel.
If you are looking for complete safety maybe you shouldn't be racing. Serious, open roads with spandex and a foam helmet to protect you? What's one more risk? Remember more people have died during the swim leg than on those wheels. Triathlons are not about being safe, they are about going fast. You should limit your risk but it's impossible to avoid it completely.
“If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character...Would you slow down? Or speed up?” ~Chuck Palahniuk~
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PJT posted 25 weeks ago.
If you're thinking of using them, take them to an LBS, preferably one that sells Spinergy, and ask them to do a thorough inspection for any defects (anyone know if the "tap test" is used on wheels? If so, I'd ask the shop to do it). The upside of this is it may give you a bit more comfort about riding with them--but keep in mind that all carbon products, wheels, frames, handlebars, etc., can fail suddenly.
The downside is that if they DO spot something wrong, you can't in good conscience resell them without disclosing that info.
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1686 days
Triguy98 posted 25 weeks ago.
f1oored wrote:
If you are looking for complete safety maybe you shouldn't be racing. Serious, open roads with spandex and a foam helmet to protect you? What's one more risk?
Really? Foam helmets? I think that's a gross understatement. I have witnessed first hand the life saving capabilities of those "foam" things. I dont considering racing a risk, either. A risk is training and racing without a helmet.
While you may not have found first hand accounts of those wheels failing, it doesnt mean they didnt:
http://pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-020/index.html
They are an older wheel, and I have heard enough accounts of them, and seen a pair at the LBS that was cracked badly around the hub. Take that with a grain of salt, but if those things fail, and a spoke breaks on you while going 24+ mph, it's gonna hurt, and the nasty facial injuries that are possible from catastrophic front wheel failure on the road...
Risk management is the name of the game, and playing with fire is not smart, IMO. I'll stick to my 30mm alum wheels before buying those Spinergys.
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
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338 days
f1oored posted 25 weeks ago.
Triguy98 wrote:
While you may not have found first hand accounts of those wheels failing, it doesnt mean they didnt:
http://pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-020/index.htmlTake that with a grain of salt, but if those things fail, and a spoke breaks on you while going 24+ mph, it's gonna hurt, and the nasty facial injuries that are possible from catastrophic front wheel failure on the road...
Only 24mph? If you were on Spinergy wheels it may be more like 28! :)
Yeah, I've seen that page, 17 accounts of wheel failures out of how many thousands upon thousands made? I wonder how many Mavic 32H Pro Opens have failed? Thats about as bomb proof as you can get. I'm willing to bet it's more than 17. Putting a 180lb rider on a pair of 2lb wheels is risky regardless. The rev-x gets a bad rep because it strays from the traditional wheel design. People said that wheel was unsafe when it first came out and someone decided to make a website. The facts on the website are sketchy at best but hey, it's on the internet so it must be true. This is a very fast wheel, anyone who has ridden them knows that. People sacrifice safety for speed all the time. Triathlons are not about being safe. If they were then there would be speed limits of 15mph (because going faster increases your chance of injury) and we would all wear life vests during the swim. Its a race and races are about going fast. If you think steering from the areo bars is safe (no brakes) then maybe you should try a panic stop from there. Next are you going to tell me that we shouldn't use aero bars?
If things worked according to your world we would all be riding 30lb steel bikes with high spoke count alloy rims and no aero bars. We would also be wearing body armor and motorcycle helmets. I assume the guy in your avatar is you riding shirtless. Is that the safest way to ride? A shirt might protect from road rash and cancer better. I'm guessing you accept the risk of road rash and skin cancer to get you through T1 a little faster.
Risk management is the name of the game. Management means weighing pros and cons. Pro - very fast wheel, Con - very unlikely chance of failure.
BTW I always wear a helmet and you can't race without them. Why is that? Because racing is risky regardless of what you consider it to be.
“If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character...Would you slow down? Or speed up?” ~Chuck Palahniuk~
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WillRace4Food posted 24 weeks ago.
Happened across this article yesterday. It appears that Steve Larson is riding Rev X wheels in the pictures which accompany this article from Slowtwitch: http://www.slowtwitch.com/photos/Detailed/46.html
At the end of last season I bought a used road bike on Craigslist and sold my Trek 1000. I mainly wanted the component upgrade on the used bike but it came with a set of Spinergy Rev X wheels. They where tubulars and I immediately bought a set of takeoff Bontragers clinchers for training.
I'm nervous about using the Rev X's based on some info I've read on discussion blogs about their structural integrity and some catistrophic failures of the wheel set. I'm 180lbs and I'm not an agressive rider. No criteriums in my future. There is no visible distress in the carbon fiber and they don't make any funny noises when I've ridden them, even when out of the saddle or sprinting.
Like I said before, I'd have bought the bike with or without the wheel set. I was thinking about putting them on ebay. I've seen several used sets sell for over $300. Am I being a bit too alarmist about this? Anyone have an opinion on this? I mean, I'm probably as likely to be hit by a car while training as have a wheel that I only ride during a handfull of races fail, right?