ICAN AERO 40s wheelset rim brake pulsing and lock-ups

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BM84
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2022 10:56 am

by BM84

I have bought this set two months ago and it has terrible uneven braking or pulsing. Lost modulation, wheel lock-ups.

For me this fact makes the set unusable. Maybe I am just unlucky, or maybe majority of owners with wobbly effective rim width ride mostly on flats or just do not mind subpar carbon rims due to lack of quality control. When researching before buying I could not find any user reporting this, but have now found some horror stories on Trustpilot.

My last alu set got cracks on the rear rim, so I needed something fast and stumbled upon that crazy screaming Youtube "engineer", never opened his videos before, thats why I fell for his review probably. Checking at price to weight wheelset seemed golden, expected average Novatec performace, but never thought of wobbly rim profile width in brake track area.

On a "postive" note I have read here that people had horror stories also with Lightweight - pulsing - and repair of brake surface. And some other big brands, so this can happen.

Will update on how warranty process goes, but I am quite pesimistic, since you have to pay for shipping costs if you claim after 30 days from purchase. And sending to China from EU or reverse with custom fees could be time consuming and quite expensive.

So I just might thorw them in a bin and buy something expensive and sell a kidney for it because I do not want to bother with buying new rim and paying for relacing. Just F-it.
'17 Giant TCR Advanced ML 7.15kg

Mocs123
Posts: 826
Joined: Tue May 11, 2021 9:19 pm

by Mocs123

I don't have an answer to your question, but I had a set of iCan Aero 40's that I ended up replacing with Bontrager XXX4's and I thought they were great for the money. I sold them to a guy in my club who thinks they are faster and ride better than the Rovel CL(?) 50's he also has.

Other than being narrow, I felt like they were descent wheels, especially for the money. Currently I'm running the Bontragers on one bike, and a pair of Light Bicycle AR56 on another (the bike had Bontrager Aeolus Pro 37's on it originally).
2015 Wilier Zero.7 Rim - 6.37kg
2020 Trek Emonda SLR-7 Disc - 6.86kg
2023 Specialized SL7 - 7.18kg

by Weenie


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bobones
Posts: 1271
Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2013 11:19 am

by bobones

I am sorry to hear about your troubles and I hope it goes well for you. ICAN have UK and European warehouses, so I wonder if the warranty return can be made to one of these locations rather than China. Perhaps if you phone them something can be arranged.

FWIW, I bought a set of ICANN FL50s from Amazon UK in 2019. They have been great wheels and I've been impressed by their quality throughout (Novatec SP hubs, CX-Ray spokes, 19mm internal, 25 mm external, 1450g, excellent braking, stayed true). I upgraded to Bora WTO 60s and to be honest I really didn't notice any improvement: if anything the ICANs are lighter and feel faster. I have the Boras on my De Rosa SK, and I still use the ICANNs on my TCR and other bikes. I used to run them with 23 mm Corsa Speed TLRs where the tyre/rim transition was perfect, and they were rapid!

BM84
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2022 10:56 am

by BM84

@Mocs123 and @bobones I agree with both of you. Wheels are really good for their price. Going uphill or on flats. Downhill, especially steep hairpins with all kinds of debris here in the winter, I am scared for life. I can not compensate using only front brake and especially over confident I sometimes have to make a correction and if I lock-up I can go down the edge of the road or under a car, so a big no. And approaching steep T-crossings is scary. I love my bike for the fact it is a realiable machine that I can always trust, so I am not confident in it if it has a pulsing back.

So yes, I hope there is a kind of constructive solution.

Also my original post is quite angry, but in reality I am just sad since other than this one thing I love the set. I even upgraded the freehub to best Novatec option with 6 pawls, each with its own spring, greased it with Shimano freehub grease; loving its sound and a faster bite.
'17 Giant TCR Advanced ML 7.15kg

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tarmackev
Posts: 899
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:59 pm

by tarmackev

I had the same issue with Cero RC50 wheels in the UK. They were unridable, the pulsing was incredible. Holding the lever steady it went from 10% to 80% as the wheel span.
I really hope you can get it sorted.

by Weenie


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BM84
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2022 10:56 am

by BM84

@tarmackev thank you. How did you solve it, did you get new wheel/s?

This must be down to poor QC. Wheelbuilder must see this, with mine it is around .15mm difference in rim width in brake area of profile, wobbly in around 30cm of circumference. Plus one shorter spot on opposite side. Couldn't measure it correctly due to angled brake track, and I thought I will solve it with different pads. Being off season, two months went by and free shipping for warranty is gone. It is Chinese new year holidays, so I have to wait to get any decision from them.
'17 Giant TCR Advanced ML 7.15kg

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