Neuvation M28 Update

[bafc23]

I reviewed these hoops back in issue #123 and in a rare moment of testing karma, the good folks at Neuvation let me keep the wheels rather than returning them as would be standard after the print run. I ran them on my cyclocross rig for the test, but since then they've been switched over to my roadie for some spring mileage. one of the first things I did upon learning they didn't need to go back to the factory was to strip them of the large obnoxious logo stickers. Now they have a stealthy all-black appearance, and of course when your bike looks stealthy, it goes much faster. So I've been flogging them on the pavement and after a few hundred pothole hits, random gravel missions and a handful of curb-hops, they're still true. For a set of 'econo' wheels, that's pretty good endurance. On both the cx and the road bike, they've taken on plenty of wet, gritty days without complaint and without gumming up or seizing on me despite my aversion to doing any hub maintenance whatsoever. The M28's will probably find their way back on to the cross bike soon as it's time to start training again (yeah right, training). A note if you're thinking about running aero or 'v' style rims like these is to make sure your tubes have long valve stems, or that you carry an adapter for your spares. With normal valves in deep rims, the pump head won't gain any purchase and you'll be SOL at the side of the road. I've found that a standard presta-schrader adapter works just fine; no need to get the special tri-guy extensions.

[peatbog]

I weigh 229 pounds, so I figured it would be a good idea to buy wheels with 20 spokes rear/16 front. Then I thought those same shiny Neuvation M28 Aero wheels wearing cross tires would look real neat on the steel-framed, straight-bar bike I ride to work, which doesn’t seem so goofy excepting that part of the travel is a very bumpy, rutted dirt/gravel path. In any case, it turns out that this was not a well thought out plan, as at some point, the rear hub rebeled against the excessive weight and the rough riding. So I contacted John Neugent and told him what abuse I put his wheels though, hoping he would sell me just a new hub, but hoping even more that he would give me a new hub under warranty even though the wheel had not enjoyed a happy life.

After seeing the damaged hub (which was subsequently rendered totally useless in a welding experiment—another thing not well thought out), John sent me not only a new hub but an entire new wheel! Actually, I think he said it was a rebuilt wheel, but it appears as new.

In either case, what is the lesson learned here? Simple: to make a customer happy, this Neugent guy goes beyond what one would normally expect from someone who has had his wheels abused by a customer who does things to his product that makes no rational sense. The new wheel hub, by the way, has added reinforcement to protect itself from people like me.

I suppose the lesson learned really should be that an affordable, reasonably lightweight, 20-spoke rear wheel shouldn’t be ridden off-road for many months by someone who weighs 229 pounds. Sadly, I have learned nothing of the kind. I mean if I had any sense about myself, I would have not done that in the first place.

I did learn, however, where I am going to look first the next time I want a set of wheels.