Superstar Components Elite wheels

Old thread, so not sure sure if still of any interest to folks, but 2 years on and I've used about a dozen of those wheelsets now on several builds, not all of them for myself.

They've all seen varying amounts of use (from fair weather sunday rides to daily commutes in all kinds of weather), but only one rear wheel needed minor trueing after about a year, and it's been fine since.

Another rear wheel's rim had a dent in the tyre bead hook after hitting a pretty brutal pot hole - any rim would have had that dent. This wheelset is the only one I've taken apart, in order to reuse the hubs and possibly the spokes. The replacement rims are Kinlin TB-25, which are the rims SSC rebadged as Elite 25-T.

The Icon Ultra hubs that SSC used for these wheels (rebadged Novatec 141/482 with upgraded bearings) have varied in the amounts of noise they make, but not in reliability. Not had a single issue with them.

About a year ago I switched most of my bikes from clinchers to tubs, which accounts for the last few wheelsets I bought from SSC (they replaced near identical clincher wheelsets on my bikes). Since then I've started building my wheels myself and have bought a few sets of Kinlin rims - plain silver and minus the SSC branding, so not as pretty (I do like their laser edging on the Elite rims quite a bit), but at least there is wide availability - I'm not sure whether SSC are selling the Elite 25-T again, they had run out of them a while ago, sadly.

So if SSC have a wheelset that looks like it meets your needs, don't be put off by them not being Mavic or Campagnolo. Kinlin make some the highest quality rims in that price range, and with the better SKF bearings those Novatec hubs are surprisingly cheerful in addition to cheap. I've not got any complaints about build quality either. Big thumbs up from me, excellent choice on a budget.

I've had a set of Elite 30mm and Icon hubs for a month now with Continental Ultrasport tyres, and no problems at all. Very impressed with them, certainly feel better than my Aksiums and only £99 delivered. Bought them for summer use really but have kept them on the bike.

How have owners of these wheels got on with the hubs (assuming most of you have Icon hubs on the Elite rims)? Particularly any experience in wet weather. 

Thanks

I have a set of Elite 30s - and so far they really do seem to live up to their billing. Moving on from Mavic Aksiums, these certainly feel a big step up, and the difference in weight and aero performance can certainly be felt (and not necessarily how I expected to feel the 'benefit' to feel, but its still there)

As for the build quality, well only done 300 miles or so, but no issues yet.

Superstars are becoming my ideal set of wheels. Been hunting the web like most and Fulcrum and Mavics at the weight I need are just a bit too expensive. Then came across the Superstar Elites and as said, weight, Truing and accident warranty at £200, well I want to be able to ride my bike faster.

Superstar Components have 20% of Wheels this month, £188 for the 38 Elites!!! Now to sell a Kidney

Parksey, there is something to be said both for buying local (LBS) and supporting local industry (Superstar). I guess you'd have to weigh local support for the wheels against more prettiness and a saving of 300g in rotational weight. That said, as you know Superstar are offering a lifetime truing service and a crash replacement scheme.

drmatthewhardy wrote:

They are nice looking wheels, like the old 90s Shamals, so a perfect complement to an Athena build. Hmmm.

Never seen those, but seems I accidentally got it right anyhow.

fukawitribe wrote:

I'm not normally a fan of brown leathery looking stuff but that bike looks absolutely gorgeous - top job Sir !

Thank you muchly. I'm rather happy with how it turned out myself, but that's the joy of building a bike from scratch, you get to pick and choose every single component.

They are nice looking wheels, like the old 90s Shamals, so a perfect complement to an Athena build. Hmmm.

Okay, first test ride of my shiny new bike. That means I can report back on the Elite 24 wheelset.

The good:

It's bloody amazing how quickly they spin up. Granted, I can only compare them to the wheels on my other bikes, and the lightest of those are the ones on my commuter, at 2.2 kg a set. These are 700 grams lighter, but I really didn't think it would be *that* noticeable. It is! I was sorely tempted to make jet fighter noises when accelerating across the flats, and not just once. Okay, so I did make jet fighter noises. No one heard me! (I hope)

I didn't notice any flex / brake rub when climbing, either sitting or standing up. But then, I'm a lightweight myself at quite a bit below 70 kg, so heavier riders might have varying mileage with that.

They also are, as mentioned, rather easy on the eyes. No decals, just some subtle engraved logos which are only visible at certain light angles. Very stylish indeed.

The bad:

I don't like the sound of the freehub. It's a flimsy sounding noise, not the satisfyingly loud click-click-click on my commuter. But that's a matter of taste, some people will like it more quiet.

The ugly:

(The what now, mate? There's nothing ugly about those wheels!)

Have some pics - yes, I know, I'm a lousy photographer, and yes, those superfluous headset spacers will be taken care off soon enough.

Edit: not sure why it won't show the pics in full size. Here are the direct links, the first one shows a bit more detail on the rims: http://oi60.tinypic.com/mwz2u1.jpg http://oi62.tinypic.com/2vbprv5.jpg

They shipped them on Monday morning via UPS 24-48 hour delivery. UPS took a bit longer than anticipated, and after an email from me Superstar Components were happy to get in touch with UPS to find out what was going on. Finally got the wheels on Thursday.

The wheels arrived safely and true, fitted them to the bike today (had to wait for my fork steerer to be cut).

One thing I can say already is that they are very beautiful (got the silver rims) and visually complement the bike nicely, and that they feel ridiculously light. They came in at 1,504 grams on my scales (claimed weight 1,492g), plus 22g of rim tape per wheel.

I'm going to finish the build over the weekend, and then I'll be hoping for some dry, sunny days.

My impatience got the better of me, just ordered them. Let's see how long their journey from Englandshire to Scotland will take.

The Elite rims are prettier, though.

(He did say he was upgrading partly for the looks)

FWIW I'm going to order a wheelset with the (shallower) Elite 24 rims next week. However, it might take me another week or two to give feedback, because I've just got the frame for the bike they're for and will spend some time building it up.

And I'm going to have to wait for a few days without rain as that's going to be the new fair weather bike and I don't want it to get too dirty.

If you are a heavier rider, would the wider Pave wheels not be a better bet?
They are only 2mm less depth the rim (and using my totally untrained internet eyes, the Pave rims look to be a bit more rounded, and aero looking?)

I am using http://www.wiggle.co.uk/campagnolo-scirocco-35-clincher-wheelset/?sku=53... those at the moment and I'm 95kg.
They have stayed true for a good couple of thousand miles so far (although I am worried on them being a pain to true due to the spoke pattern if they do need it!)

I think the previous ones I linked to are previous years Reynolds unbranded from what I can glean from t'internet but can't get any definitive answer!

nothing of any value to add I'm afraid but I keep going back and looking at http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/carbon-clincher-icon-hubs-2024-hol... those.
Seems a good price compared to the ebay specials especially with a UK guarantee!