Has anyone raced this wheelset before? They look incredible but I worry about durability on rougher surfaces. Any users of the brand?
Vuelta Wheelsets
- Thread starter carbonguru
- Start date
I have a set of Vuelta Starlights that I purchased for a bike I was building last summer and had to settle on a lower-model set for a hair under $200. Probably the worst $200 I could've spent. They stay true pretty well, but are so friggin' heavy they're not usable for much other than casual riding. Try heavy climbing with them and it'll kill you.
In a way I'm actually GLAD I got them because A) it helped me understand that putting out more money for lighter weight wheels is a VERY good thing, and B) I have a decent set of wheels for use on my trainer and as an inexpensive last-minute set of replacements for next season when I start racing. In another sense, they're great training wheels due to them essentially giving me a lot of weight training. Still though, I wouldn't repurchase them for anything other than beater wheels.
They claim to have the world record for distance/time on a road bike which means jack squat when you're buying an inexpensive set of wheels. I don't know what your price range is or where you're looking to purchase them from (eBay?), but you could do a lot better with Easton, Ritchey, Bontrager, etc. There are other quality choices around that are WELL-worth looking into.
My $.02.
In a way I'm actually GLAD I got them because A) it helped me understand that putting out more money for lighter weight wheels is a VERY good thing, and B) I have a decent set of wheels for use on my trainer and as an inexpensive last-minute set of replacements for next season when I start racing. In another sense, they're great training wheels due to them essentially giving me a lot of weight training. Still though, I wouldn't repurchase them for anything other than beater wheels.
They claim to have the world record for distance/time on a road bike which means jack squat when you're buying an inexpensive set of wheels. I don't know what your price range is or where you're looking to purchase them from (eBay?), but you could do a lot better with Easton, Ritchey, Bontrager, etc. There are other quality choices around that are WELL-worth looking into.
My $.02.
I was looking at their higher end wheelsets. I think every brand has their crappy heavyweight wheelsets. Thanks for the reply.
ryanspeer said:
A few Italian professional and amateur teams use Vuelta wheels. New Hour Record holder Sosengko use and endorses deep section carbon Vueltas on his regular racing bike (he used regular rims for his hour record to qualify for the hour). The only negative comments I know about Vueltas (not mine) are the weight penalty due to the chunky (altho I like the way they look) spokes. Unless you're going for the top-of-the-line carbons expect a pair to weigh close to 1800 grams.carbonguru said:
There are two different Vueltas. I have seen Vuelta USA (or along the lines of that) which produce fair quality wheels. There is another Vuelta, though, which makes wheels like the XRP stylist, which have a bad rep. I have seen them go through 5000km of use, then the internals rusted because of reallly bad seals. Careful which Vuelta you are buying.
VueltaUSA is the USA website altho the company is Italian. The very same company that supplies wheels for Sosengko's Aqua & Sapone team (among other teams). Xerolites (Xlites) and Carbon Pros are their models. Don't know about the other Vuelta or that there is another Vuelta wheelset manufacturer.bobbyOCR said:
Yes, but there is a rip off Vuelta. I think it is actually called Vuelta XRP. It specs OEM for companies Vincolo, Cytek and Pro-Lite (vincolo and cytek are one and the same. Pro-Lite is the same as Inexa and the old Azzurri carbon frame.) These wheels are truly terrible, but most that you find will be real Vuelta. If it has XRP in the title of the wheel, DON'T go near them.
I have a pair of XRP Vuelta wheels on my mountain bike and they have served me extremely well. They are heavy at 2000G but they came with disc mounts and at 150$ it wasn't a bad deal. They are amazingly strong, in over 2 years of service and a couple thousand road miles and a few hundred off the road, they have never gone out of true. EVER.
I can't speak for XRP road wheels, but as far as their mountain wheels are concerned I rate them highly for durability and style(they are good looking with those bladed spokes).
I can't speak for XRP road wheels, but as far as their mountain wheels are concerned I rate them highly for durability and style(they are good looking with those bladed spokes).
Bobby I did some research. I get what you are saying. Luckily, I'm looking at the real Vuelta's. Thanks for the heads-up!
bobbyOCR said:
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