TWE Wheels... Anyone got pros and cons?

[corypelican]

Hi Guys,

I am looking for a new wheel set for my MTB and came accross an add for TWE in a magazine...

After speaking to the owner, it all sounds good.

Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with these products at all?

Look forward to hearing about it!

Cheers.

 

[needaride]

I know a dude who has just started using a set on his DH bike, he said they were light as but has only put one or two rides on them so unable to say how strong they are..

 

[Trickymac]

I have 2 sets of twe wheels, had previously mavix crossmax st
the twe are notcieably stiffer and lighter, but greg will make them to your weight and riding specifics
just did the husky 50 last week with them, which was a mudfest with knee deep water crossings, hubs are fine and wheels held up great, seems to spin alot easier than my mavics
very very happy with them and they come highly recommended

 

[MTB Wanabe]

You could also do a search of TWE. There are a lot of threads with glowing reviews of his wheels. I have a set and they are light, stiff and smooth. Made up with simple components that are built extremely well and work. The best part is, replacement parts won't break the bank if you happen to break a spoke, rim or blow the bearings out. They are also covered by his crash replacement warranty which means you only have to pay for the replacement parts. He also gives ongoing discounts for subsequent purchases and is currently running a special whereby if you buy a set of race mtb wheels, he will throw in a training set for half price.

Good luck

 

[Boreit]

get into them mate, i was asking a similar question not so long back. the best work out so far was the paterson 24 all good. the wheels were built for enduro/ 90kg & were about 1580gm. they are rock solid. with a 15mm axle & taper steerer have never ridden anything soo stiff in the front. almost feel like i could have a lighter wheel set with a fraction more give??
recently had a look at a set of reynolds wheels, couldnt help but wonder if the hubs of this particular wheelset were made at the same factory.
anyway i plan to stump up for a set of greg's carbon rim wheelset when finances allow.
cheers

 

[rodpos]

TWE Wheels

Greg's wheels are fantastic. Light and stiff. I have used his wheels for the past year on both my dually and hardtail.
Be honest with your intended use. Give Greg as much info as you can as these wheels are custom built to your intended riding style and weight. I race XC with the intent of keeping both wheels on the ground for most of the time so my wheels are really lightweight (1300g wheelset). I don't think you can go wrong with any of the TWE wheels.Good luck.

 

[steve-waters]

I have got two sets already Road 50mm carbons, 26" excellent bomb proof and just ordering some new 29er wheels from him as well - it is just something I seem to do now new bike get a set of his wheels.

Service and quality can not be neaten, price is very good for what you get - not dirt cheap but then you are getting hand made quality.

And to top it off when you give him a call I end up learning a whole lot more about wheels and other stuff as well - don't be in a hurry he loves a chat

If you have the money get em you will love em!

 

[Rolla]

Give them a go I have a set at 1575 grams on my singlespeed and are fast, stiff and light.

 

[skwiz05]

Not knocking the TWE wheels, but out of these reviews, what makes them fast? (compared to other wheels/tyres), What makes them "Stiff" and what do people mean by that?

I love hearing these terms but find they are meaningless.


What about the strength of the rims and resistance to flat spotting/dings, and spoke tension, trueing method etc. Type of spoke. The things that really determine a quality build.......Durability, reliability. Etc.....

 

[King_Andre]

All Pro's here!

I've had a pair of TWE's for the past twelve months and they are still true and perfect for me. Probably get a second pair soon (please Mr. Tax man be nice!).

 

[needaride]

Not knocking the TWE wheels, but out of these reviews, what makes them fast? (compared to other wheels/tyres), What makes them "Stiff" and what do people mean by that?

I love hearing these terms but find they are meaningless.

I guess a wheel can't really be fast, thats all about the rider :focus:

 

[steve-waters]

Oh yea forgot the big PRO for me - they are the one thing really that I buy to support a local bike business. He does not just sell them he builds them got to support guys with skills.

My rims have been on my 26" for about two years and in that time never had a drama - I am not a crazy rider but was 93kg for most of the time on them and bad at picking lines.

I had one stack where I jumped got too far forward and landed pretty well full force on the front wheel though it was toast for sure did not even knock it out of true - I was toast though.

Lots of bad (by bad I mean riding style) drops and all good.

I did have one issue with his front skewer after upgraded my brakes - it did not seem to grip my headshok as well so went back to the stock C'dale one and all was well again.

 

[MTB Wanabe]

Not knocking the TWE wheels, but out of these reviews, what makes them fast? (compared to other wheels/tyres), What makes them "Stiff" and what do people mean by that?

I love hearing these terms but find they are meaningless.


What about the strength of the rims and resistance to flat spotting/dings, and spoke tension, trueing method etc. Type of spoke. The things that really determine a quality build.......Durability, reliability. Etc.....

He builds all of his wheels by hand. No machines to do the work for him, just him and standard wheel building tooling. He uses quality rims and hubs that he imports himself and to his specifications. He uses predominantly DT Swiss spokes as he has found they are the most reliable. His wheels are built tight and with even spoke tension which results in a stiff and reliable wheelset. His wheels are only as fast as the rider as they are built for them. All of his hubs use sealed cartridge bearings which are super smooth and roll forever. He also offers ceramic upgrades.

Greg has been running TWE full time for about 5 years now. So just think about that for a minute. His sole source of income has been his wheels for the last 5 years. I think he must be doing something right and knows what he is doing to be make a living building wheels and competing with the likes of Shimano, Mavic, etc.

 

[Warwick]

Mine cracked. No jumps. No crashes. Good warranty support though. Thanks Greg, but now 100 times happier with my (3 sets of) Crossmax SL's.

 

[tomli123001]

The TWE website stated that they did not make any rims, but importing and selecting them at your price point. The fact is you can spend little and get a less quality pair of TWE or you can spend a lot and get a good quality pair of TWE. Since the guy does not name its wheels or put them into categories, it is hard to get a fair comparison for TWE wheels. It will always be mixed of good and bad.

The bikeshop here next door at ANZAC Pde, Kingsford Happy wheel is a good friend of TWE and the guys all swear by it. Of course, they all pay and buy the the top TWE stuff.

 

[tomacropod]

The TWE website stated that they did not make any rims, but importing and selecting them at your price point. The fact is you can spend little and get a less quality pair of TWE or you can spend a lot and get a good quality pair of TWE. Since the guy does not name its wheels or put them into categories, it is hard to get a fair comparison for TWE wheels. It will always be mixed of good and bad.

The bikeshop here next door at ANZAC Pde, Kingsford Happy wheel is a good friend of TWE and the guys all swear by it. Of course, they all pay and buy the the top TWE stuff.

^^ Correct. Ultimately, the guy's a wheelbuilder who de-stickers rims and gets Taiwanese hubs with his logo on them. Not hard if you're prepared to buy them in thousand piece batches. By all accounts he's an excellent wheelbuilder, but the end product will be largely dependent on your parts choices.

- Joel

 

[driftking]

Bit of an old thread but wanted to put my 2cents on the matter.
I had a wheel built up by Greg eariler this year, his quality of build is upi there with the best. The best parts in the world can be average with a poor wheel builder but greg is excellent and I am fairly confident in saying, whatever parts you choose they will be put together as well as they can be with greg doing it for you. If you ask for lower end parts it are the parts failing not his work.

As for the dh rims they are quite good, my last stock rim that came with the bike lastest me about 6months, I didnt retension spokes enough (i know) but the rim was buckled well and truely, with plenty of flat spots and I managed to put a few decent cracks in them, so far gregs wheels are running super smooth, spokes are still tight (be keeping an eye this time) rim has no dents or flat spots and the rim has not buckled like the other one did after a few rides. So far first impressions after a few months on the rim, It is resilient and stands upto more abuse than the previos rim, while been only slightly heavier it is a double wall rim compared to the previous single.
His turn around was quite quick too, I managed to get him around chirstmas and during a very busy time period just as nationals were starting, the turn around for my wheel was only a few days (2 I think).
I have not had tonnes of time on them yet but compared to my previous rims they are miles better.

 

[skwiz05]

As this thread has progressed, its good to see some objective review of his stuff, rather than just people giving biased opinion about a brand of wheels......

 

[bimco]

great value

, not sure what to buy last year I purchased a set of carbon clinchers for my roadie from Twe, you won't understand what a stiff set of wheels is until you try a set.
The power transfer to the road that the Twe carbon wheels produce it's impressive.

being that I was so impressed with the road wheels I got a set of Twe carbons for my mtb
I'm 90kg they weight 1515 grams 29 inch and cost less than $1300
With a handful of races under the belt, the wheels are as true as new.
You would be hard pressed to find a set of 29 wheels that could compete with that.

 

[blueblood1995]

I too am considering purchasing a set of Greg's handbuilt wheels, BUT...
Has anyone heard of Curve Cycling? Can anyone share any experiences using these wheels? MTB or road?
Very similar offering by all accounts but not sure Curve have been around for as long as TWE.
When I did a search for custom carbon wheels these two businesses came up near the top of Google so I started to read more and sent a few emails to both.
Cheers