In late 2015 I started to look for a light carbon wheel set, since I was planning to add a "climbing" bike. I ended up with a leftover Cervelo R2 that came with heavy Shimano wheels late Spring of 2016. During my wheel search I ran into the "cheap Chinese carbon wheel" vortex of opinions and decided to see if I could find some reviews on these "cheap" wheels by cyclists that had purchased and were riding them.
The few reviews I found were generally favorable, although some brands had better initial build quality than others. Pretty normal. Then I ran across an ICAN carbon wheel video review and eventually decided to give their wheels a shot based on several other very good write ups. Didn't order from Ebay, got 'em from Amazon.
I ordered a 38 mm deep Sapim spoked clinchers and they arrived in just 12 days. The price was a little over $400 at the time, so extremely "cheap", especially compared to the big brand names. It took me about a week extra to get tape, tires and cassette mounted. Yes, the new Conti GP 4000S ll tires were a bear to put on, but doable, just took a little patience. Part of the problem might have been that our weather was still relatively cool, and I think if I could have warmed the tires under a little sunshine, it might have made the mounting process a little easier.
Spinning these wheels showed they were true right from the box and I couldn't find a badly tensioned spoke. The hubs silent and spun very nicely. I was pretty impressed, especially with how light they were. I had already put over 300 miles on the Cervelo with the Shimano wheels that held it up and could tell the difference right away.
I live in Maine and our roads are beaten up pretty badly by our wacky Winter weather so I was a little more than apprehensive about the integrity of these wheels. I had always used aluminum and not so long ago, steel wheels. I go back a ways cycling. Anyway, I had definitely read the warnings about how these "off brand" wheels would crumple and leave my broken body and bike on the ground after decomposing mid ride somewhere after hitting an expansion joint or pebble.
I was obviously very cautious on my first few rides on the ICANs, but confidence in the build quality of these wheels increased pretty rapidly. They now have well over 2,000 miles on them. I spread my riding season among 3 road bikes with separate sets of wheels. A heavy endurance bike for early season rides, an aero bike for "flat(er)" rides and the newer R2 for the hills. Speed wise, the R2 now approaches and sometimes equals my more aero bike in quite a few Strava segments.
The ICANs are silent, very strong and stiff enough for my 180 to 190 pounds (depends on time of bike season) to get up out of the saddle and stand on the pedals to get up a hill if I need to without flexing into the brake pads. Light weight wheels make a huge difference. I can accelerate them quite easily on climbs and more importantly, they let me stay up with the younger guys in group rides, which is really good for the old ego.
I've hit plenty of bumps at speed with these wheels... it's inevitable, especially when riding in groups or during events. They have not decomposed. I do check them for cracks and nicks after every ride and clean the brake pads and braking surfaces to keep from scarring. None yet. I'm still running 23mm tires at 110-115 psi. The bike and wheel compliance combine to give me a fairly smooth ride on normal road surfaces. I might go to a 25mm tire when tires wear out. I'm still mulling that one over some.
They have become my favorite wheelset and I actually now look for hills to climb. I think they are one of the best buys I've made. Wicked nice wheels.