Neuvation SL2 Road Wheelset

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Product: Neuvation R 28 SL2 road wheelset. Configuration: 20 spoke front; 24 spoke rear; one-cross throughout; double-butted stainless steel spokes. Nipples are alloy except on drive-side rear where brass nipples are used for improved reliability. Test Platform: Fuji Team. Product Put in Service: August 2006. Reviewed by: Rich Ries. Cost: $499 MSRP; typically on sale from the manufacturer for $399. I paid $299 from the manufacturer's overstock sale. Weight: 1,611 g. for the set with Velox rims strips but no skewers. Recommended? No.

Executive Summary: Excellent service support. We know because we used it - a lot.

Ratings (1 is lowest, 5 is highest)		Comments
Comfort	4	Almost plush despite the semi-aero rim
Stiffness	2	Far flimsier than the DT Swiss wheels that replaced them.
Cornering	2	Not nearly rigid enough.
Braking, all conditions	3	Average performance even with a machined braking surface
Weight	3	Lots of lightweight wheels out there these days.
Ease of Installation	5	Nicely packaged; fully assembled.
Serviceability	4	Downloadable service instructions; a welcome lack of proprietary parts
Cost/Value	1	Failure prone.
Style	3	Classy graphics. Some color would break up all that silver.
Service, Support	5	Accurate, immediate answers to e-mail inquiries

John Neugent is a great guy and is committed to his company, Neuvation Cycling. So it pains me to say that these wheels were completely unsatisfactory. The first set developed stress fractures at the rim and were replaced by the company. That second wheelset also fell prey to stress fractures, as did a set of these wheels purchased by BRAT Byron Nagel. I got less than 5,000 miles on two wheelsets, or about the mileage I'd expect to get from two sets of tires.

In addition to the rim failure, the rear hubs on all three wheels had an annoying creak. John Neugent said this was due to incorrect grease being installed at the factory and provided instructions for purging the old grease and applying new. That solved the problem in all three wheels.

Within the first couple of hundred miles on these wheels I noticed that the rear had come out of true. It seemed that the spoke tension on the non-drive side was too low. I e-mailed John and he said that a recent wheel shipment had this problem. I had already trued the wheel, but after my e-mail exchange with John I went back and re-tensioned the rear wheel using a Wheelsmith spoke tensiometer. I didn't have to true the wheel again.

I thought these wheels were adequately stiff until I replaced them with a set of 2-cross wheels I built using all DT Swiss parts. The new wheels were so much stiffer that I initially had problems over-correcting on familiar routes. This was especially true on fast, curvy descents such as State Road 62 into China (on the MNR route) and the south entrance of Clifty Falls State Park (part of our WNR course). The steering effort I was conditioned to apply with the Neuvations was way too much with the DT Swiss wheels. Both wheelsets had comparable ride comfort.

The SL2s aren't in the Neuvation Cycling lineup any more. I'm not sure if the models that replace them are any less prone to failure. I have no intention of finding out nor should you take the risk. The market is awash with lightweight, low spoke count wheels from such reputable manufacturers as Easton, Mavic, and Shimano. Keep an eye on the sales and you can find wheels comparable in weight, price, and performance to the Neuvations, any of which will likely be more durable.

I like John Neugent and would be happy to take him out for a burger, but I'll never ride a set of his wheels again.

Neuvation wheels look great right out of the box.

With radiused edges and tight tolerances, the Neuvation wheels certainly look well engineered.

Butted spokes are lightweight and strong.

The spokes are butted and the hub holes are chamfered. Neither Byron nor I broke a spoke on our Neuvation wheels.

Here's the killer. Fractures developed in both of my rear rims and in Byron's, too.