Almost all my wheels are hand built. Training wheels use mostly open pro rims, and race wheels are laced with either Mavic GL330's, or Wolber Aubisque. I still have tubular rims, like those, that I never built up.
I own 8 sets. The first pair I purchased in ‘96. I use them as daily trainers and had my best race times when a front was paired with a solid disc rear. My son rides a set with fixed-rear conversion. No issues though I’ve needed to have one freehub rebuilt. With all of the experience I have riding Spinergy wheels I’d sell them all in a heartbeat if for any reason I thought I was putting myself or my son in danger by riding them.
I have 2 pairs. 1 for gravel. 1 for xc. My only mechanical issue was when barn mice tride and failed to chew through the cloth pbo spokes. The wheel stade true. Spinergy voodoo is real.
Generally, 100% agree... i think this is a bit of an exception since these were also prone to spontaneously exploding at high speeds because of weird vibration resonance!
They updated it with some kind of nylon or Kevlar spokes , the X remain on colors they use on the spokes . Hey Alex do a video with Ollie racing one on the x spinergy and you ok the new spinergy!
I used to ride these rims. I rode them in trainings and races as long as they were allowed. Never had an technical issue and they looked great with the first carbon frames out there. I would die for an updated version, even if would only be for the looks.
My dad still uses his spinergys on his 1995 litespeed titanium frame bike! the bike is still surprisingly light and the spinergys are quite amazing! I've actually set up his bike to "my size" (even though it is 2 sizes to small for me) and PR/Kom some local segments that I haven't been able to come close too on my 2015 trek madone with lightweight HED wheels
I did see a Spinergy wheel fail suddenly and catastrophically in a crit race. It was in the late 90s in Burlington, VT. It would have been 1998 or 1999. The pile-up took out a good portion of the field
@@tbz1551 I have no real information on comparative failure rates between the hundreds of different models made since then. You could be right. I just shared that one anecdote. I expect that similar anecdotes are how that wheel got its reputation. Is it really deserved? I have no idea. They sure look cool.
One of the aspects of Rev-X wheels I enjoyed was the whooshing sound they would make when sprinting. Spinergy also offered small plastic bridges you could install between the spoke to reduce side flexing. The wheel graphics were simply adhesive vinyl decals. I still remember OCD getting the better of me and applying clear nail polish to the edges to prevent peeling.
I love the look of these Spinergy wheels. I remember when they came out. Everyone wanted a pair. They still look great even after all these years. I still want a pair very badly. I still hope to save up enough to buy a pair some day. I don't really care if the newer more modern wheels are a little more aero than these. These Sinergy's come from cycling's golden years (1995-2005). There was so much great innovation back then. Thank you.
Sums up the appeal of these things - back in my bike retail daze we had clients bringing these death-traps back for warranty replacement - not refund! Granted, none of these people had catastrophic failures (just delamination or separation of the metal from carbon) but despite our advice to get a refund and something more reliable and safe, guys like you refused and couldn't wait to get back out there and risk life and limb...for what?
I have a set of Spinergy Rev X that came on a Cannondale Super V2000 (black and gold) MTB back in 1999. It was quite the look and quickly extracted $ 1800 from my wallet. The bike and wheels were regularly off-roaded without major incident. As memory serves when the UCI ban happened Spinergy offered an exchange program/reduced price on new wheels if you promised to destroy the old set of Rev X's. The fact that the Rev X and the Super V2000 are still hanging in my shed might mean I was not compliant with this request. The UCI has no jurisdiction over my shed. This video has inspired me to put the two back together and go to the top of next project list!
I ride the Spinergy Rev X (in size 26") on my single speed (48:13 ratio) every day. I weigh 86 kg, with clothes, street shoes, keychain, purse, etc., easily 90 kg. There is not a single report that the 26" wheels broke. Yes, the Spinergy 28" wheels were defective at the beginning of production. But over time it was fixed and improved. The 26" wheels have no defects, look at the MTB area, there are also no defects in the 26" size.
I just got myself a Cinelli Super Corsa frame paired with a circa 2001 Campagnolo Record groupset. Spinergy Rev X wheels are exactly what I'm looking for to finish up the retro look :D Congratulations on finding a pair in that nice condition! :)
I did about 10,000kms on a pair of Rev-X’s (with bridges) in the late 90’s / early 2000’s. They were fast - they actually needed careful pairing with the fork (bladed forks were a good match). Never had a problem with them, replaced them with a famous wheel brand beginning with Z and had much less good times. I still run multiple sets of Reynolds (DV46) and a couple of pairs of Hed Stingers (which I’m too fat to ride). I don’t race, but I’ve kept almost every bike and wheelset I’ve ever owned.
I still have a set of first generation Spinergy Rev-X, where the rear was built as a freewheel type. The Rev-X wheel produces a very cool sound when it goes over bumps. The spokes under the bump slap together with a cracking sound after they pass over the bump. If you plan to use them, you need to inspect the spokes for cracks by the rim, every week, for two or three minutes. If a spoke joint fails, the wheel will fail before you know it, resulting in unpleasant results.
@@jungsukim2265 I would love to know how you managed this. Even with a custom-machined 11-sp cassette (11-28sp) I found that the chain still rubbed on the spokes and even the 11 tooth gear failed to clear the frame adequately (Cannondale CAAD3 - and yes, working on a team Saeco rebuild). I have an 11-sp grupo and the only hack I've found that works is to take out a gear and its spacer, place that spacer behind the cassette and then adjust the upper limit screw to essentially reduce the 11-sp to a 10-sp but preserve the indexing. It "works" when I break out the Spinergy Wheels for some bling, but every time I swap these with "normal" wheels I have to readjust the upper limit so kind of a PIA.
Great video… i remember drooling over these wheels back then. Did you get a chance to do a breakdown of the numbers for headwind, crosswind, and tailwind?
Still have a pair from my racing days an still love the sound they make, yes first additions had a bit of flex but they we're comfy. Never broke a blade but the UCI has to ban something other wise they don't feel like their earning their paycheck. Banning things like the Super Tuck and so on which never caused a problem.
This is not a tech story, it's a story about status quo interests being disrupted by new market participants and how that corrupts the sanctioning bodies. Sad, but true.
A few months ago, I bought a Spinergy wheel for fun. While riding, it constantly clicks and squeaks, and it seems like it's not the hub, but rather the carbon. I'm afraid to ride on it. Nevertheless, it looks amazing !
Owned an original set of Spinergys, as, um, pointed out ‘first time round’. They were also mounted to another retro piece of kit, a Trek Y-Foil Likes: Cool look, cool sound, fast Dislikes: Heavier than ‘normal’ wheels of the era, awful in cross winds and as I had the first version (with no added aluminium braking surface), awful when breaking in normal conditions and effing lethal in the rain. As for ‘exploding’ or not, I can say they do. It took some speed (40kmh) and me piling into a 3” deep pothole in Spain, but 100% the wheel exploded under me. Completely. Other modern wheels would have still suffered but not absolutely fragmented. As a result the bike flipped me in the air and I landed back on top of the bike with my elbow smashing through a spline on the rear wheel. So one crash, two wheels damaged beyond repair, and a lot of blood. Loved the wheel, but with modern tech I wouldn’t go near them again.
I just came up on a pair of them Rev X on a CAAD 6 R4000 with Record group set. And the bike feels amazing, and it is crazy fast. Best ride I ever had. When you hit top speed coming down hill you feel a little flex. It’s a fun bike.
I remember when the Rev-X were introduced and thought they were a clever bicycle version of the Comstar motorcycle wheels introduced by Honda in the late 1970s. Honda introduced them as an alternative to the cast alloy "mag style" wheels then in vogue with other manufacturers. The typical configuration was five pairs of broad steel spokes bolted to an aluminum hub at one end and riveted to an extruded aluminum rim at the other end. The Spinergy approach was similar, with the biggest differnces being the use of carbon fibre and an aero profile rim. I had a set of Rev-X wheels (650C version) on a Softride PowerWing. They were too flexy for my liking, even in this smaller diameter version, which should have resulted in more lateral rigidity. Going into a turn they would deflect sufficiently to rub the brake pads, resulting in a disturbing loss of speed. After a short period, I switched them out for the original Gipiemme 416 and eventually upgraded to HED3.
I raced on those wheels at the turn of the century. The blades and airfoil shaped rim Spinergy wheels do not do so well in side winds (yaw of attack). In a large race pack the air turbulence would cause the wheels to wobble. In no wind or dead ahead wind scenario the spinergy wheels are very fast. I had the extra stiff model and they weigh almost 2k. There were two brothers who were good bicycle racers in New England; the Swinnen(s). The older brother was an engineering major at the University of Massachusetts and began Spinergy wheels in nearby Connecticut. I saw the younger brother racing on a prototype wheel set at the Williams College criterium in the spring of 1994 and I know someone who worked for Spinergy. I was a bicycle mechanic. In terms of mechanical failures, what I witnessed was always related to damage of the carbon blades. Mountain bikers loved them because of their vertical compliance. Inevitably the carbon blades would strike growth and twigs and sticks along the trail. This would damage the leading edge of the blade and ultimately lead to failure. The aluminum rim bonded to the carbon body of the wheel could become damaged from grime within the brake pads or misaligned pads damaging the wheel. There is no way to true the wheels. Road riders would hit pot holes at high speed and develop a "flat spot" along the rim or a wobble and they could not be repaired. People did not understand the frailties of carbon fiber at the turn of the century (in comparison to today). There was VERY HIGH customer satisfaction with spinergy rev-x wheels. Even among people who had brought them into a bicycle shop for service. I still have my pair in a wheel bag in my basement 26 years old. A contemporary version could have a new rim shape, they could have 10 blades on the rear wheel, they could have a fold of carbon over the leading edge of the carbon blades for additional safety (but never for teardrop aerodynamics), a better cassette body could be used. If you are not racing, who cares about the UCI? Spinergy had one design that performed well in road racing, track racing, cyclocross and mountain biking. One has to remember that at one time the UCI introduced a maximum downtube diameter because of another Connecticut based company that was flooding the European market with aluminum frames. That rule was removed as soon as European manufacturers could keep up. There were lots of European aluminum frames manufactured in the late 1990s. But very few in 1988-1990.
I would like to see the strava segments on the ride compared. Where was the 4 seconds lost. Evenly throughout the segments or all in one segment...interesting...
Part of me agrees and part of me says testing in the conditions you actually ride in is the best way. If there's no noticeable difference out on the road surely that's the main point? Are modern wheels faster in a wind tunnel, most likely, but out on the road, where we ride? In my experience, it's marginal in terms of speed.
@alexpaton6795 But, if you're testing the speed/time differences between components, wouldn't it be best to test them in a more controlled environment.
Some tests feels like, doesn't get the results planned for the video as sponsorship guide, so the just said this kind of conclusion not showing any data😢
I’ve seen footage of normal carbon wheels failing but NEVER seen any spinergy wheels failing. And if they exploded all the time, why is there still so darn many available on eBay and local markets 🤔
i ride classic mavic tubular rims like monthlery pro, gp4, early ssc on both of my road bikes. it would be nice to see the difference of very low profile tubulars versus modern tubulars or clinchers on the same bike.
Same with the MAVIC Open SUP Pro--they were the strongest clincher rims hand down! My 36h SUP's (as I call them) still track straight and true after 25 years
Which tires were used, and did they pass the "rule of 105"? If not, rematch! I'd love to see how they do at a track or wind tunnel with appropriately skinny tires
The exploding reference was due to the fact that during a crash the Spinergy wheel would not stay in one piece, which the UCI rules required. A regular spoked wheel would crumple too but no pieces would fly off. Whoop-de-do!? That's the only difference and the rumor was that Mavic pressured the UCI to make the rule specifically to get rid of the Rev-X's in racing.
I rode Spinergy Rev X wheelset thru the 1990s, long and hard...mostly in the CalTripleCrown Double series...just sold on eBay because new carbon wheels are better, or maybe because newer is always better? But these RevXs took a beating, and never blew up on me, in spite of the abuse by a shop mechanic who tried to "true" one by slamming into a concrete floor...OMG...but they did have a notable lack of lateral stiffness...so be sure to get the stiffener blocks to fit within each blade...stiffer is better...eh?
Still got mine but stopped riding them due to so many failing, and some in dramatic fashion. I had mine from the importer, a mate at the time, and had to look at loads before getting really true ones. The amount of returns was scary when you saw them. I saw three explode on the road. Know how much they were each from the factory (Mexico at the time)? £50 each! I paid £140. Sold to shops at £475 and they then sold for £900+. 😊
i rode a spinergy on my bike back in the 90s for a short time but from 2011 to 2018 was my trademark around the town 😂 best looking wheels ever. now i'm on the Spin Trispokes but still have my old Spin in house along with another one but has the carbon pealing but i'll transform it in to a house decor
Be interested to see if you could make them quicker, the 30 year old bearings must of seen better days. Be cool to see them pimped out with some new ceramic bearings see if you could take back those 4 seconds… or retro-mod them to tubeless somehow and they’d destroy anything else out there.
a friend of mine eviscerated a rabbit during a crit with a spinergy and it lay there for several laps after before someone moved it ... thats my singular memory of them (oh, and the skin removed when one exploded on some P12 racer when I did my first ever crit
I was in a CRIT race in about 2001 and was involved in a final sprint crash. A rider was on those very spinergy wheels and they ended up as basically carbon dust. Not sure if they actually exploded, but there was nothing left but the tire.
I had a pair back in the 90’s for TT’s, put the X-beams in to stiffen them up. I couldn’t really determine if they were right for me and could only get 54 min 25’s out of them. Sold them after a season but 20 years on, wish I hadn’t! I like them because if the way they look. Tried other wheels up to 1999 then stopped racing. Now.. it’s Corima 4 spokes, 16 spoke Shamals and a Zipp 950 disc. No modern rubbish for me
most everything fits a n 8 speed, the chain has to be thinner and flexible, above 7 or 8, the problem is the shifter cant synch perfectly and is constantly chain vibrating and chattering gear shifting
I’ve got a set of these on a Cannondale caad 4 in saeco colours. Also have a set of the MTB version that I switch between a couple of my retro rides. I haven’t yet been brave enough to ride any of them..
I had a pair. When pumping the rear wheel up at a ‘10 in the ‘90’s it diff indeed blow up. It rather shit me up. When I took the wheel back the shop owner said he had had other returns for the same reason.
I prefer retro wheels as they're easier to true, which is helpful with the state of roads, you get beaten up less owing to the same issue. I know those aren't stainless spokes and wasn't a fan of the Spinergy design. I'm still running Mavic Heliums on onebike and Hope hub/Mavic Open Pro on another. Probably heavier and less aero than modern but work for me. Here's something to experiment with if you haven't already. Aero, shallow drop one piece bar/stem set up Vs traditional separate stem and deeper drop bars. Same width, obviously
I saw a rider being launched over his handlebars when his front wheel exploded. Happened just in front of me. Worst case of chip and seal road rash I ever seen on the guy. The sound of the wheel breaking was similar to a shotgun blast. Kool looking wheels none the less.
I prefer wheels that don’t catastrophically fail while riding. Guess I’m just old fashioned like that! Alloy rims + steel blades spikes is perfectly adequate for me.
It's hard to tell which Spinergy wheels you have here, because it looks like the previous owner took a bunch of the decals off them. There are some great pictures of Mario Cipollini and Saeco-Cannondale team riding these in the 90s.
No idea how I missed this so I'm a little late to the party - Alex you have fifth and final generation Rev-X's there (at least the front one definitively is). By this stage Spinergy had solved most/all of the catastrophic failure issues and they should be fairly reliable and dependable ... at least as far as 30yo budget carbon fibre can be. Sadly for Spinergy, by this generation they'd already been banned by the UCI and with a limited audience and a seriously damaged reputation they didn't last much longer. Rev-X's reputation for exploding was well deserved - they had least four different failure modes that pretty much all resulted in catastrophic collapse of the wheel and the rider getting a faceful of tarmac. 30 years ago I witnessed someone warming up on a straight flat road needing hospitalisation after their front spinergy collapsed during a standing effort. Probably better that wheel never made it to the start line of the 200+ rider handicap race they were warming up for. Early, failure prone models were also quite heavy and extremely flexy - forget about keeping paint on your inner chainstays or indeed inside the fork crown. Railing them hard into a corner was quite an experience. Gives an idea of just how powerful Mario Cipollini was contesting sprints with both of his wheels rubbing hard on the brakes every pedal stroke.
I still love both my Specialized Trispoke rear wheel and my HED 3D rear disc wheel, especially the disc wheel has got an awesome sound. As I recently found out that the handling problems that occured when using a 62mm deep front wheel ( a "modern" DT Swiss ARC Dicut 62) occur due to wind turbulences caused by the Oval Concepts Jetstream fork (if anyone is using this, do yourself a favour and replace it - it is a relict from the era when wheels and components were designed for headwind only), and NOT because of the deeper wheel (before I used a Cosmic carbon SSC), I will also use my HED trispoke front wheel again, as soon as I have put in a "normal" aero fork. #askgcntech: could you please test a set of HED/Specialized trispokes against modern aero wheels (unfortunately I live in Germany, otherwise I could borrow them to you for a test ride), and can you please find out why the f*** HED stopped producing its still state-of-the-art trispokes? It is as if Porsche stopped producing the 911; HED is trispoke, and trispoke is HED.
Wow, a Tech video without a mention of a chain, waxing a chain, cleaning a chain, pro/cons of different types of chain lubricant, remove/reinstalling a chain... Is everyone there feeling alright?
I've put a few thousand miles on my revX super stiffs. I'm always so surprised by how well they ride and now seeing that they hold up aerodynamically as well it's even more impressive. Not to mention, they're stunning to look at!
When is GCN going to build a modern bike that accepts both disc and rim brakes? Then they could test old rim brakes wheels against modern disc brake wheels. Set up the rim brakes caliper on the fork with one shifter, and the disc brake caliper on the rear with the other.
Did you say the same tyres? Wouldn't older wheels be faster with narrower tyres? I assume that tyres were 25 mm which means, it was aero-optimised for newer wheels. I think that older wheels should also have aero-optimised width.
Do you prefer retro or modern wheels? 🛞 Let us know in the comments below! 👇
i have normal aluminium wheels on a hybrid bike, so i guess i prefer retro?
Retro all the way. I remember wanting these very badly. And still do. Maybe some day. Thanks.
Modern illegal wheels.
Almost all my wheels are hand built. Training wheels use mostly open pro rims, and race wheels are laced with either Mavic GL330's, or Wolber Aubisque. I still have tubular rims, like those, that I never built up.
Retro, love my Zipp (hooked) 404's@!
I own 8 sets. The first pair I purchased in ‘96. I use them as daily trainers and had my best race times when a front was paired with a solid disc rear. My son rides a set with fixed-rear conversion. No issues though I’ve needed to have one freehub rebuilt. With all of the experience I have riding Spinergy wheels I’d sell them all in a heartbeat if for any reason I thought I was putting myself or my son in danger by riding them.
I have 2 pairs. 1 for gravel. 1 for xc. My only mechanical issue was when barn mice tride and failed to chew through the cloth pbo spokes. The wheel stade true. Spinergy voodoo is real.
Give me the banned stuff any day. I don't race. The rules don't matter to me
#Banned
You always keep it real Jon 👍
UCI has no jurisdiction here
Generally, 100% agree... i think this is a bit of an exception since these were also prone to spontaneously exploding at high speeds because of weird vibration resonance!
I had a pair of spinergy wheel when they first came out. I found them slow and heavy, my Campag shamals were better.
They both looked great, maybe Spinergy should release an updated pair?
We'd be excited for those! 👀
They updated it with some kind of nylon or Kevlar spokes , the X remain on colors they use on the spokes .
Hey Alex do a video with Ollie racing one on the x spinergy and you ok the new spinergy!
I used to ride these rims. I rode them in trainings and races as long as they were allowed. Never had an technical issue and they looked great with the first carbon frames out there. I would die for an updated version, even if would only be for the looks.
My dad still uses his spinergys on his 1995 litespeed titanium frame bike! the bike is still surprisingly light and the spinergys are quite amazing! I've actually set up his bike to "my size" (even though it is 2 sizes to small for me) and PR/Kom some local segments that I haven't been able to come close too on my 2015 trek madone with lightweight HED wheels
The best part is that we non-pro riders get great products that are actually ultra high quality! I just got a tri-spoke carbon HED wheel for $100!
I did see a Spinergy wheel fail suddenly and catastrophically in a crit race. It was in the late 90s in Burlington, VT. It would have been 1998 or 1999. The pile-up took out a good portion of the field
Oo-err 😬
Haven’t we all seen a wheel fail during a race though? Not sure the Rev x 2nd gen on ever failed more than normal spoked wheels failed.
@@tbz1551 you may be right. I have no idea.
@@tbz1551 I have no real information on comparative failure rates between the hundreds of different models made since then. You could be right. I just shared that one anecdote. I expect that similar anecdotes are how that wheel got its reputation. Is it really deserved? I have no idea. They sure look cool.
One of the aspects of Rev-X wheels I enjoyed was the whooshing sound they would make when sprinting. Spinergy also offered small plastic bridges you could install between the spoke to reduce side flexing. The wheel graphics were simply adhesive vinyl decals. I still remember OCD getting the better of me and applying clear nail polish to the edges to prevent peeling.
Well done Alex, very enjoyable. Lucky that give way didn't mess up your timings!
I love the look of these Spinergy wheels. I remember when they came out. Everyone wanted a pair. They still look great even after all these years. I still want a pair very badly. I still hope to save up enough to buy a pair some day. I don't really care if the newer more modern wheels are a little more aero than these. These Sinergy's come from cycling's golden years (1995-2005). There was so much great innovation back then. Thank you.
Go for it!
Sums up the appeal of these things - back in my bike retail daze we had clients bringing these death-traps back for warranty replacement - not refund! Granted, none of these people had catastrophic failures (just delamination or separation of the metal from carbon) but despite our advice to get a refund and something more reliable and safe, guys like you refused and couldn't wait to get back out there and risk life and limb...for what?
I have a set of Spinergy Rev X that came on a Cannondale Super V2000 (black and gold) MTB back in 1999. It was quite the look and quickly extracted $ 1800 from my wallet. The bike and wheels were regularly off-roaded without major incident.
As memory serves when the UCI ban happened Spinergy offered an exchange program/reduced price on new wheels if you promised to destroy the old set of Rev X's. The fact that the Rev X and the Super V2000 are still hanging in my shed might mean I was not compliant with this request. The UCI has no jurisdiction over my shed.
This video has inspired me to put the two back together and go to the top of next project list!
I ride the Spinergy Rev X (in size 26") on my single speed (48:13 ratio) every day. I weigh 86 kg, with clothes, street shoes, keychain, purse, etc., easily 90 kg. There is not a single report that the 26" wheels broke. Yes, the Spinergy 28" wheels were defective at the beginning of production. But over time it was fixed and improved. The 26" wheels have no defects, look at the MTB area, there are also no defects in the 26" size.
What is clear to see is that Alea is now the best GCN presenter. Such a great little video. Thank you.
Alex is smashing it at the moment! A true bike nerd 🤓We are proud to have him on the team!
I just got myself a Cinelli Super Corsa frame paired with a circa 2001 Campagnolo Record groupset. Spinergy Rev X wheels are exactly what I'm looking for to finish up the retro look :D Congratulations on finding a pair in that nice condition! :)
Sounds great! Have you posted photos of your bike in the GCN app??
That sounds bloomin incredible! 👌
I did about 10,000kms on a pair of Rev-X’s (with bridges) in the late 90’s / early 2000’s. They were fast - they actually needed careful pairing with the fork (bladed forks were a good match). Never had a problem with them, replaced them with a famous wheel brand beginning with Z and had much less good times. I still run multiple sets of Reynolds (DV46) and a couple of pairs of Hed Stingers (which I’m too fat to ride). I don’t race, but I’ve kept almost every bike and wheelset I’ve ever owned.
Loved those Spinergy wheels. I never had an issue at all. Sold them and have always regretted it
Ah no! The ones that got away 👀
I have 40set
I still have a set of first generation Spinergy Rev-X, where the rear was built as a freewheel type. The Rev-X wheel produces a very cool sound when it goes over bumps. The spokes under the bump slap together with a cracking sound after they pass over the bump. If you plan to use them, you need to inspect the spokes for cracks by the rim, every week, for two or three minutes. If a spoke joint fails, the wheel will fail before you know it, resulting in unpleasant results.
Do you still use the old wheels?
I would so love to see a modern version of the spinergy, disc specific. Imagine how fast they would be with the update to modern carbon construction.
How about Cadex wheels? 👀
I just want to know how GCN managed to get an 11 speed cassette on there! I thought they would only support up to 10.
12speed enable
@@jungsukim2265 I would love to know how you managed this. Even with a custom-machined 11-sp cassette (11-28sp) I found that the chain still rubbed on the spokes and even the 11 tooth gear failed to clear the frame adequately (Cannondale CAAD3 - and yes, working on a team Saeco rebuild). I have an 11-sp grupo and the only hack I've found that works is to take out a gear and its spacer, place that spacer behind the cassette and then adjust the upper limit screw to essentially reduce the 11-sp to a 10-sp but preserve the indexing. It "works" when I break out the Spinergy Wheels for some bling, but every time I swap these with "normal" wheels I have to readjust the upper limit so kind of a PIA.
Great video… i remember drooling over these wheels back then. Did you get a chance to do a breakdown of the numbers for headwind, crosswind, and tailwind?
Still have a pair from my racing days an still love the sound they make, yes first additions had a bit of flex but they we're comfy. Never broke a blade but the UCI has to ban something other wise they don't feel like their earning their paycheck. Banning things like the Super Tuck and so on which never caused a problem.
To be fair I wouldn't want to crash in a peloton full of those wheels.
How did they ride - comfort, crosswinds? And most important, how did they sound?
I like to see the HED 3 in the comparison
This is not a tech story, it's a story about status quo interests being disrupted by new market participants and how that corrupts the sanctioning bodies. Sad, but true.
love the background music for the test
A few months ago, I bought a Spinergy wheel for fun. While riding, it constantly clicks and squeaks, and it seems like it's not the hub, but rather the carbon. I'm afraid to ride on it. Nevertheless, it looks amazing !
Owned an original set of Spinergys, as, um, pointed out ‘first time round’. They were also mounted to another retro piece of kit, a Trek Y-Foil
Likes: Cool look, cool sound, fast
Dislikes: Heavier than ‘normal’ wheels of the era, awful in cross winds and as I had the first version (with no added aluminium braking surface), awful when breaking in normal conditions and effing lethal in the rain.
As for ‘exploding’ or not, I can say they do. It took some speed (40kmh) and me piling into a 3” deep pothole in Spain, but 100% the wheel exploded under me. Completely. Other modern wheels would have still suffered but not absolutely fragmented. As a result the bike flipped me in the air and I landed back on top of the bike with my elbow smashing through a spline on the rear wheel. So one crash, two wheels damaged beyond repair, and a lot of blood.
Loved the wheel, but with modern tech I wouldn’t go near them again.
I just came up on a pair of them Rev X on a CAAD 6 R4000 with Record group set. And the bike feels amazing, and it is crazy fast. Best ride I ever had. When you hit top speed coming down hill you feel a little flex. It’s a fun bike.
Very nice!
@@gcntech Hope your life and medical insurance are paid up, Kevin!
I love the revX! I have yet to see a set that fits 11-12sp cassettes. Did you get it custom made?
Nice production on this one! The audio is incredible.
Thanks very much!
I rode Spinergys up and down Mont Ventoux once in 2001. Descending at 60 mph with crosswinds felt really sketchy. Otherwise, I love my Spinergys.
I remember when the Rev-X were introduced and thought they were a clever bicycle version of the Comstar motorcycle wheels introduced by Honda in the late 1970s. Honda introduced them as an alternative to the cast alloy "mag style" wheels then in vogue with other manufacturers. The typical configuration was five pairs of broad steel spokes bolted to an aluminum hub at one end and riveted to an extruded aluminum rim at the other end. The Spinergy approach was similar, with the biggest differnces being the use of carbon fibre and an aero profile rim.
I had a set of Rev-X wheels (650C version) on a Softride PowerWing. They were too flexy for my liking, even in this smaller diameter version, which should have resulted in more lateral rigidity. Going into a turn they would deflect sufficiently to rub the brake pads, resulting in a disturbing loss of speed. After a short period, I switched them out for the original Gipiemme 416 and eventually upgraded to HED3.
I raced on those wheels at the turn of the century. The blades and airfoil shaped rim Spinergy wheels do not do so well in side winds (yaw of attack). In a large race pack the air turbulence would cause the wheels to wobble. In no wind or dead ahead wind scenario the spinergy wheels are very fast. I had the extra stiff model and they weigh almost 2k. There were two brothers who were good bicycle racers in New England; the Swinnen(s). The older brother was an engineering major at the University of Massachusetts and began Spinergy wheels in nearby Connecticut. I saw the younger brother racing on a prototype wheel set at the Williams College criterium in the spring of 1994 and I know someone who worked for Spinergy.
I was a bicycle mechanic. In terms of mechanical failures, what I witnessed was always related to damage of the carbon blades. Mountain bikers loved them because of their vertical compliance. Inevitably the carbon blades would strike growth and twigs and sticks along the trail. This would damage the leading edge of the blade and ultimately lead to failure. The aluminum rim bonded to the carbon body of the wheel could become damaged from grime within the brake pads or misaligned pads damaging the wheel. There is no way to true the wheels. Road riders would hit pot holes at high speed and develop a "flat spot" along the rim or a wobble and they could not be repaired. People did not understand the frailties of carbon fiber at the turn of the century (in comparison to today). There was VERY HIGH customer satisfaction with spinergy rev-x wheels. Even among people who had brought them into a bicycle shop for service. I still have my pair in a wheel bag in my basement 26 years old.
A contemporary version could have a new rim shape, they could have 10 blades on the rear wheel, they could have a fold of carbon over the leading edge of the carbon blades for additional safety (but never for teardrop aerodynamics), a better cassette body could be used. If you are not racing, who cares about the UCI? Spinergy had one design that performed well in road racing, track racing, cyclocross and mountain biking. One has to remember that at one time the UCI introduced a maximum downtube diameter because of another Connecticut based company that was flooding the European market with aluminum frames. That rule was removed as soon as European manufacturers could keep up. There were lots of European aluminum frames manufactured in the late 1990s. But very few in 1988-1990.
I would like to see the strava segments on the ride compared. Where was the 4 seconds lost. Evenly throughout the segments or all in one segment...interesting...
I'm still using HED/Specialized tri-spoke wheels on my TT bike, though on calmer days I do have a HED disc rear available.
I think test like this you need to take to the race track to remove even more variables; ie no traffic.
Not a bad idea!
Part of me agrees and part of me says testing in the conditions you actually ride in is the best way. If there's no noticeable difference out on the road surely that's the main point? Are modern wheels faster in a wind tunnel, most likely, but out on the road, where we ride? In my experience, it's marginal in terms of speed.
@alexpaton6795 But, if you're testing the speed/time differences between components, wouldn't it be best to test them in a more controlled environment.
5:44 Modern wheeled Alex had quite a strong tailwind from the look of the grass in the background.
He does state that its too close to call for an outdoor test.
Some tests feels like, doesn't get the results planned for the video as sponsorship guide, so the just said this kind of conclusion not showing any data😢
I’ve seen footage of normal carbon wheels failing but NEVER seen any spinergy wheels failing. And if they exploded all the time, why is there still so darn many available on eBay and local markets 🤔
Mine exploded on hitting a pot hole. Biggest accident in 40yrs of riding.
i ride classic mavic tubular rims like monthlery pro, gp4, early ssc on both of my road bikes. it would be nice to see the difference of very low profile tubulars versus modern tubulars or clinchers on the same bike.
Interesting! Why do you choose to ride the old tubular wheelsets? 👀
Same with the MAVIC Open SUP Pro--they were the strongest clincher rims hand down!
My 36h SUP's (as I call them) still track straight and true after 25 years
Which tires were used, and did they pass the "rule of 105"? If not, rematch!
I'd love to see how they do at a track or wind tunnel with appropriately skinny tires
You could have compared the current Cadex 4-Spoke wheels.
The exploding reference was due to the fact that during a crash the Spinergy wheel would not stay in one piece, which the UCI rules required. A regular spoked wheel would crumple too but no pieces would fly off. Whoop-de-do!? That's the only difference and the rumor was that Mavic pressured the UCI to make the rule specifically to get rid of the Rev-X's in racing.
Yep!! bribes and $$$$ spin this story
I rode Spinergy Rev X wheelset thru the 1990s, long and hard...mostly in the CalTripleCrown Double series...just sold on eBay because new carbon wheels are better, or maybe because newer is always better? But these RevXs took a beating, and never blew up on me, in spite of the abuse by a shop mechanic who tried to "true" one by slamming into a concrete floor...OMG...but they did have a notable lack of lateral stiffness...so be sure to get the stiffener blocks to fit within each blade...stiffer is better...eh?
Regardless of the outcome you just can't beat the Spinergy for looks, sound and all round coolness!
Still got mine but stopped riding them due to so many failing, and some in dramatic fashion. I had mine from the importer, a mate at the time, and had to look at loads before getting really true ones. The amount of returns was scary when you saw them. I saw three explode on the road. Know how much they were each from the factory (Mexico at the time)? £50 each! I paid £140. Sold to shops at £475 and they then sold for £900+. 😊
Loved the phonk ❤️
i rode a spinergy on my bike back in the 90s for a short time but from 2011 to 2018 was my trademark around the town 😂
best looking wheels ever.
now i'm on the Spin Trispokes but still have my old Spin in house along with another one but has the carbon pealing but i'll transform it in to a house decor
Be interested to see if you could make them quicker, the 30 year old bearings must of seen better days. Be cool to see them pimped out with some new ceramic bearings see if you could take back those 4 seconds… or retro-mod them to tubeless somehow and they’d destroy anything else out there.
Ooo interesting idea! pimp my wheelset 😂
@@gcntechmachine some weight away to improve spinergy. Perhaps drilling radially outward on the rim.
@@AlienLivesMatter Some of the 4th generations actually had a drilled out inner wall, though the outer wall that you mount the tire to is still solid.
a friend of mine eviscerated a rabbit during a crit with a spinergy and it lay there for several laps after before someone moved it ... thats my singular memory of them (oh, and the skin removed when one exploded on some P12 racer when I did my first ever crit
I was in a CRIT race in about 2001 and was involved in a final sprint crash. A rider was on those very spinergy wheels and they ended up as basically carbon dust. Not sure if they actually exploded, but there was nothing left but the tire.
That sounds pretty scary! 😳
would love to see some Campag first generation Shamals or Boras tested
5:48 what is that melody 🔥🔥🔥
Instable, isn't that where horses live? 🤔 Unstable.....😂 lovin' your work.
Still riding on Spinergy Xaero Lites .. i NEED a pair of deep rims soon :D
I had a pair back in the 90’s for TT’s, put the X-beams in to stiffen them up. I couldn’t really determine if they were right for me and could only get 54 min 25’s out of them. Sold them after a season but 20 years on, wish I hadn’t! I like them because if the way they look.
Tried other wheels up to 1999 then stopped racing. Now.. it’s Corima 4 spokes, 16 spoke Shamals and a Zipp 950 disc. No modern rubbish for me
Could you also test modern wheels having a different spoke concept? (Thinking about eg Xentis Mark 3 and many others...)
Time trial that crosses junctions?
Er...is it just me?
I thought the same!
Could you please tell, how to mount this on a modern 11 speed bike. I was always told retro wheels will not fit?
most everything fits a n 8 speed, the chain has to be thinner and flexible, above 7 or 8, the problem is the shifter cant synch perfectly and is constantly chain vibrating and chattering gear shifting
I’ve got a set of these on a Cannondale caad 4 in saeco colours. Also have a set of the MTB version that I switch between a couple of my retro rides. I haven’t yet been brave enough to ride any of them..
I had a pair. When pumping the rear wheel up at a ‘10 in the ‘90’s it diff indeed blow up. It rather shit me up. When I took the wheel back the shop owner said he had had other returns for the same reason.
110 psi??! is that what your trying to say?
That voice was awesome, Alex.
I hope those are genuine Birkenstocks you're wearing and not cheap knock-offs 😎
Best TT I ever rode was w revx. 25.6 mph for 55 miles
😳😳😳👏👏👏2:08 minutes @ 55 miles, you a pro!!
Dear Alex, what is your height and what are the dimensions of your frameset: Top Tube [C-C] Seat Tube [C-C] and Head Tube?
Great vid Dave, glad I do tri and not uci stuff 🤣🤣
Mad how expensive the old CAAD and synergy stuff is.
I prefer retro wheels as they're easier to true, which is helpful with the state of roads, you get beaten up less owing to the same issue. I know those aren't stainless spokes and wasn't a fan of the Spinergy design. I'm still running Mavic Heliums on onebike and Hope hub/Mavic Open Pro on another. Probably heavier and less aero than modern but work for me.
Here's something to experiment with if you haven't already.
Aero, shallow drop one piece bar/stem set up Vs traditional separate stem and deeper drop bars. Same width, obviously
I saw a rider being launched over his handlebars when his front wheel exploded. Happened just in front of me. Worst case of chip and seal road rash I ever seen on the guy. The sound of the wheel breaking was similar to a shotgun blast. Kool looking wheels none the less.
😮
I prefer wheels that don’t catastrophically fail while riding.
Guess I’m just old fashioned like that!
Alloy rims + steel blades spikes is perfectly adequate for me.
Rev X just make you feel bad ass as a old gangster . 🤘😎
But how did they sound as you rode them? Wheels have different sounds.... Curious! I was wondering if the spinergy sounded different...
They do! Kinda hum as the blades slick thru the air.
they make a beautiful sound, like is humming whooshing sound....whenyou speed up it changes tone
Never saw a Spinergy Rev X failure. I did see a Specialized Tri spoke failure at a crit. scarry.
Cool Video Alex. I really dig the Spinergy wheels but, I like "modern" wheels better and tubeless tyres.
Thanks Ken! Have you seen our 'Retro vs Modern' doc on GCN+? 👉 gcn.eu/rvm
Instable?... like a horse?
Neigh. Un likely
Destable... just past degarden
yeah --->>> 0:31
My Rear is actually split and it happened while riding..
My v shape carbons are very stable in cross winds 😊
It's hard to tell which Spinergy wheels you have here, because it looks like the previous owner took a bunch of the decals off them.
There are some great pictures of Mario Cipollini and Saeco-Cannondale team riding these in the 90s.
Great video once again. Can someone tell me which OSPW Tarquin is using on the Dogma?
Beautiful wheels 🛞
Pinarello wind tunnel comparison video when 😩
The rabbit chopper wheel is back!
No idea how I missed this so I'm a little late to the party - Alex you have fifth and final generation Rev-X's there (at least the front one definitively is).
By this stage Spinergy had solved most/all of the catastrophic failure issues and they should be fairly reliable and dependable ... at least as far as 30yo budget carbon fibre can be. Sadly for Spinergy, by this generation they'd already been banned by the UCI and with a limited audience and a seriously damaged reputation they didn't last much longer.
Rev-X's reputation for exploding was well deserved - they had least four different failure modes that pretty much all resulted in catastrophic collapse of the wheel and the rider getting a faceful of tarmac. 30 years ago I witnessed someone warming up on a straight flat road needing hospitalisation after their front spinergy collapsed during a standing effort. Probably better that wheel never made it to the start line of the 200+ rider handicap race they were warming up for.
Early, failure prone models were also quite heavy and extremely flexy - forget about keeping paint on your inner chainstays or indeed inside the fork crown. Railing them hard into a corner was quite an experience. Gives an idea of just how powerful Mario Cipollini was contesting sprints with both of his wheels rubbing hard on the brakes every pedal stroke.
You gotta find a pair of 26" ones and give them to GMBN
I'm surprised that nobody makes carbon spoked wheels that use Carbotanium so they flex and are less likely to explode
Thest a modern illegal wheelset like the HED 3 or xentis mark1 or xentis mark 4.
Yes! Jan Ullrich wrong sided Xentis….best thing ever 🙈😂
I still love both my Specialized Trispoke rear wheel and my HED 3D rear disc wheel, especially the disc wheel has got an awesome sound. As I recently found out that the handling problems that occured when using a 62mm deep front wheel ( a "modern" DT Swiss ARC Dicut 62) occur due to wind turbulences caused by the Oval Concepts Jetstream fork (if anyone is using this, do yourself a favour and replace it - it is a relict from the era when wheels and components were designed for headwind only), and NOT because of the deeper wheel (before I used a Cosmic carbon SSC), I will also use my HED trispoke front wheel again, as soon as I have put in a "normal" aero fork. #askgcntech: could you please test a set of HED/Specialized trispokes against modern aero wheels (unfortunately I live in Germany, otherwise I could borrow them to you for a test ride), and can you please find out why the f*** HED stopped producing its still state-of-the-art trispokes? It is as if Porsche stopped producing the 911; HED is trispoke, and trispoke is HED.
Wow, a Tech video without a mention of a chain, waxing a chain, cleaning a chain, pro/cons of different types of chain lubricant, remove/reinstalling a chain...
Is everyone there feeling alright?
We can talk about them more if you'd like? 😉
Cleat float and setup tips? 💁❤
most powermeters are off with about 1.5% +/-, that means that this test doesnt prove anything cause your test also only proves about 1.5% difference.
more error , say 5 to 10%
Yeah, that 8 spoke design just looks so good. Modern stuff is usually just better but i'd love to see retro made into modern.
I have a Giant tcr from the 90s and I want a pair of those so bad I don't care if they explode
😏long time no see your rim brake version pinarello
I've put a few thousand miles on my revX super stiffs. I'm always so surprised by how well they ride and now seeing that they hold up aerodynamically as well it's even more impressive. Not to mention, they're stunning to look at!
Even the original RevX were pretty stiff and solid. I finally had to retired a pair after a crash that damaged two of the spokes.
When is GCN going to build a modern bike that accepts both disc and rim brakes? Then they could test old rim brakes wheels against modern disc brake wheels. Set up the rim brakes caliper on the fork with one shifter, and the disc brake caliper on the rear with the other.
Probably should have used a 23 on retro wheel.
Basically. If you can find decent older wheels then they are much better value than paying big bucks for new ones.
Who'd have thought.....
I would be happy to own a pair of the retro's today,
Why dont the build wheels like this anymore?
Did you say the same tyres? Wouldn't older wheels be faster with narrower tyres? I assume that tyres were 25 mm which means, it was aero-optimised for newer wheels. I think that older wheels should also have aero-optimised width.
2:12 WTF? I want to see Alex put a cassette on a front wheel