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China made rant! WTB specifically.

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China made rant! WTB specifically.

Old 08-09-21, 04:25 PM
  #1  
Metieval
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China made rant! WTB specifically.

Why is it that a Chinese family that started a quality trustworthy business of bicycle wheels ran into the ground verbally by non customers and not accepted as legit. Just because they are Chinese? lightbicycle.

Yet on the flip side you have an American faced company selling made in China products that seriously lacks quality and still gets praise etc... WTB.

I don't get the divided bias.

I've never had WTB wheel worth a crap. Their tire weights are all over the scale. Their reviews are starting to reflect this same product quality variation. With either being 4 star or 1 star.

So I mounted up my Donnelly tires Strada Ush the other day. Super high quality, similar weights (as in 447.3 both tires) made in Czech Republic. Purchased online excel sports.

Today I pulled out my WTB resolute tires purchased in a bike shop. Weights all over the place, 473.3 and 489.4 and I read "Made in China" on packaging.

Talk about a light bulb moment! No wonder WTB stuff is grab bag iffy on quality.

But seriously why the bias on (selective) products made in China?

I guess I haven't drank enough WTB coolaid. Or I place zero influence on what sponsored shills say that push a product.
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Old 08-09-21, 05:09 PM
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- I didn't realize light wheels were criticized and not seen as legit. They have a following on this site and a coue other forums I read.
Who isnt accepting them and why?

- I loved my WTB Resolute tires at the time, but looking back they were wildly underwhelming and I think it was more of a case of me wanting to like them. If their protection version ever comes in tan wall, I'll try em again. As is- the porous sidewalls were exactly everything that is complained about online.

- I think WTB is big in gravel because they went OEM for so much of the initial 'alt road' push over the last 6 years. Their 650b road tires created a niche and they have managed to get their rims and tires onto a lot of OEM builds from medium and small brands.


I really haven't heard light wheel brand bashing just for who owns the company/where its owned. I would be interested to see the complaints and understand the background and context.
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Old 08-09-21, 05:40 PM
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Old 08-09-21, 06:03 PM
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Funny I've just had my rear WTB rim develop cracks around six spoke holes after a year and a half, ~5k miles. OEM.

I liked the riddlers in 37mm, they were done at 2500 miles. I'd buy them again on sale, maybe. I liked the tread design with larger outside knobbies vs a gravel king SK's "bars".
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Old 08-09-21, 07:17 PM
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Oh hot dang. You're onto us.
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Old 08-09-21, 07:33 PM
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I give this rant a C+.

If the grammar was a bit worse and there were some expletives, it'd be a solid B.
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Old 08-10-21, 05:40 PM
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I thought I sort of was following the rant, but I'm only 62.3% sure after I finished.

I have Light Bicycle wheels and I bought them because of the strong word of mouth and the many reviews about their great customer service. I have seen at least once on these forums where I recommended LB for their wheelsets and saw someone recommend Zipp, Enve, etc. and say something like "stick to the bigger names for companies producing wheelsets" or something like that.

So, if that is what the rant is on about I'm on board. As far as WTB, I don't have any experience one way or the other.

Bad quality and bad customer service can be had whether a company is in the US, Europe, China or wherever, and good quality and good customer service can be had around the world too.
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Old 08-11-21, 12:30 AM
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Originally Posted by KJ43
I thought I sort of was following the rant, but I'm only 62.3% sure after I finished.


Bad quality and bad customer service can be had whether a company is in the US, Europe, China or wherever, and good quality and good customer service can be had around the world too.
I was mostly just ranting about WTB being crap quality.

As for Lightbicycle, I like them. I just dont feel they get a fair shake. because people throw them under the bus just because they are Chinese.
However companies like WTB which is also China produced, gets looked at with bias and gets a pass due to the American faskmask.
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Old 08-11-21, 12:34 AM
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Originally Posted by GrainBrain
Funny I've just had my rear WTB rim develop cracks around six spoke holes after a year and a half, ~5k miles. OEM.

I liked the riddlers in 37mm, they were done at 2500 miles. I'd buy them again on sale, maybe. I liked the tread design with larger outside knobbies vs a gravel king SK's "bars".
Wtb has some great tread designs. They just need better manufacturing.

Their wheels, absolute junk.
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Old 08-11-21, 03:15 AM
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I don't think I've ever felt this strongly about any bit of cycling gear..

Then again I don't own anything by either company
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Old 08-11-21, 05:30 AM
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Seems easy enough to avoid buying WTB (or Zipp or Enve or Ritchey or SRAM or.....) if the products don't suit you. If someone has dissed your Light wheels don't take it personally. It's not like they accused you of not washing your bibs after each ride.
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Old 08-11-21, 01:06 PM
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because you got all them teeth and no toothbrush
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Old 08-11-21, 01:16 PM
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Old 08-12-21, 11:10 AM
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Nearly everything is made in China.

Its usually made to a certain price point. In the case of LB, they are probably going for the same higher end spec without a middleman, so they’re cheaper but nowhere near as cheap as the clearly junk other carbon wheels from eBay.

WTB has always seemed like junk to me. They have a wide variation in their products but most are OEM type of barely functional crap that gets changed out by any purchaser who is serious. They don’t need to worry about reputation or repeat customers, they’re making enough money spec’ing lower to middle tier new bikes.
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