Cobalt 3 Wheelset
- Thread starter Exxodus1
- Start date
MARKL
Eats Squid
I have a set of Cobalts, far from the worst product Crank Bros make but that may be considered damning with faint praise. My thoughts are - Rims - super easy to set up tubeless but a bit soft (put a big ding in my front first ride), hub design is good (second generation hub onwards - first gen hubs sucked but these should have all disappeared now), I love a stupid spoke system and they are as stupid as it gets and look fantastic. Would I buy another set? I got mine super cheap when a shop was running them out - I wouldn't pay anywhere near the retail for them. They are probably OK for a lighter rider IMO.
By all accounts TWE build great wheels but if you want something a bit more bling without going to carbon consider Industry Nine or Spinergy - both better wheels than Crank Bros in my experience.
By all accounts TWE build great wheels but if you want something a bit more bling without going to carbon consider Industry Nine or Spinergy - both better wheels than Crank Bros in my experience.
yuley95
soft-arse Yuley is on the lifts again
Cobalt 3
Yeah, I got a set of 2012 Cobalt 'classics' from CRC when they were running them out stupid cheap. Have only been running them for a couple of months but all good so far.
I contacted CB to ask what Cobalt 'Classic' actually meant and found the rim, spokes and nipples are all current Cobalt 3 but the hubs are the Generation 2 design (as mentioned by MARKL, generation one has a reputation for the freehub splitting under load).
It means that all up mine weigh in at 1600gm for the set rather than the current cobalt 3 which are 1500gm.
I have a Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.25 on the front and Rocket Ron 2.1 on the back. They both went up tubeless easy enough but the 2.25 is about the limit size-wise - wouldn't get anything much bigger on there.
So far they are staying true and spinning really well. The freehub engages very quickly and has a lot less drag than the previous shimano hub I was running that came standard on my bike.
I weigh about 70kg and have been riding everything I come across including a few sets of stairs and repeated 3 foot drops etc
I do get nervous about breaking a spoke and it would be nice if they included a couple of spares in the box ...
Yeah, I got a set of 2012 Cobalt 'classics' from CRC when they were running them out stupid cheap. Have only been running them for a couple of months but all good so far.
I contacted CB to ask what Cobalt 'Classic' actually meant and found the rim, spokes and nipples are all current Cobalt 3 but the hubs are the Generation 2 design (as mentioned by MARKL, generation one has a reputation for the freehub splitting under load).
It means that all up mine weigh in at 1600gm for the set rather than the current cobalt 3 which are 1500gm.
I have a Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.25 on the front and Rocket Ron 2.1 on the back. They both went up tubeless easy enough but the 2.25 is about the limit size-wise - wouldn't get anything much bigger on there.
So far they are staying true and spinning really well. The freehub engages very quickly and has a lot less drag than the previous shimano hub I was running that came standard on my bike.
I weigh about 70kg and have been riding everything I come across including a few sets of stairs and repeated 3 foot drops etc
I do get nervous about breaking a spoke and it would be nice if they included a couple of spares in the box ...
Hugor
Likes Dirt
I have a pair of Cobalt 2 29er which came on my bike. I've had them for about 3 months.
I have read some bad reviews so was prepared to swap them out if I had any issues as I got a great deal on the bike anyway.
I haven't noticed any flex issues and the tubeless setup was the easiest I've ever done with Schwalbe TL. They do look really bloody good.
I've heard replacement spokes are hard to get and I have a habit of breaking spokes. So far so good anyhow.
Some of the mtbr reviews suggest that they have a 200 pd weight (90kgs) limit but I can't find evidence of that on the CB website.
I'm well over 100kgs after a diet and massive dump and I haven't had a problem already.
I have read some bad reviews so was prepared to swap them out if I had any issues as I got a great deal on the bike anyway.
I haven't noticed any flex issues and the tubeless setup was the easiest I've ever done with Schwalbe TL. They do look really bloody good.
I've heard replacement spokes are hard to get and I have a habit of breaking spokes. So far so good anyhow.
Some of the mtbr reviews suggest that they have a 200 pd weight (90kgs) limit but I can't find evidence of that on the CB website.
I'm well over 100kgs after a diet and massive dump and I haven't had a problem already.
silentbutdeadly
has some good things to say
I'm banging away on a pair of Cobalts (2nd gen) that are the equivalent of the 2's currently on offer (3's have four bearings in the rear, 2's have 2...). Like others I got them with a massive discount at the time.
They are sitting under an Anthem 29er dually that is used almost exclusively for racing or practising for racing. The conditions are typically dusty and with short sharp hits (mostly tree roots and logs) the most common track impediment - not many climbs and big drops in the flat country! Though they have been to Broken Hill and their rocks bite hard there (there's a few club riders there who have Cobalt's too).
So far they've done the best part of 600km which isn't much I know but it its all going as hard as I can...they still run straight and true with 2.2 tyres on them.
My Cobalt's came standard with Enduro bearings and they are still in there though the front is starting to bind a little. The rear hub and free wheel needs a pull down and re-grease every six months or so (more frequently if you ride in the wet) and you need to be very careful with the seals when putting them back together.
These things come apart by hand and I suspect that makes them more maintenance intensive than most wheelsets. If you can't or won't maintain them then don't invest in them
The only issue I've ever seen with them is when a BH rider managed to pick up a fist sized boulder in the rear wheel which then carried it (or attempted to carry it) through the chainstay and seatstay with limited success. Didn't break any spokes though!
Not convinced I'd buy them again though as there are so many more light, stiff & tubeless options for XC available now for similar or cheaper money. But they do look the part...
They are sitting under an Anthem 29er dually that is used almost exclusively for racing or practising for racing. The conditions are typically dusty and with short sharp hits (mostly tree roots and logs) the most common track impediment - not many climbs and big drops in the flat country! Though they have been to Broken Hill and their rocks bite hard there (there's a few club riders there who have Cobalt's too).
So far they've done the best part of 600km which isn't much I know but it its all going as hard as I can...they still run straight and true with 2.2 tyres on them.
My Cobalt's came standard with Enduro bearings and they are still in there though the front is starting to bind a little. The rear hub and free wheel needs a pull down and re-grease every six months or so (more frequently if you ride in the wet) and you need to be very careful with the seals when putting them back together.
These things come apart by hand and I suspect that makes them more maintenance intensive than most wheelsets. If you can't or won't maintain them then don't invest in them
The only issue I've ever seen with them is when a BH rider managed to pick up a fist sized boulder in the rear wheel which then carried it (or attempted to carry it) through the chainstay and seatstay with limited success. Didn't break any spokes though!
Not convinced I'd buy them again though as there are so many more light, stiff & tubeless options for XC available now for similar or cheaper money. But they do look the part...
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Art Vanderlay
Hourly daily
My 29er TWE's have been great. Had them 6 months now with no problem. Next bike, I will go down the same path again.
silentbutdeadly
has some good things to say
Can't speak for the colours but how's this? http://www.pushys.com.au/bicycle-wheels-and-accessories/26-29-wheels.html?brand_pushys=387&limit=72
mitchy_
Llama calmer
they do seem the cheapest, thanks. they actually had exactly what i wanted, a set of black rim/silver spokes ones for $399 recently. I'm kicking myself i didn't buy them, and now they don't even list that colour.
Ridenparadise
Likes Bikes and Dirt
I've been using a pair of the old alloy Iodines for nearly 4 years and they have been pretty good. The hub issues are now resolved and I find them stiff and reliable. Spokes are strong despite some really nasty large branches to both ends they have no broken but I do have a spare pair of spokes I take when travelling away from home. I would consider a new carbon version next time.