American Classic Sprint 350 wheelset Review

Reviewer: Cycling Weekly

1-Dec-2009 | 0 Reviews

Rating:

£439.99 (at time of review)

Pros

Low weight
Resilient
Good price

Cons

Rear hub engagement a bit slow

See verdict and spec

Light weight, traditional-looking wheelset

First impressions count, and on my first ride of the Sprint 350s, a criterium, I managed to finish in the elite group, having been unceremoniously dropped on my previous three attempts. Now that's how a product makes a good impression!

With 28 radial spokes in the front and 32 crossed three times in the rear, the sprint 350s are remarkably traditional for a wheelset that weighs in at just over 1,400g. The low weight is due to the 350g rim and incredibly light hubs.

The rear hub is interesting for its patented six-pawl design. In practice, the rear hub doesn't engage perfectly all of the time: occasionally (but noticeably more often than with a standard freehub) if you are spinning but not applying pressure to the pedals, the freehub won't engage immediately when you do add pressure on the pedals, which is a little disconcerting.

Verdict

All in all, the Sprint 350s have proved resilient, responsive and have coped very well with the rigours of amateur road racing. They're as light as most carbon wheels, but cheaper, and with the reassuring braking response of an aluminium rim - a factor not to be overlooked in this damp climate.