Flash-Point FP60 Wheel Set First Impressions – by Steve Cooper
- Shimano, SRAM or Campagnolo Compatibility
- Max. Brake Track Width Variation – .005″
- Recommended Max. Rider Weight – 225 lbs
- FP60 is also available in 650c for smaller riders
- MSRP – $1300
Speedway, Indiana. What a cool name for a town. Their most speedy attraction? The Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Their second speediest? Carbon bicycle wheels from Zipp Speed Weaponry. Flash-Point wheels are hand-built by Zipp, right there in small town Speedway; the FP60 clincher is a tasty slice of carbon wheel technology at a blue-plate special price. With the wheel set just arriving yesterday, they’ve only had to smile pretty for the camera. Give me time to roll around on them and I’ll report back with their long-term road manners.
First impression?
The FP60s are attractive. From the large, but subtle colored metallic decals on the toroidal carbon profile to the hubs’ muted silver ano finish, these are handsome wheels. The FP60 profile looks to be very practical, with a good balance of aerodynamic properties, road durability, and a reputation for a comfortable ride.
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Medium weight at 1860 grams? These things are boat anchors. I ran a set of these for about six months. Totally bombproof, but definitely slow to spin up. Please compare these to a lighter wheel and give us a review. Maybe try Neuvation C50 clinchers (1600 grams for $900).
The C50 is a fast, lightweight wheel at a great price – but at 205 pounds (closer to 210 after last week) I can’t get away with riding them.
Here’s what Neuvation says about the C50 on their website:
“Now for the bad news. Most people will tell you that if you’re 200 pounds you stand a good chance of cracking these wheels when you hit pot holes. They require special brake shoes which wear incredibly fast due to the hardness of the carbon. Brakes don’t work as well on them. They are a lot more fragile than alloy wheels. Even the pros don’t train on them. My average speed is about 16 mph and these wheels would be a waste of money for me. If I were going 25 mph in a race these wheels would buy me speed. It’s that simple.”
For reference, I did just wrap up an extended review of Storck 69er tubular wheels that can be found here:
http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/blog/storck-69er-carbon-tubular-wheelset-pro-review/
With the introduction of all these new “affordable carbon profile” wheels, now may be a good time to do some comparative tests between the Flashpoint FP60, Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL ’09, the SRAM S60. Just a thought.
Dario,
The SRAM S60 and Flash-Point FP60 are essentially the same wheel-set. Getting in a a few other comparably priced, medium depth carbon wheels to compare would be a great piece.
I like the pretty picture.
Judging from the look of the braking surface, is it a safe guess that special brake pads are required for the FP60 wheelset?
Flash-Point suggests using high temp carbon rated pads on the FP60s. I’ll be testing with both SwissStop yellows and the supplied Zipp Carbon pads.
Neuvation make a great range of wheels at prices we can all afford They are light (1540 grams).We all like new things and even better if they are carbon and at prices that will not break.
The faster you go, the more gsioycoprc inertia you develop in the wheels. This inertia is what keeps you upright. To illustrate, hold a upright wheel by its hub and spin it. The faster it spins, the harder it is to move the wheel from the upright position. Try it, it’s a cool physics experiment.Have a friend assist you to learn to ride a bike. It’s more fun that way. Good luck.
Flash Point…or should I say Crack Point. I am a Ironman triathlete and race in many races around the country. I am a light weight female, 115lbs! I have had nothing but problem with my wheels. The first crack I recieved in the carbon rear wheel was a cosmetic crack. My family is in the carbon fiber bussiness, and was able to repair it. Flashpoint/zipp reps basically told us to “stuff it”!! They were unwilling to help. Just recently I got another crack along the rim. A structural crack. I have no incident to pin point hitting a pot hole or dropping the bike?? Have no idea how this wheel can be such a horrible wheel. Not only a horrible wheel, but a horrible company unwilling to help their customers. I now have a basic set of aluminum wheels. Can’t tell any differance in my speed. DO NOT waste you hard earned money on Flash point…Crack Point!!!!
I`ve been riding FP60`s since 2008, the model with thin black spokes and black hubs. I love them, I weigh 86kgs and these wheels do it all. I used to get sucked in by the marketing about more expensive and exotic brands, but I always come back to my FP60`s. I`ve since changed all the spoke nipples to brass and wheel bearings to ceramic as the wheels have done close to 60,000kms and they are better than new.
These wheels have paid for themselves with the amount of wins. From crits to road and tours. I`ve posted a win in a Time Trial with an average speed of 52.5km/hr over 13km. I now use an FP80rear and FP60front with continental supersonic s for all but the mountainous races where my 60 replaces the 80. I believe flash points are the best value wheel set going.
What can I say about these wheels, I have cracked the hub once, broken a blade on 4 separate occassions and just cracked the carbon rim with no possibility of repair. I will never buy another set as the difference in performance has been very marginal compared to a simple pair of aluminium rims. To Zipps credit they replaced the hub as it was within the warranty period. I bought them from ‘RideOz’ in Brisbane and the salesperson failed to notify me of the weight rating for these wheels, 95kg I was informed by the Zipp rep. I’m a petite 99 – 102kg on the best of days so to be quite honest I was just waiting for things to go bad with these wheels once the hub cracked at the blade clasp. I would not recommend them to anyone given the alternative wheels out there.
seriously these wheels do not come with a weight rating only that if you are a fatty you should ride clydesdales they cover 110kg get the pies down you or are you really that powerfull!!!