Jim’s Tech Talk
By Jim Langley
A few months ago, I wrote a story about ICAN Cycling’s Chinese carbon wheels, the Aero 40s. These 40mm profile Toray carbon tubeless-ready aero clinchers weigh only 1,314 grams and cost only $640.
Lots of roadies looking for inexpensive carbon wheels have discovered that they’re widely available on eBay.com. While at RBR, we knew this, we hadn’t actually tested a pair until ICAN contacted us offering a pair for review.
Because I have built wheels professionally for a long time, we thought it would be interesting to get a pair so that I could evaluate the hoops with pro tools and expertise. We were also eager to hit the road with the featherweight carbon wheels from China.
To read the full backstory, learn all the specs on the Aero 40s and watch my unboxing video, go here: https://www.roadbikerider.com/ican-cycling-aero-40-carbon-road-wheelset/.
Today, I’m going to describe the extensive “pre-flight check” I put the Aero 40 wheels through – a proper quality control inspection as we perform it on our custom wheels where I work. It’s only ten checks but a few special tools are required to do them all correctly and to get accurate results.
The Ten Wheel Checks
- Trueness (lateral / side-to-side rim runout)
- Roundness (vertical / up-and-down rim runout)
- Rim centering (how well the rim is centered over the axle – so that it is also centered in the bicycle)
- Spoke length (too short or long usually results in problems down the road)
- Spoke tension (loose or uneven spoke tension causes wheel problems)
- Spoke twist (the Aero 40s have bladed spokes, which should not be twisted)
- Stress relieved? (stress on the spokes, nipples, hubs and rims during wheel building should be relieved)
- Rim strip fit
- Tire installation
- Tire removal
The Results
Overall, the Aero 40s received high marks (A-, A or B) in tests 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10. Those are challenging tests to pass – especially spoke length, tension and centering. If you’ve ever owned wheels that make it nearly impossible to remove a tire on the road, you’ll especially appreciate them scoring an A in ease of tire on/off, too.
The only issue of real concern was spoke twist. The wheels are built with Sapim CX Ray bladed spokes, which require the wheelbuilder to pay attention to the orientation of the spoke when truing and tensioning.
If the wheel whisperer doesn’t do this, the flat surface of the oval spokes can get twisted too far. If that happens, instead of the spokes’ aero edges slicing through the wind, the wide faces actually block the breeze increasing drag.
On both Aero 40s, most of the spokes were twisted putting the flat surfaces into the wind. It isn’t a major job to correct the spoke orientation, but it does take some skill. The spokes need to be untwisted and at the same time, the wheel trueness, roundness, centering and tension need to be maintained.
Even with the spoke twist issue, I’m impressed with these wheels and looking forward to finally riding them. I’m going to fine-tune them to fix the twist, mount a new pair of tires and an 11-28 cassette. Then I’ll put the provided ICAN carbon-compatible brake pads on my Dura-Ace brakes, and take flight on the Aero 40s. I’ll let you know how well they perform in a future Tech Talk.
Watch My Entire QC Inspection
Because it’s better to actually demonstrate all the checks, I made a second video showing all these tests, the tools used, how the QC checks are done and how the ICAN wheels fared. It resulted in a longer video, but I hope you find it interesting.
Ride total: 9,324
Very impressive. How many watts would these wheels save? Also, at what speed does the aero effect max? Finally, Beyond belief as in epic ride total!
Not based on test data but on known physics: any aero component reduces the drag coefficient so as speed increases, the power required is reduced by the drag coefficient times the velocity cubed. The effect is maximized when you reach your maximum speed, but it is there at any speed.
Thanks for your question, Randy, and for answering, Kerry!
I’ve been riding the ICANN 38 wheelset for about a year. Same specs as the 40’s but 20gr lighter. Still as true as the day they were mounted. I can’t comment on the spoke twist issue, I didn’t know to look for it. First carbon rims and first rims with an aero profile for me. New/old stock Schwalbe ZX tires are mounted. These wheels roll out is amazing. I’m still coasting long after my buddies are spinning again. I ride a 700c recumbent so there is an aero advantage but my old Mavic wheels with the same tires didn’t roll out like this. The braking is good but I am careful to clean the pads and surfaces after every ride. The first flat was a slow leak near home. Limped in a leaking front tire. Good thing because I couldn’t get the (on bike) tire levers under the bead of well used ZX tires. I have a new set of Schwalbe levers that do work.
Thanks for the review of your ICAN wheels, Fred! If you ever can’t get your tire lever under the bead of a tire again, go around the tire with your hands and squeeze the tire and make certain that BOTH beads of the tire are right in the middle, the deepest portion of the rim. Then go back and you will be able to get your lever under the bead.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the ICAN wheels. Great info.
Jim
Excellent video Jim! Thanks for taking the time to create and share it. Very useful and informative.
Appreciate it Mark! I’m glad you liked it. Thanks for letting me know!
Jim
Great content here Jim. Can’t wait for the ride eval.
BTW, Do they make a campy compatible version?
Thanx
Thanks, Donald! They do not make a Campy version of the Aero 40. You might want to let them know that they need to add that to their line using their chat function.
Maybe if enough riders weigh in, they’ll do it,
Thanks again,
Jim
Tips on holding spoke so does not twist? Tools I have seen and my attempts to do better in controlling twist see to all suffer from clumsiness; and still put much stress on spoke area.
Hi Frederick,
There are a few tools out there for holding aero spokes so they don’t twist. In the video I am using Park Tool’s. It’s only $9 and fits most aero spokes. Here’s a link: https://amzn.to/2FPYo7W
It’s possible to hold spokes with other tools. I’ve used a small adjustable wrench and even pliers with the jaws filed to fit and not mar the spokes.
It’s always a little tricky to both hold the spoke and turn the nipple. With square drive nipples that have square heads inside the rim, you can use a T driver or a screwdriver type driver that fits the nipples. That gives you plenty of room to hold the spoke with the other tool to prevent twist. But, if you use a regular spoke wrench on the nipple flats, you have to hold the spoke a bit lower since the spoke wrench is in the way.
Getting in the groove to both hold the spoke and tighten the nipple takes a little practice and adds time to truing and tensioning. But when you get tools you like to work with, you can get pretty fast and keep the spokes from twisting so that you end up with perfectly aero spokes and a nice true wheel with ideal tension, too.
I hope this helps and thanks for the comment,
Jim
Wheels look like a great value. But honestly what really jumped out at me most about the article was “streak of consecutive cycling days has reached more than 8,000.” What? Not even China could do a knockoff of that! That’s some kind of crazy.
Thanks for the kind words about the “streak,” Gentleman Biker – you are a gentleman indeed 😉
In cycling,
Jim
The $64,000 question is: how durable are these wheels? As a randonneur, I do ultra distances, most of which are self supported. A friend of mine purchased some Chinese carbon wheels and about 500 miles, the spoke nipples started failing, right in the middle of a long, remote ride. Apparently they were alloy instead of brass, which, according to him, was the problem. He had to rebuild both wheelsets with new nipples.
Hi Richard,
In my experience, for randonneuring, you want bombproof wheels not superlight, race wheels. The Aero 40s are superlight, aero, race wheels with few spokes, alloy nipples and even light hubs. For randonneuring I would go with 32 spokes in both the front and rear wheels and probably aluminum rims so that you don’t need to deal with special carbon compatible brake pads or carbon rims with aluminum braking surfaces.
For riding in the rain a lot, maybe some snow, too, brass nipples are more durable than aluminum. However, I’ve never seen aluminum nipples fail in only 500 miles, so I’m not sure what went wrong with your buddy’s wheel. My best guess would be the spoke length was wrong, which can cause the nipples to fail. But that’s not the nipples’ fault, really, it’s a mistake by the wheel maker.
So, summing up, while I haven’t determined the durability of the Aero 40s yet, I would not expect them to be the ideal wheels for randonneuring – which I’ve done some of and appreciate the demands it puts on the bike, wheels and rider.
Have fun on your next brevet!
Jim
I am interested in how the ICAN wheels hold up under hard braking downhill. I had some Chinese carbon wheels that were great until they quite literally melted going down a steep hill when it was hot outside. I’ve had standard Trek and now have standard Giant carbon wheels that have held up well on hot, hard downhill runs on my race bike in SoCal mountains.
Thanks for this review, Jim. Do you know if the hubs have cup and cone bearings, or, if not, how one would get the correct bearing cartridge when the time comes?
Great article, any news on how they have worked and stood up along this month?
im planning on buying a wheelset
Great detailed first review, thank you.
I also wonder about your ride impressions and especially about your thoughts about the R01 hubs they use as they are even lighter than the DT240’s, but about 300 Euro less..
Thanks!
Best, Harold
Here is my experience with the FL50 wheels:
I have put on them about 8,500 miles.
Mounting tires: extremely hard. I have tried different brands (Conti GP 4000 II, Michelin Pro 4 SC, Specialized Turbo Pro) both new and stretched, and in all cases it was extremely difficult to put them on. The mechanic at the local LBS changed the tape to some high end tubeless tapes (I do run regular clinchers with tubes) that fit really nicely in the rims. The previous tape was quite wrinkly, not stretched, not covering all spoke holes. Since that day I had no more problems mounting the tires! I don’t even need a tire lever anymore to put them on. All the previously mentioned tire brands will go on very easily. Problem solved.
The wheels have served me very well. Training, racing, hard group rides, climbing, descending, smooth roads, potholes … you name it, these wheels have been on them. Even gravel. They performed remarkably well, solid, sturdy but lightweight. I did hit a couple of potholes that gave me pinch flat (at 110 psi mind you), and the wheel stayed true.
Braking: I initially used the breakpads that came with the wheel set, but soon switched to Swissstop Black Prince carbon pads. The breaking performance did improve, noticeably so. I wouldn’t say that it’s a dramatic improvement, but noticeable. In terms of power, I am perfectly satisfied and confident with my breaks.
Tire size mounted: if you consider purchasing these wheels be aware that being wide, the tires will also get wider then specification. Michelin Pro 4 700c/25 came in at 28mm. Conti GP 4000 II 25mm measured 27mm. Specialized Turbo Pro 23mm measured 24.5 and the 24 mm version measured 25mm.
This should not be a problem for more modern bikes as they are designed for wide tires. I have a 2014 Giant TCR Advanced SL0, and the 25 mm Michelin is impossible to ride as it rubs against the frame.
Now I sold my bike, went the disc brake route, and I am considering getting their disc brake version of these wheels.
I have done 13000km on my Aero 55 wheels.
They have held up well through various conditions and are still running true. Braking is good with Token all weather pads or Swissstop. I live in a hilly area and use the brakes alot.
My only negative is that it’s really hard to mount tyres. Have tried many brands in 25mm and they are all difficult to mount, Vittoria Corsa being the worst.
Anyway I do enjoy the wheels and even purchased a second set of 35mm for my new build.
Will the Aero35 disc be suitable for a grave bike build?
Bryan D.