Caden carbon wheels - cheap yet sweet
 

Got a hankering to revisit tubulars after ditching them in the 90s - these days we have sealant and tape, so it promises to be a much better experience...

So I did a bit of research, but not a whole lot because I came across this guy in Sydney who gets rave reviews for his gear (which includes clinchers, tubeless, disc and gravel wheels), which costs a fraction of comparable stuff, and is currently 35% off everything, not to mention free shipping worldwide.

Pretty compelling stuff once I read a bunch of reviews; dude has a 5.0 average over 110 reviews.

The rims are his own design, made in the same factory as a number of big-name brands, and the hubs are made to his spec, the straight-pull ones made in Germany. AFAIK all his wheels are available in a cheaper spec, or you can go the deCADENce option and get lighter rims with the straight-pull hubs. Given the price, I went the full monty which came to under US$1250.

My wheelset turned up the other day, but I haven't had a chance to stick the tyres on yet, so ride report pending. But the finish is impeccable, the spoke tension very high and quite even (although one or two spokes weren't entirely straight, an easy fix), and they just ooze quality. A tad heavier than the advertised 1080g (I think it was another 55g). The hubs are very slick, with wide bracing on the front (16h) and 21h 2:1 on the rear. Spokes are CX-Rays, black only. His wheels are UCI approved.

I think a couple of folks on here might have a set of Cadens, hopefully they'll chime in with long-term reviews. Otherwise just check out the gushing reports on Google reviews linked above.

Caden

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...850a59dbbf.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bc5e80b6e3.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1a84900f5b.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b9f334129d.jpg


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7d8d5a5733.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/8K4kv2L/LRG-DSC01494.jpg
Gotta love em! :thumb:

at US$1250, a used Zipp or Enve is a much better buy, they also have great resell value when you wish to try something else

Just get the super team carbon wheels for like $400 on amazon

Hot!

Heavy, mixed reviews.

Caden customers are unanimous.

These wheels can duke it out with $6k wheelsets, something no $500 wheelset can dream of.

Nice sounding find, thanks! Looking forward to hearing about performance and long term.

How long have you had yours, @gurk700 ?

https://carbonbikewheels.com.au/us/p...eless-wheelset

$400 more than Light Bicycle 56mm deep with DT350 hubs

100g heavier, narrower internal width(bead-bead), and shallower (45mm vs 56mm). I looked at these before choosing LB, but couldn't find one category where they were superior.

I paid only slightly more for a Aeolus 5 disc wheelset from Bontrager, heavier sure, but incredibly trustworthy with plenty of company done R&D not just the ol' "it was made in the same factory so it's got to be as good as the guys that actually develop this stuff!".

Not seeing any tubulars on their site

Tubulars are obviously a niche market. Frankly, I'm shocked that only two of the Caden wheelsets are tubeless. Their stuff does look interesting and a decent value compared to what you'll see at a B&M, though, as noodle soup points out, makers like LB have some very compelling stuff at great prices.

Building good wheels is pretty much just what it always was, just with the addition of composite construction (fairly widespread knowledge), and aerodynamic refinement, which was admittedly a big spend in the first place, but copying a profile is as easy as Ctrl-C.

I for sure agree that putting your faith in a giant company is generally a wiser move, but given the above, I was open to be persuaded. The long list of reviews that ranged from quite impressed to absolutely stoked is what persuaded me.

Of course, nothing's perfect... That's why I'm looking for a 21h Shimano hub, because nobody does freehubs like Shimano.

I didn't want tubulars(nor do most cyclists).

I compared the Caden wheels that are closest to what I wanted, and found that Light Bicycle wheels were superior in every measurable.

Caden seems to be centerlock only, no ISO 6 bolt. Maybe I missed it.

15 mm thru axles with centerlock sometimes cause issues with the lockring - unable to use a standard lockring tool, need to convert to external spline MTB style lockring and then clearance between the fork and lockring comes into play. Its enough that all my future disk brake bikes, whether road or gravel, will be ISO 6 bolt.

They look like super nice wheels apart from this issue. Pricey though IMO. Maybe they are cheap for the quality when compared to some of the top shelf brands. Definitely bling but wheels are becoming commodity items.


-Tim-

Double sided adhesive tape?
 

I saw Caden’s video on using inexpensive double sided (generic) 3m tape as an alternative to gluing.

Has as anyone tried this method of gluing (attachment)/installation of tubular tires? I looks a lot cleaner and the part where he leaves the outer wax paper on the rim after installing the tire is brilliant. Inflating the unglued tire to let it smooth around the circumference & than removing the wax paper to securely attach the tire, makes a lot of sense.

centerlock disc tubulars with 12mm through axle front & rear would work for me for the titanium disc build I’m doing. Getting wheel weights as low as Caden advertises makes me wonder what the weight limit is.

No one mentioned Campagnolo Bora Ultra tubular wheels. I’ll occasionally see last year’s (or a couple years back) models being sold at decent sale prices. From everything I have heard, Campy Bora (One or Ultra) wheels are some of the best, most under rated out there.

Are there such things ?

"...$6k wheelsets,..."

Oh yes.

https://shop.lightweight.info/en/SpringSale/?lid=500211

That took longer than I expected.

You're simply wrong, sorry.
Had both Zipp and Enve's. Multiple sets.

MARKETING.

That's it.

Since late 2017! 0 issues.

lol

But a small price to pay to gain 4MPH without fitness, right?? :innocent:

You know what this thread needs...another male model pic...think it’s time for datlas to post a pic of himself with his bike to prove he owns crabon wheels

Be careful what you ask for:

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f62f980ab.jpeg

of course it is marketing, that is why the resell value is high, you can buy a used Zipp use for a year and not lose money selling it on eBay. Just try selling your Caden, prob would not get a single bid. So as an investment Zipp and Enve is just better, they keep their value down the road.