American Classic 420 or 350

[SURFER]

I am interested in getting AC wheels.  What is the best 420 or 350?

[slow-up-the-hil]

Surfer, go for the one that looks nice on your bike.

they are both good.

you wont be able to tell the diff.

[Johan Bornman]

Rubbish wheels. Small, undersized bearings, poor preload adjustment, rims with too little meat in and proprietary spoke nipples.

 

Whatever wheels you have are probably better.

 

 

[DaveVTC]

well i have a set of 420s and think they flippn fast...... in my opinion

[Wyatt Earp]

Rubbish wheels.

 

Whatever wheels you have are probably better.

 

?

 

?

 

This is a bit harsh and a bit of premature shooting from the hip.

[Johan Bornman]

well i have a set of 420s and think they flippn fast...... in my opinion

 

And what, in your opinion, makes them so fast and how did you measure their increased speed over other wheels?

[baie-sukkel]

I have got a set of 420's and I must say I like them allot....maybe I just know very little ?? To the best of my knowledge AC has just improve the bearing size(increased) on the hub. But hey , I am not a technical fundy, I just try to stay on my bike ! So far , so good !!!

[ccc2]

well i have a set of 420s and think they flippn fast...... in my opinion

 

 

hee hee hee.......my bike's faster than yours

[SURFER]

Hi Johan

 

Thanks for your advice.  I am looking for wheels for my son.  I am building a bike for him.  Frame is a SCOTT CRI pro, will go for SRAM FORCE groupset.  

 

I have got AC MTB 26 and are very happy with them.  I must admit I am a "couple"years past 20 (actually a moerse lot of years).  So the AC is probally perfect for me, they keep on going (more tar than dirt road).<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

But seriously, I can get AC or ALEX wheels at a very good price.  If I go for the ALEX wheels, what should I get (I know budget plays a role).  As I have mentioned the wheels is for my son, that means image (deep section, stickers ext.) is important for him (sug).  I pay, therefore I need good solid wheels.

 

 

 

[Jaco-fiets]

I bought the 2009 sprint 350 about 4 months ago and in my opinion they are flippen awsome. They are very light (espicially at that price) and roll fast. At this stage i cant fault them

[Gasping]

I have 320's and I have not had any problems with them yet. I think they are about 3 years old already (I got them in Arpil).

 

Looks like I got a special pair then?

 

[Eugene]

The 350's are lighter but the 420s are better looking. I would go for the looks rather than the few grams weight difference.

 

I had a set of 350s and during a climb, the free wheel (I think that is the term) stripped.

 

There was a re-call on the older 350s because of the same problem I had. Mine was the pre-recall model. I should immagine this problem has been solved.

[Johan Bornman]

Hi Johan

 

Thanks for your advice.  I am looking for wheels for my son.  I am building a bike for him.  Frame is a SCOTT CRI pro' date=' will go for SRAM FORCE groupset.  

 

I have got AC MTB 26 and are very happy with them.  I must admit I am a "couple"years past 20 (actually a moerse lot of years).  So the AC is probally perfect for me, they keep on going (more tar than dirt road).<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

But seriously, I can get AC or ALEX wheels at a very good price.  If I go for the ALEX wheels, what should I get (I know budget plays a role).  As I have mentioned the wheels is for my son, that means image (deep section, stickers ext.) is important for him (sug).  I pay, therefore I need good solid wheels.

 

 

[/quote']

 

Surfer, you have a dilemma. Your son wants fashionable wheels and as you hint, quality is second to looks. I suspect that he won't be happy unless the rest of the peer group approves and their approval will be subject to superficial factors.

 

I haven't had the opportunity (that I can remember) to examine Alex wheels, only Alex rims. The rims were good value for money and sensibly built. But that doesn't necessarilly extrapolate to the spokes, nipples, hubs or indeed the build, so I'm afraid you are on your own there.

 

If possible, see if you can get Easton. That company seems to understand the value of high spoke tension, stress relieving and hand building of wheels.

 

Wheel problems don't show up until they have to be re-trued - usually after a few years. It is then that the folly of aluminium nipples, proprietary parts and the after-effects of Loctite cost you dearly.

 

Also, try and avoid advice from anyone who says "these wheels roll fast." It is an absolutely meaningless statement. All wheels only roll as fast or as slow as they're propelled.

Johan Bornman2009-08-20 00:56:39

[GoLefty!!]

Easton wheels are really excellent. They seem to be able to take a hit and still remain true.

I have nothing against AMClassic wheels, I know many happy owners but the same people have had more than a few broken spokes on these wheels.

The freehub problem and bearing waer problems seems to have been resolved with updates in these areas but there still seems to be issues around broken spokes.

Perhsps a rebuild by an experienced wheel builder can sort out that issue.

 

However, Eastons are still my #1 choice for boutique wheels. The EA70Aero and SL's are pretty stylish looking and reliable

[Spat]

Bought a set of 420's I love them.

 

They roll for miles and there is hardly any flex from the wheels when climbing, great all round wheels.

 

And they look great.

[slow-up-the-hil]

until wheels are self propelled, there is no such thing as a fast wheel....