The Easton EA90 SLX wheel set is one of the lightest on the market, and not surprisingly one of the most problematic.
Let's start with the good:
- Lightweight (1400 grams/pair)
- Hand built
- Cool red spoke nipples and blue freehub body
But for every good point there's a counterpoint:
- Goes out of true easily
- Crappy hub design leading to premature bearing wear
- Annoying advertising on the side of the rim
I've had two pairs of these, the first had to be warrantied and the second I sold before the bearings had a chance to go out. I'm not the only one with these issues either, the internet is abuzz with complaints, and it's mainly for the SLX, the SL version with the steel ball bearings instead of ceramic seem to last longer. But for the $1000 price tag, I say you're better off with the comparable Shimano or DT Swiss.
11/2012 update:
So, after asking around and doing a little research I found that the reason the hubs on so many EA90 SLX wheels go bad is because they don't use full ceramic bearings, crowns and races. It's a hybrid system, using both silicon nitrite and stainless steel and probably some other chemical compounds to make a camel out of a horse. Real, full ceramic bearings are outrageously expensive so companies have been toying with hybrid systems, but clearly it doesn't always work. I'll report more on this in future articles.
11/2012 update:
So, after asking around and doing a little research I found that the reason the hubs on so many EA90 SLX wheels go bad is because they don't use full ceramic bearings, crowns and races. It's a hybrid system, using both silicon nitrite and stainless steel and probably some other chemical compounds to make a camel out of a horse. Real, full ceramic bearings are outrageously expensive so companies have been toying with hybrid systems, but clearly it doesn't always work. I'll report more on this in future articles.
I bought an EA90 SLX Wheelset about 9 months ago. I have broken 5 spokes (3 rear 2 front) since then. Within a few weeks they were showing oxidation. After the third rear spoke broke I just turned them in for warranty replacement. I took over a month to get them back. Luckily a buddy loaned me a rim so I could keep riding. I sent an e-mail to Easton to complain about their crappy rims. They took no responsibility for their poor quality and instead blamed 2/3 thirds of the earth instead. They questioned whether I lived near the ocean (I don’t) and that could be the cause . In the last nine months I’ve had more broken spokes than the last nine years combined. Easton spokes are fragile and potentially dangerous. Don’t worry though if the front rim collapses on high speed descent and you die , it’s not Easton’s fault it’s the ocean’s.
ReplyDeleteI have visited so many sites but I never got the site like yours, amazing posts with informative latest things. Full Ceramic Ball Bearing
ReplyDelete