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Anyone had any experience of the latest CB Cobalts ?
All the Bad Press seems to be about the "old" rear free hub / pawl design.. that's now changed / been beefed up.
Anyone got any DIRECT EXPERIENCE of riding on them ?
How would you rate them out of 10 ?
No one has ever ridden on there then ? 😕
Doesn't that tell you what you need to know!?
I know of people who have had good experience, but as with all factory wheels they're more expensive, heavier and less reliable than you could build. If bling is top of your list they're excellent!
I was told that some-one on here sold a set of £800 CB wheels for £100 on the classified after so many problem he's given up on them, and was embarrassed to even charge the £100.. Didn't see the thread myself and can't find it either.. BUT it hold true with my experience of my CB products 
I have been using them for just over two years. So far I have been very pleased with them. The wheels have stayed very true, tyres have fitted and inflated easily. Thanks to the guys at 2pure I now have the newer style rear hub and the sealing is much better than in the previous version. To give you an idea last October I did 5 laps on them in the wet at Dusk til Dawn, I then switched to a bike with a Hope Pro2 SS rear hub and did another 5 laps. When I stripped both bikes down after the race the CB rear freehub was very clean inside, unlike the Pro2 which was full of water. Admittedly Pro2 hubs aren't known for great sealing but I would say the new CB ones are much better. Only downside is the new freehub seems slightly quieter than the old one. Bearings are easy to change too.
Spares don't seem to much of a problem, I needed a new valve last week and 2pure where very quick at sending out a replacement. In comparision I have found Mavic very slow for getting replacements for factory wheels.
I would say slightly expensive at full price, but at some of the reduced prices I have seen they are good value.
Go for Hope 2 on Stans rims or a set of Mavic.
I have the Mavic Cross trails and they are great wheels, not the lightest but not exactly a heavyweight but very strong and great bearings. The Crossmax ST are a step up again and offer everything you need.
You can pick them up for about £300 second hand.
I looked at the Hopes which were slightly lighter than the Mavics but i think the Mavics are much stronger.
To put the original CB wheels in perspective, my garage was broken into last year. They went through the hassle of sawing through the frame of my bike to steal it for parts, yet left behind the (bright orange) Iodine wheelset which were hanging up in plain sight.
lol .
i love mine ive thrown everything at them in nearly 3 years .
they are like the ferrari of the bike world & what i mean by that is everyone thinks your a cock for owning them.
they cost a lot of money & are worth sod all second hand & as soon as the warranty expires something will go bang.
i really dont care about any of that as i love them ,i love how much stronger they are than any wheel in this weight class i love the fact i can service the hub in 30 seconds flat & change the bearings in 5 minutes which i only had to do last month after 2 & 1/2 years .
ive still got the original freehub & the sealing is very good nothing ever gets in & i lube the pawls on mine with some light oil & thats stays clean for ages.
my bike reflects who i am really -loud a little eccentric & prone to the odd breakdown 😆
It was my ad and they were iodines.
[url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/fs-crank-bros-iodine-wheelsplease-release-me-let-me-go ]Wheels[/url]
Seriously, I wouldn't touch anything CB ever again. Utter toss, seriously save yourself the money and buy something (anything) else.
I've got a set. Perfectly happy with them.
Obviously being crank brothers they will explode killing your family the first chance they get, they'll start a fight with the hard case down the pub and will cause another recession because of their laissez-faire attitude to financial regulation.
Either that or they're just wheels and good ones at that (in my opinion).
i love how much stronger they are than any wheel in this weight class
Are they? They're narrower than a Crest rim, and for £700 you could build DT240s on Flows which would be lighter, spoke choice depending.
Mine were the opposite of strong, and they're meant to be the All-mountain rim. They were VERY light though...
Hi Flange.
I'm the guy that bought your wheels! I must admit i was shopping around for £100 2nd hand wheels to stick on commuter and they def. look good on there, but excessive maybe. I did manage to knacker a Hope ProII hub at the weekend and stuck the CB wheels on and went to FOD yesterday, they ride well, until you really stick them hard into a corner and there is some flew there for supposed all-mountain wheels.
Once Freehub is repaired, they'll be going back on the commuter bike
Hello chap,
Glad you're getting some use out of them. They do look nice, and they're light
Mixed reviews as ever... But I'm with Jason on this one... And my bike will be adorned with a set tomorrow !
Cast your mind back a few years to "spinergy rev-x roks" wheels... If you believed the internet they would explode, shatter, chop your mates hand off etc... However after owning and riding a set on my commuter for the past 4 years I can say that they are pretty strong! And mine are still perfect, even in minus 4 on the way to work today.
Interesting reviews tho guys, cheers.