FAQ
I cracked a rim. I never cracked a rim in my older wheels. What are my options? All of the newer lower spoke count wheels almost always fail with rear rim cracks. That's the case no matter what brand of wheel you have. With 20 or 24 spokes there are not as many points on the rim taking up the road shock. The good news is that you get much better performance form the wheels because they are much more aerodynamic and lighter but they are also not as strong. If you crack a rim on a Neuvation wheel it's replaced free of charge for the fist year, or for two years if you bought our wheel protection plan. If you want to buy a rim or have us install a new one we will sell you an alloy rim for $50 or install a new rim for either $60 (Aero wheel) or $65 (SL wheel). If you are going to replace a rim on most wheels, the cost of the rim is typically in the $75-$150 range and the labor is $60-$100 so we offer a much more cost effective way to ride with lightweight wheels. Here is the link to the rim replacement page.
Do you ship internationally? We ship to Canada ($20 per wheel USPS), Australia and New Zealand ($40 per wheel USPS). For Australian and New Zealand customers write in any state in the state field and write in the comments area which country you are in and I will adjust the address when I process the orders. We do not ship to other countries due to too many customers having problems with the shipping and import fees.
I want to order a part that is not on your web site. How do I do that? Write an e-mail to any of the e-mail addresses on this site and we will send you an invoice that you can pay in a secure site with a credit card. Make sure to let us know what you want and where you want us to ship it. Replacement cassette bodies are $50.
I cracked a rim and want to get a new one. E-mail use your current shipping address and let us know which model of wheel you have and we will send you a return form. Send the hub along with that form to use at the address on the return form and we will install a new rim for $50. No need to pay when you send us the hub, we will bill you when it's ready.
I cracked a rim and I have never cracked a rim before. How come? The failure point for all low count wheels (every make and model) is a cracked rim. In 95%+ it's the rear rim. The reason is that you have much fewer spokes. 20 or 24 instead of 32 or 36. So there are fewer spoke holes to absorb the stress. The good news is that the wheels are a lot lighter and perform a lot better but there is a price for that performance. Really strong, really light wheels do not exist. We offer not only a wheel protection program but also a very low cost rim replacement program. Considering the life of chains, cassettes, and tires, the cost of maintaining high quality light wheels is very reasonable.
How do I choose between your alloy wheels? The SL wheels are lighter but the Aero wheels look cooler. All of the 2010 have heavier and stronger rear rims - the failure point for most wheels (see above). so the strengths are about equal. They all perform about the same with the performance edge, in my opinion, going to the lighter wheels (especially getting up to speed and climbing).
Can you make M 28 Aero’s in Campy?
No. The design of the cassette only allows it to be made for Shimano cassettes. There are, however, two conversion cassettes available that slide onto Shimano cassette bodies and have Campy spacing. They are available from American Classic www.amclassic.com and from Wheels Manufacturing http://www.wheelsmfg.com/
Do you have 650C wheels?
Not yet.
What is the difference in strength between your models?
The M 28 Aero’s are the strongest. Even good enough for Cross. Because of the lighter rim, the new R series are less durable, but still strong enough for everyday riding. The carbon wheels should be used as race wheels.
What’s the weight limit on your wheels?
I really don’t have set weight limits. But here are some rough guide lines:
- M 28 Aero: The strongest wheels I sell. Good for really big guys even over 250.
- M 28: Still very strong wheels but not quite as strong as the Aero wheels. Good to 240.
- R series: Probably good to 220 but if you are 220 pounds of muscle and are hard on wheels it might be a stretch.
- Carbon wheels: Your taking your chances at any weight. The heavier you are the more likely you will bottom out the tire and crack the rim.
What makes a person (or condition) hard on wheels?
Things that are hard on wheels are high tire pressure, small tires, and pushing big gears instead of spinning. Things that are easier on tires are lower tire pressure, larger tires, and spinning smaller gears. These are in addition to road conditions and rider weights and riding styles. For this reason you can get away with lighter wheels on Cyclocross bikes than one would think because they use large volume tires at low pressure.
Are the spokes hard to replace and do I need to send the wheels back to the factory if I break one?
All the wheels (with the exception of the C 38’s) now come with spare spokes and can be easily changed using normal tools. The C 38’s use the Sapim CX Ray and cost megabucks, but can be replaced with any spoke.
Where can I get replacement spokes?
I have them. If you need any spokes, just e-mail me and I will send out 2 of each length for free (except for the CX Rays).
Do I need a rim strip?
I recommend the cloth Velox 16 mm rim strips. On the 2009 and newer model wheels the rim strips are included.
What is the easiest way to remove or replace decals?
If you do it the wrong way you’re going to have a nasty night of it. Particularly with the R series decals. The key is that you want to heat up the decal and the glue so that it is very warm but not hot. I use a heat gun but you can also use a hair dryer on hot setting. It normally takes about 60 seconds of moving it over one decal to get it hot enough. Try pulling up the end of the decal and it should be soft and come off with all or almost all of the glue. Any glue residue is tough to get off but it’s possible with glue remover made to remove decal glue available at auto stores or The Home Depot.
How to determine stem angle.
Use the fork angle and the stem angle and add them together. In doing this make sure your first subtract them from 90 degrees. The stems can be flip flopped so the 73 degree stem is either + or – 17 degrees and the 84 is either + or – 6 degrees (90-73=17 etc.) Therefore the calculations would be as follows with the 73 degree forks I use.
73 degree stem Fork 17 + stem 17 = +34 degrees
73 degree stem Fork 17 - stem 17 = + 0 degrees (parallel to the ground)
84 degree stem Fork 17 + stem 6 = +23 degrees
84 degree stem Fork 17 - stem 6 = +11 degrees
