I can see the future... I see a flamefest starting and accusations flying...

Damn ... you beat me to it ... I am impressed with your ability to see the future. :)

I've got a set myself (700 c clinchers)...can't help you with a failure story since mine are rock solid and as true as the day they were made. Bought 'em used, so I don't know how many miles they've got on them, but I've put more than a few on mine and I still love 'em. I do periodically inspect the area where the 'spoke' meets the rim, especially around the rivets...so far, no problems whatsoever.

I personnally know two people who have been using them since their introduction. I have heard that some have broke, but never seen it first hand. Considering the age of the wheels you can infer that some are highly durable, some are not. This hold true for every other wheel I've seen. You wont get a scientific % on a internet survey.

Styrrell

I've got a set, 650c clinchers. Very fast wheels and no problems for me.

I do suggest that you inspect them under a bright light every once in a while.

jaretj

...but I've put more than a few on mine and I still love 'em. I do periodically inspect the area where the 'spoke' meets the rim, especially around the rivets...so far, no problems whatsoever.

My experience is similar to yours. Have two sets at home (one for me and one for my wife). Been very happy with the wheels. IMO, still one of the best overall racing wheels ever made. True, a spoke failure while riding will probably result in a nasty fall. But, if you periodically inspect the wheel as mentioned by mthammer, it should take care of the problem.

There has been lots of negative publicity about the Rev-X but I doubt the failure rate of these is any larger than other parts like stems and handlebars, which I have experienced, resulting in falls both times.

Francois in Montreal

I assume you are talking about Spinergy, not sinergy wheels. I had a rear wheel fail. I couldn't get my cleat into my pedal on an uphill and I fell over at appox. 2mph. The blades on the cassette side broke free. (You could push all four of them over to the left side.) Since I had bought them used online, there was no warranty. I still use the front every once and a while, but I am much happier with my zipp's.

As far as I know there are 2 types of Rev X wheels. Teh early ones apparently had no rivet at the rim/spoke connection and the later ones with the rivets.

I have heard that the pre-rivet ones tended to fail catastrophically but therivet ones are fine (or at least as good as most ohter wheels)

I have never owned a pair or even ridden on a pair. I know 2 people with pre-rivet wheels and both are still riding them after about 8-9 years of race only use.

I have heard of several failures but not actually seen those wheels.

I HAVE seen one actually fail in a race right in front of me. I don't actually know the poor bastard that was on it when it went west in a hurry however. It was at the 1997 ITU race in Auckland New Zealand. Some male pro was in a bunch (damned ITU drafting races) and at a corner, the wheel completely disintegrated at the spoke /hub connection. I think the single spoke failure lead to a nearly immediate failure of the other spokes as well. The poor guy had the wheel explode out from under him just as he entered a sharp right hand bend laeving the viaduct harbour in the central city. He went down hard and took out a few other riders as well. Blood and skin everywhere, about 50 feet from where I was spectating. The rim was rattling around, completely separated from the hub with the spokes flapping in the breeze, still attached to the rim, but not the hub. After a very quick inspection of the failed Spinergy RevX wheel, the bike became airborne, flung at great speed by the disgusted ex-rider. NOt a great ad for the wheel. I beleive it was a pre-rivet model as I didn't hear about the addition ofthe rivets until about a year later.

I may be wrong about the year of the race (may have been 98) and also about the timing of the addition of the rivets, but the wheel certainly failed big time, right in front of me. Good luck with yours.

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TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

Ditto with the other posters. Rev-X with rivets, new in 1998. 12,000 + miles no issues. I agree with need for frequent inspections.

Had mine with rivets since '98. Ridden them on some bad roads, have hit a few holes square on in races, and they're still good. My local shop said the same thing others have been saying in this thread; inspect the rivets before every ride and you'll be OK. While at the 2003 ITU Worlds in NZ, I looked around the bike racks and didn't see very many of these wheels left. Even though mine have been fast and able servants, the catastophic nature of the failures has me thinking of buying something else .. .. Two or three years from now I'll probably go with a new set of different wheels.

I have a set of the last model made...the 2001 Rev-X Super Stiff. The only problems so far is the hub needed to be packed twice. I have about 1,000-2,000 miles on them.

Dave from VA

Thanx all of you! This confirms what I was hopping, its’ funny when you ask for first hand stores you don’t get much.

Dan…

There are no rivets on mine. I think they were from 1996

Well, i've had two first hand accounts. I used to have a picture of one of the "accounts," from i think the gtech cycling website, as he was walking away from his fall, broken front revx in hand. Do a search and i'm sure you can dig up that photo on the forum.

That one occurred at collegiate nats in the road race two years ago, jra and the front wheel exploded. The metal rim was intact and surprisingly true, so i don't think he hit a pothole.

The other one occurred when a masters rider on my team did a 32 mph face plant in a corner when his front revx exploded. This occured at a crit in gainsville two years ago. He was the only one to fall down, and the race was on a grand pri motor race way, so there were no holes or bumps on the road that could be blamed.

One of the marketing guys from spinergy tried to argue with me that the wheel was in fact a good, safe design. Well, the inventors of the wheel will tell you differently. Last i heard, that employee is now an ex employee anyway, so he might break down and tell you differently as well.

To all the people who "inspect" the rivets before they ride; Do you have any idea what you are actually looking for?

I have had a set of Rev Xs since 89. I think they were the first year production moved to mexico. Anyway no problems. 95 percent of the time I just use them for racing. I have used and abused them when I packing the wheels in the trunk were the spokes can get slammed along the edges. No serious nicks or cracks. I take care to examine the wheels for any damage. I have them on my wind trainer bike right now. I switched last year and race on Zipps. The serial number on the revx is 19744, so I think the wheels were made in 97. Overall, I am pretty happy with the wheels. The problem with the wheels is that with Carbon fiber, there is no out of true condition. If they fail, they fail catastrophically. So, instead of selling them I may just destroy them and take them out of circulation.

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Las Vegas NV | IM KY 07