I am looking for a pair of light yet reasonably durable wheels for my bike. I weight less than 150lbs and will be racing on the wheels when I don't want to damage my Zipp 303's. Most likely the wheels will stay on my bike as daily riding wheels. I am leaning towards the FSA rd400's but am also considering DA open pros or Race x lites. Has anyone tried the rd400's? Thanks for your help.

I am looking for a pair of light yet reasonably durable wheels for my bike. I weight less than 150lbs and will be racing on the wheels when I don't want to damage my Zipp 303's. Most likely the wheels will stay on my bike as daily riding wheels. I am leaning towards the FSA rd400's but am also considering DA open pros or Race x lites. Has anyone tried the rd400's? Thanks for your help.

I just mounted a pair of RD400s last week and have finished about 100 miles one them. Construction and craftsmanship are nice, they appear to be a well made wheelset. They came in at 1558 grams, about 108 more than the advertised weight. I weighed mine with the rimstrips on so in reality they're probably about 1525.

Ride impressions - stiff. They ride a lot like Mavic K SSL SCs. Very similar. Knocked me around a bit today on the one really crappy section of road that I ride regularly. But on decent pavement they felt pretty nice (using Conti Attack/Force tires.)

Last comment - the ratchet noise is louder than most other wheels. Not Chris King loud, but louder than Campy, Shimano, Mavic or Velomax.

Would I buy another pair? Well, I really prefer Velomax, and if I can get them in the low $500s which I sometimes can, I'd probably go that way instead. However, for $400, the FSAs are pretty zoot, perform well enough and so I'd say "maybe I would."

I'd echo the same general sentiments in terms of ride quality. I've only put about 200 miles on mine, and haven't had any problems so far.

One thing to note: the first set that was shipped out to me was pretty badly out of true and round straight out of the box, and the second set (which FSA promptly sent out-- kudos to them) is cosmetically perfect but unvevenly tensioned. This is just one man's experience, so I wouldn't draw too many conclusions from it. I obviously haven't put in enough mileage to know whether or not the tensioning issues will have any impact on durability.

Overall, these wheels seem like a great deal for $400-- hopefully they'll turn out to be as bombproof as they're supposed to be. I'd go ahead and get them if you're willing to take a little bit of a gamble on a new product which hasn't been proven yet (but comes from a company with a great reputation).

can anyone give a longer term report about performance and reliability.

Thanks,

-Spyky

I posted a report in the review section.

can anyone give a longer term report about performance and reliability.

Thanks,

-Spyky
you will find a few of us who are pretty happy with them and find more detailed reviews.

i have now had them for 5 months and i still am very happy. i don't do a lot of miles, so i have about 1000 miles on them but about 100k feet of climbing. i weigh 185 and the wheels are still true and solid. the other day i put my old DA/OPs on and was immediately struck by how much quicker/stiffer the fsa's feel when climbing out of the saddle.

i really like the the way the open evo corsa cgs soften up the ride.

I have put over 1200 miles on my RD-400's and have so far had 3 spokes snap.
All have been on the rear non drive side (radially laced side). The spokes have all snapped at the nipple end, just were the spoke enters the base of the nipple.

I am not a big or heavy rider at 5' 8" and 150 lbs - so have not been impressed with snapping so many spokes! All the spokes have popped while just riding along at a steady pace.

Apart from popping spokes the wheels have been very good.
Tyres are tight to mount (Veloflex Black + Vittoria open CXs used) - so best to mount tyres without tubes for a little stretching first.
The braking surfaces are very narrow so pad alignment has to be spot on. If I change back to my Open Pros then the pads have to be dropped down a little otherwise they will touch the tyre. So make sure when you get a wheel change in a race you don't get Op's otherwise you might have a blowout.

Just re-read and I don't sound to positive about them...mmm.... maybe i should have stumped up the extra cash and gone for Mavic SLs or Campag Eurus wheels?

I posted a review on these, you might want to check it out. Did another ride on them this weekend on some very hilly roads. They are very stiff, and fast rolling even though the cassette body is noisy. You won't sneak up on anyone on a downhill.

Love the way they climb- very stiff and responsive. You'll definitely have the edge over most of your riding buddies.

Funny - one commented before the ride we did, "Oh, oh..he put his weekend wheels on (the FSA's)."

Downhills - I had to brake or sit up to catch more wind to keep from overtaking my companion riders. They seem to roll that fast. I have Vittoria Tecno Pro Integras mounted and I don't find the wheels particularly jarring.

The spoke tensions seem the same since I got them. No issues there. I am 177 lb rider. Ride in NE and roads are cracked, potholed and patched. Keeping an eye on the spokes based on some of the other reports. When I called FSA before purchase, they indicated that the wheels should hold up fine for someone in my weight class. So far so good.

Tire mounting was a challenge, but they did go on. I use metal levers. These were also new tires however. Some folks are recommending the Vittoria EVO open Corsa CX's as an easier mount (still light weight and fairly puncture resistant).

You can get some pretty good deals on ebay on these. Snagged mine for $345. But I've seen some get them for even lower if lucky.

I'd give them a try. I believe they're warrantied by FSA for two years.

Paul

I have put over 1200 miles on my RD-400's and have so far had 3 spokes snap.
All have been on the rear non drive side (radially laced side). The spokes have all snapped at the nipple end, just were the spoke enters the base of the nipple.



Have you sent them back to FSA- they have a fix. They drill the spoke hole out to 3.0 from 2.5, and replaced the non-drive spokes and installed new improved nipples. Just contact them to get the RMA. I was very pleased with their service. I paid the shipping out they paid for it back- the turn around did not take too long.

Unfortunately they were my back-up wheels, and I went on a spoke snapping spree (taking out a Rolf and Handbuilt set in a 2 week span- grr!), long story short I got a set of American Classic Carbons (deep V, sapim spokes) as my new race wheels and am using the Rolfs as secondary race wheels- so my FSA's are on ebay right now, with a low bid price actually, with a day left.

Thanks for the responses guys, they definitely helped me make a decision.

It seems like these have some great bang for the buck. However, since my budget can reasonably go a little higher I think I may look elsewhere, maybe with a traditional wheel laced to CK hubs.

-Spyky

Spyky, you might also want to check out www.oddsandendos.com . I ordered a wheelset from them a couple of hours ago. I got american classic hubs, dtswiss rr 1.1 rims with wheelsmith spokes for around $400 including shipping. Mike Garcia said they would be a pretty durable wheelset plus only weigh around 1400 grams.

Spyky, you might also want to check out www.oddsandendos.com . I ordered a wheelset from them a couple of hours ago. I got american classic hubs, dtswiss rr 1.1 rims with wheelsmith spokes for around $400 including shipping. Mike Garcia said they would be a pretty durable wheelset plus only weigh around 1400 grams.

Hmm, I was considering the dtswiss rr 1.1 rims, but I was going to build them up myself with Chris King hubs. But that sounds like a really good combo with the American Classic hubs.

I think I'll give him a call right now.

-Spyky

Hmm, I was considering the dtswiss rr 1.1 rims, but I was going to build them up myself with Chris King hubs. But that sounds like a really good combo with the American Classic hubs.

I think I'll give him a call right now.

-Spyky

Ordered some up. Cheaper (and quieter) than the CK hubs. I love the CK hubs on my mountain bike, but I really don't need the instant engagement on a road bike. The am classic hubs are lighter too, for what that is worth.

-Spyky

Cool, glad he was able to help you out. I was thinking about kings as well but apparently they don't make them compatible with campy.

Have you sent them back to FSA- they have a fix. They drill the spoke hole out to 3.0 from 2.5, and replaced the non-drive spokes and installed new improved nipples. Just contact them to get the RMA. I was very pleased with their service. I paid the shipping out they paid for it back- the turn around did not take too long.

Unfortunately they were my back-up wheels, and I went on a spoke snapping spree (taking out a Rolf and Handbuilt set in a 2 week span- grr!), long story short I got a set of American Classic Carbons (deep V, sapim spokes) as my new race wheels and am using the Rolfs as secondary race wheels- so my FSA's are on ebay right now, with a low bid price actually, with a day left.

Coolhand, how long did it take to get your wheels back from FSA? Did you have to send them both or just the one that had the problem? I broke a non-drive side rear this weekend, while under no load (coasting). Mine only have about 250miles on them and I'm 170-180lb. Has their fix been working better?

Thanks,
Paul

If i was getting a new wheelset right now,i would go for the Velomax Curcuits.

Coolhand, how long did it take to get your wheels back from FSA? Did you have to send them both or just the one that had the problem? I broke a non-drive side rear this weekend, while under no load (coasting). Mine only have about 250miles on them and I'm 170-180lb. Has their fix been working better?

Thanks,
Paul

Sent them just the rear. They only had the wheel for about two days before shipping it back. Shipping is the biggest delay as they are on the West Coast, and I am on the East Coast.

Definitely call them and get the R/A number. You can get the number from their website contact information section. Sounds like you need the upgrade as well.

I Ebayed the set as soon as they came in, as they were back up race wheels, and I had got a set of American Classic Carbon's in the meanwhile- so my race wheels became my new back-up wheels.

Just out of curiousity why would you go for the Velocity Circuits? They weigh almost 250 grams more than the American Classic/DT Swiss wheelset. They are not compatible with Campy and they cost $100 more.

I'm sure it is a nice wheelset just not sure why you would choose a 1650 gram wheelset when you can get a much nicer set of wheels handbuilt for less money.

Light enough for me as i dont have any hills in my rides but they are somewhat aero at 28mm. They are around 100g lighter then the elites i use now and for less the 500 bucks they seem good for me. Could care less about campy as i'm a shimano guy. Also have read several very good reviews on them. Also at 192 pounds i wouldnt look for anything much below 1600g anyway.

Sent them just the rear. They only had the wheel for about two days before shipping it back. Shipping is the biggest delay as they are on the West Coast, and I am on the East Coast.

Definitely call them and get the R/A number. You can get the number from their website contact information section. Sounds like you need the upgrade as well.

I Ebayed the set as soon as they came in, as they were back up race wheels, and I had got a set of American Classic Carbon's in the meanwhile- so my race wheels became my new back-up wheels.

Thanks! I did call FSA and they were very helpful. Spoke to their wheel specialist, Rick. He explained what was happening, why and how their fix will help. It certainly makes sense now. Got the R/A no. and I am shipping them the rear wheel today. I feel confident that this will solve the issue.

It is good to know that a manufacturer is willing to stand behind their product and work directly with and end-user.

Paul.

Good explanation. I was just curious.

Thanks! I did call FSA and they were very helpful. Spoke to their wheel specialist, Rick. He explained what was happening, why and how their fix will help. It certainly makes sense now. Got the R/A no. and I am shipping them the rear wheel today. I feel confident that this will solve the issue.

It is good to know that a manufacturer is willing to stand behind their product and work directly with and end-user.

Paul.

I agree. I was very pleased with FSA's customer service and put them on my preferred bike companies list along with Chris King, Rolf, American Classic and a few others. I am eyeballing a set of their Mtn. Team carbon cranks and ISIS BB's just because I know they will stand behind their products (and I have a very bad carbon fixation. . . ).

:)