Divebrian

I have been looking at the 5 spoke wheels currently offered and I'm confused, but that may just be due to the fact that I'm not educated about the manufacturers. First, I think everyone can agree that the Mavic IO was the 1st and premier 5 spoke available on the market. Now, there are a bunch of them and I don't know which ones are good, which ones are Chinese junk and which ones are Chinese junk rebadged to look like a quality wheel. One would assume that even though a 5 spoke may appear the same, they aren't. Sure, they may come from the same mold, but the lay up, processes and materials used must vary between them.

I can't believe that the same wheel you can buy on eBay from Hong Kong for $260 is the same wheel that is sold by Mavic for $2000 +. So, if anyone has any knowledge or experience, please share. From what I can see, 5 spoke wheels that are offered by recognizable companies are Mavic, Fast Forward, Corima, and PRO. Dolan now has a 5 spoke listed on their website being branded as Navigator. The information/specs on the wheels is hard to find and not the best. PRO advertises a Dura Ace hub. Fast Forward list an SKF industrial bearing. I would imagine Mavic and Corima are using their own proprietary hubs.

Can anyone can shed any light on the manufacturers, which is a rebranded wheel, hubs used, etc? I want a good, quality wheel, but would prefer not to pay Mavic prices, although they are undoubtedly the benchmark wheel, but will if that what it takes to guarantee a quality wheel that is stiff and durable.

DMC707

Pro is Shimano's high end boutique stuff for the most part, as well as a way for them to sell the rest of the finishing kit - (they also sell posts, stems and bars) -- I would buy Pro branded stuff with confidence , although I do not know if it is sub-contracted or not



FFWD --- I don't know the backstory - but I have seen them in use by some very fast, medal capable masters riders who would not trust their performances to sub-par equipment . It just costs too much for us MAsters guys' to fly overseas and criss cross the US for various competitions to risk using something that might cause a DNF - A few bucks more for proven equipment is a drop in the bucket


I didn't even know Corima made a 5 spoke, -- their 4 spoke was a benchmark type of wheel for a long time - Anything Corima makes i'd say "buy with confidence" also , but price is probably on par with Mavic --- a set of their 4 spokes are my raceday wheels

Don't know anything about the NAvigator setup --- I'd also like to think Terry Dolan wouldn't put his name behind something funky, but who knows


Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me will pipe up

Regarding the $260 setups from Hong Kong --- how much is your face worth? ---- There are some good values in the Asian gray market stuff, but I think its mostly limited to deep section tubular rims . A wheel like that I would use on my road time trial bike without too many quibbles --- long, sustained seated efforts
--- but on a track bike? Especially one where I will be out of the saddle with my weight over the bars and making high to low bank transitions at 35-40 mph? I probably wouldn't do it

Godsight

The corima new 5 spoke is in the same price range as the mavic iO. Same for the new corima lenticular disc.

FFWD 5 spoke is more common in amateur ranks because of the availability and the lower price compared to PRO/Corima/Mavic

queerpunk

Mavic, Corima, and PRO all make their wheels - I think the first two are handmade in France, and PRO's 5-spoke is built around a DA hub (in some way shape or form).

FFWD looks to be a stickered something-or-other, but it doesn't look like any of the cheap ones on eBay. It does look a lot like the Planet X 5-spoke, though. Regardless, it has a fine reputation and is used at the top levels of the sport. And is a bit more affordable than some of the others.

brawlo

Just to throw another hat in the ring, Walker Brothers wheels are in the marketplace and look interesting. They are handmade in the UK and have a 5 spoke offering

carleton

I owned a Navigator 5 Spoke clincher front. It was well-made. Heavier that the iO that I once owned, but quality nonetheless. Definitely great bang for the buck at 1/6th the price of the iO.

Wheel Werks

FFWD wheels are made in Taiwan. As far as I know. They are definitely not the eBay stuff. I have always seen quality carbon stuff from Taiwan. I have seen a couple of decent rims from China, but most of the carbon from China can be pretty scary.

warx

Can anyone comment on the Planet-X ones? They list like they are above average ebay quality and can be had with ceramic bearings etc. I was trying to see what the Irish team uses at Worlds with their Planet-X frames (only 50% of them used them the others had a mix of things like Felt frames).

carleton

Save your money and don't spend extra for ceramic bearings. Their added value has been debunked for cycling a long time ago. High quality steel bearings can be had for a fraction of the cost. Basically, you'd have to spin your cranks at 10,000 RPM to start seeing any benefits from ceramic over steel bearings.

Ceramic bearings: the pros and cons | road.cc

In my experience, cheap/budget wheels come with cheap bearings that should be replaced. Mid to high end wheels come with high quality steel bearings that are the kind you'd buy as replacements for those in the cheap wheels.

I know the idea of ceramic bearings sounds like "it's free speed, so why not?". But, it's not free and no human can discern any performance differences between quality steel bearings and ceramic.

warx

Thanks. I had wondered about that. My Venge came with CL64 Rovals which I love but Speczd only sell separate wheelsets as the CLX (ceramic 240 hubs). I wanted to buy a set of the new 50s but not the CLX version. The Planet-X wheels are available w/ and w/o ceramic at least. Still, I would be curious as to how stiff/strong they are.

My track FarSport 88 U 23mm wide (20F,24R) clinchers arrive soon. I wish there had been a DT350 hub option for them but figured at some point I'll need to get nicer tubulars anyways (like this thread is talking about).