Silly light for all mountain wheels at this price, stiff, wide rims, cool paint schemes, great hubs, can be converted to tubeless

They don't have the "blingy" red hubs the new 2010 XC tubeless wheels from AC

Just got these wheels so this is a very initial review. I will post another one after having some significant saddle time with them. Right when they came in I was very impressed with how silly light they are for an all mountain wheelset. They are replacing my '06 Mavic crossride discs. The rim width is way wider then the mavics at 28mm and they have Jbend spokes instead of the Mavic straight pull and bladed ones. The nice thing is the spokes are all black except for the one next to the valve whole which is white (in their pics it's red, would have looked sweet) so it's always easy to locate. When my Specialize Eskar 2bliss 2.3 comes in I'll be converting them to tubeless, but for right now I am running tubed. The trail I have ridden them on so far is fairly fast and flowing with a decent amount of roots, bermed turns and some good woops that you find on most southeast trails. I never really thought of my Mavics as flexy at all, but I can definitely tell how stiff the AC's are, when you push through a turn you feel the responsiveness a lot more. The slightly lighter weight of these allow for really good quick acceleration and made the climbs so much easier in a way higher gear (especially considering how out of shape I am right now). I am already in love with the AC hubs, they roll soooooo smooth (yes I know they are not as smooth as I9's or Chris Kings) The one thing I noticed is how quiet the rear freewheel is. If you listen very carefully you can hear a barely audible (even on quieter sections of trail) a higher pitched buzz. I liked the louder hub noise of the Mavics, but it's kinda cool barely hearing anything but the woods and your tired on the trail. Also, I am about 200lbs (210 with riding gear). I'll post more after converting them to tubeless and after having more ride time with them. Only giving them 4 chili's overall since they are still really new and haven't had much time on them yet, but if they stay this way for the summer they'll for sure be 5's.

Strength, aesthetics, great company

failed immediately, a bit heavy

I was really excited about this wheelset. I am a cross country rider, but enjoy the technical stuff and push pretty hard. I was tired of supposedly strong wheelsets and within a year being disappointed with the overall durability. One thing that I noticed upon receiving the new wheelset is that the decals around the rim are very fragile. Touch them with any tool and they immediately nick and scrape off. After my first ride, the decals looked like they had been on a wheelset that was over a year old.

Now for the really bad news - On that first ride with the AM Disc I heard a 'grinding' of metal on metal. I immediately stopped and contacted Universal Cycles. They advised that I contact American Classic. I did, and the service is second to none. Amazing technical help. Within a day they send out an entirely new rear hub assembly. My local bike shop set it up and I was off for my second ride on the AM Disc. Within one trail, I felt as if the back wheel were 'dragging' just very sluggish. Then, the metal on metal noise starting happening again. I contacted American Classic and they wanted me to send the wheelset to them for review. This is exactly what they should ask in order to solve the issue. My problem was that I had bought a $700 wheelset, had to pay my local bike shop $60 to re-do the hub and now on a brand new set of wheels, I had to send it back to the manufacturer.

I figured I should cut my losses and contact Universal Cycles for a return. I explained my story and they offered to take the wheelset back and give me full credit for a new set. Universal Cycles is a great company that offered support, good pricing and a flexible return policy being that the wheels were used.

I have since purchased a set of 2010 Mavic Crossmax ST that have performed flawlessly.

I do want to stress the American Classic gave the best service and support that I have experienced. I may have gotten a 'lemon' and I don't want everyone to judge this wheelset or company based on my one experience.

Similar Products Used:

King wheelset, Mavic