Spin Speed Metal 30 wheelset

I was in Stratford-Upon-Avon at the weekend. I realised Spin were local and went to have a look round and possibly treat myself - until checking the website showed that they are only open office hours Monday-Friday. How very 20th century, not being open on Saturdays (at least) must cost them a fortune.

So where is this new review of the Spin wheelset. I am eager to find out as I have a set of RS10's to replace before the end of the season and the next best option is either a set fo RS80's or the Pro - lite Bracciano's for the same money...Publish this review soon guys

Hi Folks,

We just want to direct everybody's attention to the statement underneath the review, where it has been stated that the bearing issue has been resolved, Unfortunately we did not contact road.cc about the bearings and nor did they contact us to check if there was anything we are aware of.

Luckily this is not affecting any of our wheels anymore, as the bearing issue was confined to one batch of hubs received last November (when we the reviewer took possession of the wheels).
And as mentioned by many people in these comments it is obvious that there was a bearing issue as it occurred over the course of a single ride, rather than 6 months down the line.

We are pleased to say Road.cc will be reviewing another set of our wheels in the near future and will ultimately back up our already large portfolio of happy customers.

Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to call us, We have wheels available to take out and test on the roads of the Cotswold's to put any cyclists mind at rest.

Many thanks
Spin Cycle works

Surely a manufacturer/importer would make sure that a product going for testing and review would be spot on.
Who would put a hub together where the bearings were a loose fit ? Even a home mechanic knows thats wrong.
Reviews like this should not be dumbed down but the manufacturer should have a reply.Hope its not the normal "its a one off" "shouldn't have slipped through" "it was Bob's fault but he's left now" !

I was really gutted to see this review. I bumped into one of the top guys at Spin a few weeks ago in the Cotswolds - he was out for a bike ride on a non-branded carbon frame and gorgeous looking carbon wheels that caught my eye. We have a god chat about Spin (it was then the penny dropped about the titanium frames I'd seen reviewed) but it was the wheelset that really got my attention.

He was on a set of their 50mm carbon clinchers - they looked like v expensive, well made wheels and I was really impressed when he said they were £599 a pair, with full service and warranty backup in Stratford. I have to say I was intending to buy a set, but this review has seriously dented my confidence. Hopefully there will be some feedback or follow up on this from Spin.

As a journalist who has spent 20 odd years testing products for consumer magazines, I can see all sides of the situation. FWIW, I think Spin should be encouraged to respond (if they haven't already been). The right of reply is a fundamental journalistic principle, and I think most readers would like to hear Spin's side of the story. They're unlikely to say "fair cop, guv...our wheels are shite", but they may have an explanation as to why this particular wheeelset was so poor. As the owner of a prototype pair of black Speedmetal 30s, I would certainly be interested in their comments (on mine, the hubs are fine but there is a bit of lateral flex in the rims). I was also interested to note that Cycling Weekly described them as being heavy, whereas your review described them as light (1548g on my scales doesn't seem very heavy). So, come on Spin...let's hear your side of it.

I might well be capable of reading between the lines to detect faint praise, but why on earth would I want to read encrypted reviews? I might actually buy a Spin for my next bike, but this page has at least warned me that having Spin wheels as well might not be a great idea.

As for everything receiving four stars, my understanding is that most publications go for:

1 = awful
2 = does the job with some significant flaws
3 = does the job well, some minor flaws
4 = does the job really well
5 = truly exceptional/best in class

Given how competitive the market is these days, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a lot of kit to do their intended job really well. Er, that'll score 4 then.

Tony

I think you underestimate your readership – most of us are capable of reading between the lines of a so-so review and recognising when a product is damned with faint praise anyway.

A review is just a snapshot of one sample in the hands of one reviewer, with all his/her experience/prejudices. The best managed factories will always produce defective products (usually measured in parts per million) so I maintain that it isn't doing the readers a disservice to return an unsatisfactory product to the manufacturer and ask them to replace it. After all that's what those of us who part with our hard-earned have to do. Telling the story about how the supplier handles a failure would be far more useful than a hatchet job, which could tarnish the brand's previously well-reviewed products.

Quite refreshing IMHO for ANYTHING to get a Road.cc review score of less than 4/5, most reviewers seem to think 'ooh some free kit that no normal person would dream of actually paying for, I'd better give it 4/5.."

This review is so negative that I'm wondering what more there is to this story that has been left out.

I have been paid to write reviews of niche, hand-built products for specialist magazines and quality issues on test are not uncommon. It is highly unusual though, in my experience, to publish a damning review without having a dialogue with the manufacturer to understand the reasons for the product's failure and what the remedial action will be in ongoing production.

I haven't heard of Stephen Hawkins – is this an in-joke? If VecchioJo is referring to Stephen Hawking, then mis-spelling Hawking's surname is slapdash and the metaphor is in poor taste.

"...they're well built too. They've shown their handbuilt quality by only needing the slightest of tweaks with the spoke key"

Is that the yardstick of "well built" these days? I has a sad.

I assume the rims are kinlin XR-300's, there's nothing wrong with the rim, I've built multiple sets of wheels with these rims and they perform brilliantly, perhaps you received a faulty pair or their (spin speed's) wheelbuilding skills aren't top notch.

Quote:

otherwise the wheel will creak and groan like Stephen Hawkins' marriage bed.

What on Earth is this supposed to mean?

Seems odd, have you tried to contact the manufacturer?

Seen a few reviews where product was shockingly bad initially and after contacting company got something without that.

Mr Brand Manager, we have an emergency here!

There's plenty of anecdotal evidence out there on Zondas, Eurus etc so won't give you mine. Regardless, they manage a low spoke count with lower profile rims than these do so its certainly possible. Zonda/FulcrumR3 manage a similar weight and profile to these at a similar price, the only downside is replacing spokes.

Never ridden a G3 so can't comment.
Ibhave ridden Vision wheels however and found them to be the worst wheels I ever used... Until I experienced the joys of the Sram s30's, truly shit.
It's not just about spoke count for sure, its a whole host of things. Camp rear wheels have very widely spaced flanges which help resist lateral load, but I'd imagine if they do perform well it'll be a fat beefy rim that is adding a lot of the strength.
Just using the same spokes as any normal wheel, with a normal hub and standard rim does not make a fast wheel. Ok, responsive wheel.

Come on Jimmy Ray, it's not just the spoke count. How do you explain the Campag G3 otherwise?

Cripes. I got the impression that Spin did decent kit.

sheeeesh! i nearly bought these before i settled on my Visions.

if one wheel had issues i could see that being a dodgy batch but for both to go thats a bit alarming!

I'd be keen to learn Spin's thoughts on your experiences. Sounds to le that there is a either a problem with Tue hubs, or a problem with the bearings beyond the norm. If this happened 6 months down the line I'd say fair enough, shit product, but to be so quick makes me think dodgy batch.

As for the wheel performance, this seems fairly typical of a pretend race wheel. Normal wheels use 32 spokes for a reason, I find it curious that people are trying to build alloy wheels with so few spokes and being surprised by the end performance. Again carbon rims and all their short comings are used for a reason and that's to provide enough strength without weighing a ton.

So there.

"they're stiff up and down and compliant side-to-side" I suppose at least it's at least a change from the "Vertically compliant, laterally stiff" buzz phrase that usually populates the industry

Ouch!