Comments on: Ellsworth AM Wheels – The $1,000 Wheels Reviewed

By: 198

198 — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:14:18 +0000

Plank

The Ellsworth wheels use a 24 point engagement drive vs. Chris King’s 72 point. That is a large difference. My loudest hubs that sounds like they have the most engagement when riding are Hope Pro II’s, but…they too…only have 24 point engagement (like your Mavics). Higher end hub drive mechanisms (Chris King – 72 pt, Hadley – 72 pt., Industry Nine – 120 pt.) use more engagement points so that there is less delay between when your leg puts down the power and that power hits the chain line in route to the rear wheel. This also greatly helps “double clutch” situations where you need to have quick bursts of forward motion.

I never said that Ellsworth wheels were bad…just way over priced for what you are getting. For less…I can have a higher quality wheelset.

By: Plank

Plank — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:00:02 +0000

I have been riding crossmax XL wheels for the last 5 yrs. The Ellsworth set felt just as solid – although it was my first ride on a Moment so was hard to compare just a wheelset.
As to the buzzing, I was under the impression that when freewheeling, every click you heard was one of the pawl ratchet points clicking. The more engagement points the higher the click rate (which is why CK hubs buzz and the other systems click slowly when freewheeling)? Correct me if I am wrong…
Plank

By: 198

198 — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:31:54 +0000

Plank

What other wheels have you ridden in the past?

The sound of a hub has nothing to do with engagement.

Robb

By: Plank

Plank — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 04:46:46 +0000

I just spent a weekend on the new 2009 AM wheelset on a 2009 Moment demo. The new weight is sub 1700g. Yes, 1700g for a durable AM wheelset! I felt no flex as I thougt I would. Don’t know how many engagement points there were but the rear hub was buzzing like a CK. I never felt any engagement lag. I was impressed with these and I want some – just need to convince the wife that these are worth the best part of $1K.

By: Carytown Bicycle Company |

Carytown Bicycle Company | — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:34:20 +0000

[...] for grabs are some of their XC wheels. Over here at MTBR there is a good review of the AM version to give you an idea of what they are [...]

By: Neil

Neil — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 20:43:14 +0000

Good review. The engagement and proprietary spokes are a complete deal-killer and a bad start, in my opinion. A new product needs to gain traction with an impressive start. EW missed the boat, especially since these wheels are too expensive for what we get. It will take way more than this to get me to replace my Chris King custom builds.

By: drdirt

drdirt — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:52:05 +0000

Great review Robb. I especially liked the constructive criticism because it gives Ellsworth something to think about and try to correct. I also liked the way Tony E read the criticism and has/is taking steps to correct many of these criticisms. I have never had an Ellsworth bike, but I have a good friend that loves his Truth. Tony E’s response really impressed me (as did his interview). I don’t think a lot of manufacturers would have even responded, let alone explain the philosophy behind each decision.

By: Doug Brummett

Doug Brummett — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:31:03 +0000

Nice review. It is like a rebirth of pullstar

That weight is atrocious. My DH wheelsets don’t weigh that much. Sounds like TE is on the ball in this respect. Wonder if he can keep the stiffness and lose the weight.

I think you are spot on in expecting better engagement out of a premium wheelset. Once you ride good engagement it becomes quite apparent that it is better performance. I am back on a set of XT hubs now and only after getting used to better do I realize just how nice additional engagement is.

Colors? BFD. Give me silver and black. Color matching ano bits is for wankers I would rather ride my bike than stare at it. TE is on the ball here. Let those color loving Nancy boys ride someone else’s wheels.

By: Using Controversy To Generate Traffic To Your Blog | robb sutton dot com

Using Controversy To Generate Traffic To Your Blog | robb sutton dot com — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:23:07 +0000

[...] Ellsworth AM Wheels – The $1,000 Wheelset Reviewed [...]

By: Framebreaker

Framebreaker — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:59:44 +0000

Good job Rob. I own a set of Azonic Outlaws that I paid $300 for and you know what? 3 prawl engagement, 20mm axle caps that fall all over the place when trying to fit wheel into fork (makes it lots of fun on the trail after fixing a flat), and claimed weight is about the same.

I’m glad I didn’t spend way more money on a wheelset that has the same problems as my $300 set. Oh yeah…Outlaws come in colors for 09