Carbon Ti dissapointment

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nickf
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by nickf

Had these wheels built up 8/2019 from farsports. 3 months into ownership the rear hub just pulled apart as I clipped in rolling from the house. Carbon Ti sent me a new hub, it's been fine since. Today while cleaning the bike today I noticed a crack in the front flange. Really disappointing. Brand new tub to boot. Anyone else experiencing these issues? Hopefully, I can get a replacement hub shell, but don't think I want to even keep these wheels at this point. My 6 year old Bontrager Aeolus wheels have been bulletproof.

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by Weenie


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rapsac
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by rapsac

Three mtb and one race wheelset with Carbon-Ti hubs in use, no issues.

bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

How deep is the rim.

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Mr.Gib
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by Mr.Gib

That is a bummer. How much do you weigh?
Do I see the problem correctly - the rear flange bits that hold the spoke head have just snapped off? A hairline crack in the front flange?
I have a set and so far they have been OK with limited use - only had them a short time. I do worry about how a hub so light will stand up to long term regular use. But at the weight and price, I think the value is good. Lots out there, but they have not been on the market that long. Perhaps a rash of failures is coming. Watch this space.
wheelsONfire wrote: When we ride disc brakes the whole deal of braking is just like a leaving a fart. It happens and then it's over. Nothing planned and nothing to get nervous for.

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nickf
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by nickf

45mm deep. I weight 175 lbs. Smooth roads.

hannawald
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by hannawald

When I asked Light Bicycle about Carbon Ti reliability as I was deciding between Carbon Ti and DT180exp, they told me they haven't had a single warranty case in 1,5 year..

Steve Curtis
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by Steve Curtis

It appears most of the issues on here regarding carbon-Ti come from Farsports builds rather than light bike builds.
Just something I've noticed in the last few months.

No problems with my carbon-Ti hubs which have been hammered on gravel rides for months.

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nickf
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by nickf

Steve Curtis wrote:
Sun Jan 24, 2021 12:53 pm
It appears most of the issues on here regarding carbon-Ti come from Farsports builds rather than light bike builds.
Just something I've noticed in the last few months.

No problems with my carbon-Ti hubs which have been hammered on gravel rides for months.
Carbon Ti pointed the finger at farsports for too much tension on the rear wheel incident. It seemed to ride fine, who knows. My other 2 sets of farsports wheels build up with novatec hubs have been flawless. Hopefully, I can get a replacement shell I already reached out to Carbon Ti.

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Mr.Gib
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by Mr.Gib

Has Carbon Ti provided a max tension for their rear hub? Surely Farsports is meticulous about adhering to such specifications. Not to discount the possibility of a bad build now and then.

If spoke tension is the cause of the problem it is dissappointing to have a hub fail before a rim or spoke.

EDIT - just looked it up. 120 kgf recommended, 130 kgf maximum for rear drive side.

Going to check mine now.
Last edited by Mr.Gib on Sun Jan 24, 2021 6:29 pm, edited 3 times in total.
wheelsONfire wrote: When we ride disc brakes the whole deal of braking is just like a leaving a fart. It happens and then it's over. Nothing planned and nothing to get nervous for.

Orbital
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by Orbital

I have Carbon-Ti on Light Bicycle rims and they’re fine. Been riding them since July 2020.

harblhat
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by harblhat

Perhaps a coincidence, but Farsports no longer has anything displayed under Kaze rim brake with Carbon-Ti hubs on their site. They still stock Kaze and Feder with Carbon-Ti hubs, though.

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Mr.Gib
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by Mr.Gib

harblhat wrote:
Sun Jan 24, 2021 7:05 pm
Perhaps a coincidence, but Farsports no longer has anything displayed under Kaze rim brake with Carbon-Ti hubs on their site. They still stock Kaze and Feder with Carbon-Ti hubs, though.
That's a bit strange. I guess the implication could be that the rim brake hubs have an issue. I doubt it, though the OP's experience is unforgivable.

I checked my rear drive side spoke tensions on Kaze rim brake clinchers. A consistent 120 kgf. Actually a very good build - very even tension all around.
wheelsONfire wrote: When we ride disc brakes the whole deal of braking is just like a leaving a fart. It happens and then it's over. Nothing planned and nothing to get nervous for.

Visqu
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by Visqu

harblhat wrote:
Sun Jan 24, 2021 7:05 pm
Perhaps a coincidence, but Farsports no longer has anything displayed under Kaze rim brake with Carbon-Ti hubs on their site. They still stock Kaze and Feder with Carbon-Ti hubs, though.
Indeed a coincidence.
I made a claim a couple of days ago that they laced my Carbon Ti front hub incorrectly, as in flipped left to right. Otherwise no issue but the rim has a grooved brake track.

This causes the preload mechanism to open in the direction of the wheel rotation, a possible problem if the locking fails or is not screwed tight enough. Simple solution of course is to flip the axle as the hub is symmetrical.

Anyway, at first they repeatedly claimed that the hub was correctly laced and built up, then when I confirmed with Carbon Ti, they proceeded to claim that all their other hubs are installed this way and only Carbon Ti is different so they install those the same way too and that it is not an issue at all. Deny there is a problem, downplay the problem and then claim that it is not a problem at all, good job.

I really expect to have my stuff built up to correct specification so I'm still waiting for a satisfactory outcome in the form of a partial refund based on my time and effort on this issue. This will still leave my front hub logo upside down when viewed from the front of the bike, an eyesore.

So, being a bit harsh, knowing left from right is a challenge, how about spoke tension?

alcatraz
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by alcatraz

That's amazing. To have too high tensions cause this is unusual, as they drop after mounting a tire. Maybe the wheels were never measured with a tensionometer after being built by hand? Sounds plausible that there were large imbalances.

My first thought was the rim flexing. I wonder if something is wrong with the rim? Maybe the carbon layup is just all wrong or something? Are the rims like 300-350gr or what?

Do you see any deformations in the rim? Obviously it's hard to see now as the rear is screwed but on the front perhaps?

My bad news is that it's unlikely the hubs fault. If you do get a replacement directly from Carbon-ti then it's charity.

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nickf
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by nickf

alcatraz wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 12:12 am
That's amazing. To have too high tensions cause this is unusual, as they drop after mounting a tire. Maybe the wheels were never measured with a tensionometer after being built by hand? Sounds plausible that there were large imbalances.

My first thought was the rim flexing. I wonder if something is wrong with the rim? Maybe the carbon layup is just all wrong or something? Are the rims like 300-350gr or what?

Do you see any deformations in the rim? Obviously it's hard to see now as the rear is screwed but on the front perhaps?

My bad news is that it's unlikely the hubs fault. If you do get a replacement directly from Carbon-ti then it's charity.
I think I'm more in the farsports not tensioning correctly camp. My other two sets of wheels have been flawless though. I would buy from them again but not use a lightweight hub.

Credit to Carbon Ti they already responded and are sending a replacement. Maybe the title was harsh, just a buzz kill to find that. Excellent riding set of wheels.

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