CrimsonKarter21

is one of those companies like RadioShack, that you have no clue how they are a profitable company. Does anyone actually buy this stuff?

umd

Oem

tagaproject6

^^^ +1
Yeah, the companies selling bicycles buy it and put them on the bicycles they sell you.

AngryScientist 

they're more than adequate for the general public who get them as part of an oem package, i have a set i'm using on a cx bike that came with my fuji, they still roll just fine.

scotch

had a set of Alex ALX 320s that came on a CX bike. spokes kept popping and the wheels where pretty much crap.

crocodilefundy

I have 2 sets that my GF and I use for cross racing. They both came with complete bikes and they have held up very well. They are rather light for 32 spoke wheels.

SteelCan

I run one on the front and while I disagree with the comment about weight, it does seem to hold up well. (it should as it's probably 200g heavier than the a Mavic Krysium). I slammed into potholes that have ruined other riders' front wheels, and I got a way with a pinch flat.

Phantoj

I think they make a lot of stuff that gets rebadged. You can find a lot of wheels that look like the ALX320DX (Performance Titans, Neuvation M28 Aero), and I have seen other "house brand" wheels that looked very similar.

tagaproject6

How many ways can you make a wheel look different?

Raiden

My fixed-gear came with an Alex/Formula wheelset that was pretty unreliable until I asked an experienced mechanic to give them a proper tension and true. They've been fantastic ever since, aside from a little heavy.

Phantoj

The "flower flange" hub on these wheels is very distinctive. You'll also see it (and the "Japanese bearings") on Pricepoint's Maddux Aero Racing F60: https://www.pricepoint.com/detail/162...d-Wheelset.htm

LarryMelman

My Fuji road bike came with Alex 320 wheels. Over 2000 miles on them so far and no problems.

So what is the issue? Are there known problems I should be looking for?

Psimet2001 

The rims are used in a lot of places. They aren't too aweful bad as a budget build. In my experience the spokes used on their pre-build wheels are really brittle. I was cutting some yesterday (to rebuild for a teammate who kept popping the spokes) and was amazed at how brittle they actually were compared to some DT and Wheelsmith that I had cut right before that.

They are cheap wheels but with some decent spokes they can be useful as a backup/pit wheel.

scotch

i should add that my ALX 320s were 20 spoke wheels and i'm a bit of a clyde, so that probably didn't help. i still have them. maybe some decent spokes would make them a good backup set?

lunchbox1972

I've got some Alex rims that came stock on my Felt.. 1300+ miles and they are still true and I started riding them at 230lbs.. I'm still 210-215 on most days, they have held up fine. They are 20 spoke radial in the front and 24 cross 2 in the back.. I commute on them, ride recreationally, and do mountain climbing.. Lots of hills on my long rides, not so much in the commute, but pot holes and I have bunny hopped some curbs, a couple of times.

I did pull the hubs apart and one cone on each wheel was pitted.. I replace the cone and bearings in the rear and cleaned up the front. The rear is like butter now and the front is just a tad off from the back.. I'm sure they will hold up fine until I can get a new set of wheels..

I'll ride these till they break..

Psimet2001 

...in general I would agree that you should "use them up"....but just for clarity I would like to go on the record as saying that wheels do very bad things to riders when they "break".

LarryMelman

I am new to all this. I have had my bike for a year and nothing has gone bad yet. What do you mean by a wheel "breaking"? What causes a wheel to fail and how do I look for signs of wear? What makes one wheel better than another?

As I said, the wheels on my bike are Alex 320, I don't know what the spokes are but I seem to remember a sticker "DT Swiss".

Psimet2001 

If you look at the head of the spoke you will usually see a company's mark.

You could dedicate an entire forum to debating the question "what makes one wheel better than another" and all you would discover would be the phrase, "it depends."

What to look for? Look for cracks near the nipples along the rim's surface. Look for cracks in the hub flange. Check for loose spokes every now and then by plucking and listening to the tones produed. Ideally they should all be the same, at least along the same side ofthe wheel, but in reality there will be variation due to the initial roundness of the rim, the tensioning job done during the build and changes induced from striking obsticles while riding.

What you are looking for is one that has greatly de-tensioned when compared to it's neighbors. This can sometimes result in the spoke being slack to the touch - producing a dead rattle when plucked.

If you find one then have the wheel repaired. Do not ride it in that condition.

Will G

Had a set of 24f/28r ALX 295's on my Specialized Roubaix when I bought it. Started breaking spokes around the 3000 mile mark. Got it rebuilt with new spokes. No problem.

urbanknight

How do they make money? Well, as someone put it to me once, there are two ways to make money selling products: 1, make a superior product and sell them for a high price; and 2, make a so-so product and sell a lot of them. Alex does the latter by selling them to bike manufacturers for OEM.

mihlbach

Alex rims aren't actually bad. Their bad reputation comes mostly from the poorly built stock wheels that they usually come with. I have handbuilt sets of touring and MTB wheels built with $24 Alex Adventurer rims. The rims are basically as light as other high end clincher rims, roll round and true, and have lasted for many thousands of miles. What else could one ask for for $24.

LarryMelman

Now I'm confused again. What is the "poorly built" part of the Alex wheel?

Psimet2001 

The "build" or assembly. In addition to the spokes they use.

urbanknight

Who called them bad? I said so-so. If they were bad, they would have likely gone out of business. I don't see anything wrong with their wheels. The rims seem decent, and the assembly on the OEM wheels is what I would expect from any machine built wheel... so-so.

CrimsonKarter21

At my shop we recycle aluminum for cans to old hubs and rims. Once a month we've got a stack of twisted wheels. An Alex road wheel is always in there. After I but the spokes out, I put the rim into a vice right at the joint and push until the rim breaks.
Getting to the point, I've folded single-wall rims that were stronger than Alex.