# Boyd Vitesse vs. Neuvation R28 SLW



## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

$550 Boyd

$399 Neuvation
(or $444 w/ warranty)

Alloy vs. Alloy
23mm vs. 23mm 


The Boyds are slightly lighter (1478 vs. 1500) and the Boyds are slightly deeper. But the Neuvations are less expensive, even with a better warranty. On a related note, Neuvation is 135 miles from my house -- I am heading in that direction this weekend and could save on shipping -- or if the wheel needs repair I could find an excuse to drive them to the shop. If I were to ship, the turnaround would take less time. 


These will be my all-around wheelset, replacing my Dura Ace 7850s. I'll do fast group rides and race on them. If you're answer is "neither" can you recommend a custom build? A23 rims + which spokes and which hubs? Budget is always a concern but I'll spend more for a significantly better product (and bling).


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## Zen Cyclery (Mar 10, 2009)

How much do you weigh? What kind of terrain are you usually riding?


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Around 160 and I'm the sprinting type. I'm in California so I ride on varied terrain. Smooth and flat to bomb blasted climbs on hard road races -- 20 of the 30 races I did last year were criteriums or circuit races. Some of the training routes around here are on agriculture roads, covered with unavoidable potholes. So durability is important. 

I also have a set of 50mm carbon tubulars I can use.


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## Zen Cyclery (Mar 10, 2009)

If your doing crits and circuits, I think the A23 may be a good choice. You could build those up with White Industries hubs and it would be a bit lighter than the Boyds or Neuvations. They would be a bit more expensive, but that is a quality hubset that you could count on to be durable. If you had to choose between the two though, I think the Neuvations would be the best bet.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Thanks for the feedback.I appreciate it.

Is there a significant difference in durability between the white and alchemy hubs? 

What would you charge for the siddhartha wheelset with the A23 rim? 20/20


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## Zen Cyclery (Mar 10, 2009)

Well, from what I have found, durability between the Alchemys and Whites is pretty comparable. I think that the bearings that come in the Whites may actually be more durable at least from a consistency standpoint. All though, both are solid hubsets. 
The Siddartha with A23s would be a bit above $900, which is why the Whites may be a great option if your looking to save a few bucks. 
The one thing about the Alchemys at this point is that they are in the middle of a design change. This means that they will be out of hubs until the New Year. They are apparently trimming some weight from the current ELF/ORC though.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Thanks again. 

Any other votes on Boyds vs. Neuvation?


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## morgan1819 (Nov 22, 2005)

Local Hero said:


> $550 Boyd
> 
> $399 Neuvation
> (or $444 w/ warranty)
> ...


Get both, and let us know which works better for you. Seriously.

I would be interested to hear how they compare ... I've always felt both company's offered the best bang-for-the-buck at their respective price categories.

It will be easy to sell the set you decide not to keep.


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## Bremerradkurier (May 25, 2012)

24/28 spoked A23 wheelset here for $485 plus shipping; with WI hubs, $710, with Chris King hubs $863.

November Bicycles: Race smart. - FSW 23 Alloy Clinchers


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## MMinSC (Nov 19, 2011)

Boyds...every time. Neuvation wheels suck...


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Thanks for the November link^^



MMinSC said:


> Boyds...every time. Neuvation wheels suck...


Why? I haven't heard this before.


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## MMinSC (Nov 19, 2011)

Local Hero said:


> Thanks for the November link^^
> 
> Why? I haven't heard this before.


I've had three sets in the past. All were poorly built. Uneven spoke tension...or a complete lack thereof in one case.

Broken spokes, broken hub flanges. 

None were at all stiff. 

You get what you pay for...


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## bikerjohn64 (Feb 9, 2012)

My riding pal just got a set of Boyds Vitesse. I don't have any experience with either but I thought I would share his experience in purchasing the Boyd's. 

He's a tall rider that weighs 215-ish. He had some questions about the build and emailed Boyd. The owner replied with all his answer within the hour!
Had some more questions regarding shipping; again a reply from the owner instantly. 

That service won my friends business. 

The wheels arrived and I must say that those wheels look very nice. No issues what so ever. Very even tension on the spokes, perfectly true, spins smooth and just a nice build altogether. 

The wide rim width is very nice and should make his ride smoother too. 

I installed his cassette, tires and qr and they look great on his bike! The freewheel ratchets nicely without too much drag and has a nice sound too. 

My friend did go with the extra spoke-count and also ordered extra spoke and nipples for his wheels. 

I would definitely consider them if I needed another set of wheels.


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## defboob (Aug 31, 2011)

I'm a happy R28SL customer here (the regular version, not the new wide ones they now recently came out with) - put over 1,200mi on the wheels this summer, not a single problem with them!


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## veloduffer (Aug 26, 2004)

I've been using the Boyd Vitesse all year and they've been solid, despite some gravel road riding. I'm not hard on equipment, but I am no lightweight at 178 lbs (5'11") and NJ roads are not the best.

I ride in hilly and rolling areas, and these wheels handle swooping and high speed (hit 50.1 mph this year) with aplomb.


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

I've got three sets of Neuvation wheels. Two on my bikes and one set on my wife's bike (we own 6 between us). I think they're a great deal. You can get a set of the R28's for $250 on sale right now. Hell, you can get two sets for the price of the Boyds. I'm big (~200 lbs) and ride them mostly commuting (I commute around 4000 miles a year). I've had them for several years. They look like Ksyriums, but cost 1/3 less. 

Neuvation wheels don't suck.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Thanks for the feedback. I've been in touch with November and another builder. So much to consider... 

Once you step outside the box of pre-fab factory wheels, you open Pandora's box of custom wheelbuilding.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

*Three sets!*



MMinSC said:


> I've had three sets in the past. All were poorly built. Uneven spoke tension...or a complete lack thereof in one case.
> 
> Broken spokes, broken hub flanges.
> 
> ...


Why did you keep going back?

What did Neuvation say? Did they make right? Did you try to warranty the wheels?


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## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

MMinSC said:


> Boyds...every time. Neuvation wheels suck...


Mostly everyone who has them loves them. Older versions of their wheels did have issues though, to be fair. 
I'm on my 3rd set. First set is on my Trek retro build, the second set I sold with my last bike, and I just got a newer set and am using them on my BMC. Budget for me has been very tight lately, so I went for the non-wide version, although I really wanted those!
Main reason I went back to the Neuvations on my ride was the better rolling bearings. Maybe I should have just ordered ABEC 5's and put them on my DT Swiss and saved a few dollars.


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## seppo17 (Dec 7, 2008)

I'ld agree that with the neuvations that you get what you pay for. 

I weigh a little more than you ~170, but I could not get much longevity out of the neuvations. I went through like 3 sets of rims in a couple years. After about 5-6 months the rims would either start cracking at the spoke holes, or NDS nipples would start breaking then the cracking. 

That was my experience. And that was a different rim than what you are talking about.

I bought a set of november bikes tubulars for cross this year. Can't say anything bad about them. But only have 2 races and 1 practice on them.


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## Cannondaleman (Nov 1, 2009)

For no particular reason,I would get the Boyds. I really like the etching of the logo. I would like a little taller profile on 23mm wide rims.........something like 30 or 31mm.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Cannondaleman said:


> For no particular reason,I would get the Boyds. I really like the etching of the logo. I would like a little taller profile on 23mm wide rims.........something like 30 or 31mm.


Speaking of the profile, the Neuvations don't look all that aero, especially where the brake track meets the bulge. 











I have no idea if the Boyd profile is the same, but I do know it is a little taller. 


I am leaning towards a custom set on A23s. And they are not especially aero either: 











I know the OCs cannot be all that aero, they are more akin to an air foil:


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## Sloburu (Mar 23, 2011)

i have a set of 7850 and the Boyds. I much favor the 7850's and would get the newest ones even if I have to pay more for a new set of wheels. I weight the same and ride the hell out of my wheels on fast group rides.


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## NWS Alpine (Mar 16, 2012)

Boyds no question. Better build quality on a better rim. The rim Boyd uses is the Kinlin XC-279. Nice rounded aero profile (for the shallow depth) and builds into a great wheel.


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## cycleguyRB (Sep 15, 2012)

I've had good luck with Neuvation. I have the standard SLR rims, the 19mm wide. They seem to roll forever. I'm thinking about trying the new 23mm wides. Slightly lighter at 1470 vs 1520.


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

Been using trad 19mm Neuvations on my rain/winter bike for a couple of years. I get fat and the roads get really bad in the winter and they're still going strong. I have HED Ardennes and like the effect and advantages of the wide rims so would definitely consider the 23mm Neuvations.


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

I have had issue with earlier Neuvation wheels. One set was the M28 Aeros and a set of M28 Aero 2s. Both had failures within the first year. John Neugent replaced them quickly both times. My third set is the Aero 3- which were replaced in 2008. These wheels have been bombproof. I race on them, climb and everything else and they have been exceptional. Funny part is that I was at 242 lbs when I got them. I am now 188 lbs and these wheels show no signs of expiring anytime soon. I took them in to get the tension checked two months ago and the mechanics at the shop thought that I had recently tensioned my wheels. Itold them that they hadn't been inspected in over a year. They were amazed. They also thought that the bearings had been replaced. When I told them that these were the original, untouched bearings since 2008, they were shocked. I swear by these wheels now. I was about to sell them when Neuvation sent them to me but their customer service kept me. Wish Mavic had been so efficient when my $900 Ksyrium SLs had issues. Will I buy Neuvation again? Yes, I will and I recommend them to anyone looking for a solid, inexpensive wheel. The R28SLs seem to be pretty good too. Definitely worth considering.


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## verycreativeusername (Jan 26, 2012)

can anyone with the neuvation R28SLW wheelset confrim the weight? I highly doubt that those rims weigh 440g...


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## Rhymenocerus (Jul 17, 2010)

MMinSC said:


> Boyds...every time. Neuvation wheels suck...


150lbs rider here who rides on some good and some bad roads. Neuvations have gone 4k miles with 2 broken spokes and 1 true-ing. Id call any 150 dollar wheelset that can do that a good one.


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

I don't know. I weighed my M28 Aero 3s and they weigh within 10 grams of Neuvation's claimed weight...Pretty close if you ask for me.


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

oops.


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## nightfend (Mar 15, 2009)

seppo17 said:


> I weigh a little more than you ~170, but I could not get much longevity out of the neuvations. I went through like 3 sets of rims in a couple years. After about 5-6 months the rims would either start cracking at the spoke holes, or NDS nipples would start breaking then the cracking.


Exact same experience. Ordered two sets of Neuvation wheels a few years back. R28SL 3's and R28 Aero 3's. I used them as my main training wheels that season and put about 4000 miles on each set. The rear rims went out of true and cracks were evident around the nipples on the rim. The front wheels are still in decent shape.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

I'm a little bummed out that Neuvations are not getting better reviews. I was hoping that they would be a better quality build, especially given their proximity to my home.


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## Kuma601 (Jan 22, 2004)

Road conditions and rider will be part of this mix. I have some M28SL's with about 3K miles that have been fine for me. I'm pleased but these are a YMMV. If they are in your backyard, this makes it easy for any warranty or adjustments you may need. That can be a plus.


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

Local Hero said:


> I'm a little bummed out that Neuvations are not getting better reviews. I was hoping that they would be a better quality build, especially given their proximity to my home.


No need to be bummed. If you read the reviews they actually have one of the highest rankings on RBR. That says a lot considering the number of reviews on them.


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## Dfrensdorff (Oct 1, 2012)

Make sure your LBS has spokes for a fix if need be. Otherwise you may be stranded or worse, sending in a wheel for a fix.


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## Tunnelrat81 (Mar 18, 2007)

I haven't owned them, but many of my friends have. The experiences I've seen with them have been really hit and miss. For some folks (typically smaller guys/girls) the wheels can be fairly reliable. For others, they seem to constantly go out of true and/or break spokes. 

There was a time when it was my plan to go straight to Neuvation when I needed wheels, but by the time I started shopping, I'd seen so many failures that I just couldn't justify it. One of the biggest issues that I had with them was that they didn't offer a single rear wheel with more than 24 spokes. To me, that just seems silly. Especially when they seemed to be regularly shipping out replacement or rebuilt wheels to folks that I was riding with. I haven't peeked in on their site in a while, so maybe they're offering additional spoke counts, but there's only so much 24 spokes can do on a light weight aluminum rear wheel ridden by someone who's big and/or strong. 

And for the comments above about "only truing wheels once or twice in X number of miles," I can only say that I think standards have changed over the past 5-10 years. I don't EVER want to true my wheels unless I actually crash/damage them...but never from just riding. And a well built wheel with an appropriate spoke count should be able to deliver that kind of reliability. It's my opinion that too many wheels are built to hit a weight target at the sacrifice of longevity, and although that approach my work well for some, it's never sat very well in my mind.

I would recommend going handbuilt from a reputable builder if possible. Order exactly what you want, and play around with hubsets and rims until you find the pricepoint that fits. I'm riding HED C2 rims right now that have been perfectly reliable and have taken lots of beating (fire roads and poor condition rock/dirt trails, countless bunny-hops and other abuse) and haven't needed a single moment of my attention since being built. I weigh 145 ish and went with 24f/28r, so I gave myself an edge toward reliability from the beginning at the cost of weight etc.. But I've never looked back and couldn't be happier.

-Jeremy


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## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

I think Boyds hands down too, they are outstanding in customer support, have great prices for nice stuff and are here in the US. I have 2 sets of the carbon 38mm wheels and love them. Never once had any issues and have pounded tons of miles on them. All you have to do is email them a few times or call and you will be hooked at the great personal attention they will give you. Good luck on your decision.


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## andresmuro (Dec 11, 2007)

Local Hero said:


> $550 Boyd
> 
> $399 Neuvation
> (or $444 w/ warranty)
> ...



I have neuvations, rx 28. I weight about 200 pounds, and they've been practically indestructible. I'd say go with the mx28. 200grams more, but they will be indestructible. But, regardless, go with the neuvation. excellent guarantee and service.


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

Tunnelrat81 said:


> I haven't owned them, but many of my friends have. The experiences I've seen with them have been really hit and miss. For some folks (typically smaller guys/girls) the wheels can be fairly reliable. For others, they seem to constantly go out of true and/or break spokes.
> 
> There was a time when it was my plan to go straight to Neuvation when I needed wheels, but by the time I started shopping, I'd seen so many failures that I just couldn't justify it. One of the biggest issues that I had with them was that they didn't offer a single rear wheel with more than 24 spokes. To me, that just seems silly. Especially when they seemed to be regularly shipping out replacement or rebuilt wheels to folks that I was riding with. I haven't peeked in on their site in a while, so maybe they're offering additional spoke counts, but there's only so much 24 spokes can do on a light weight aluminum rear wheel ridden by someone who's big and/or strong.
> 
> ...


I couldn't agree with you more on all of your points, but Neuvation has stepped up the ante in the past five years. Also, the fact that they use j bend spokes sweetens the deal even more. If I had limited budget and wanted a nice set of wheels that delivered, I would go with Neuvation again. My M28 Aero 3s have a robust hub compared the previous models that iterations. I thought these were the Forte Titans until you put them side by side. Different hubs and different spokes (not sure about the rim though). Still, Neuvation is a great company to work with. Thankfully, I haven't had to in the past 4 years. These wheels just keep going.


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