New wheels opinions.
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 125
Likes: 9
From: USA
Not to hijack, but just to share what little I know: I'm interested in getting some 16" or 18" chrome/polished fat spokes for my Deluxe. I'm looking at the more budget-friendly offerings from Jireh, KC International, and Mototeks, etc. The "Big Two" are Ride Wright and DNA, but they're quite expensive.
I reached out to HogPro who is a forum sponsor and has a great reputation here (he sells Sinister brand). I have no doubt his quality and service is superior to what I'll get from some eBay-only type company, but his prices for the Sinisters were like double (or even more than double) of the budget stuff I listed above. Is his stuff better? I'm sure. Is it twice better? I doubt it.
Sohopefully someone will be able to chime in for you on good budget options from Ultima and the like.
I reached out to HogPro who is a forum sponsor and has a great reputation here (he sells Sinister brand). I have no doubt his quality and service is superior to what I'll get from some eBay-only type company, but his prices for the Sinisters were like double (or even more than double) of the budget stuff I listed above. Is his stuff better? I'm sure. Is it twice better? I doubt it.
Sohopefully someone will be able to chime in for you on good budget options from Ultima and the like.
Advanced
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 95
Likes: 7
From: Massachusetts
Looks like the Sinisters are forged. I looked into forged wheels for my S4 last year and they were way more than double the cast wheels I ended up purchasing. A lot bigger wheel for sure. The price for forged was more like 4x the cast wheels.
Are the budget brands cast?
Are the budget brands cast?
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 125
Likes: 9
From: USA
Nah, the forged ones from Sinister are called their "Billet Daddies." Those are like one piece wheels and are way different than their regular fat spoke wheels with the spokes and nipples which are exactly the same as every other fat spoke wheels on the market. The ones HogPro priced for me were the regular fat spoke type; no reason for those to cost double. Even on tires he quoted me 500 for a pair of Dunlop WWW, then I looked in J&P catalog and they have them for 160 a piece. Apparently he's just really expensive on everything.
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 432
Likes: 43
From: Portland, Oregon
Nah, the forged ones from Sinister are called their "Billet Daddies." Those are like one piece wheels and are way different than their regular fat spoke wheels with the spokes and nipples which are exactly the same as every other fat spoke wheels on the market. The ones HogPro priced for me were the regular fat spoke type; no reason for those to cost double. Even on tires he quoted me 500 for a pair of Dunlop WWW, then I looked in J&P catalog and they have them for 160 a piece. Apparently he's just really expensive on everything.
They are lighter than a true spoke though, being that they are all aluminum without all the spoke hardware. I was able to get good money for my factory rims and tires, so that helped a bit. Good luck on whatever you come up with, lots of great cheaper options...
Tourer
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 320
Likes: 48
From: Switzerland
I think the answer to this is pretty simple: Sinister & Ridewright wheels are made in the USA, from ground up. The others are made in China, I believe DNA at least assembles them in the US. That explains the price differences.
I am pretty sure the domestic goods have better quality, however I struggle to put it in categories such as "twice as good". Most importantly though, the domestic goods usually have less variation in quality. Possibly a large share of the imported wheels are decent quality, but there are usually some that just really suck and make you wish you never bought them.
At the end, a personal decision to take...
Best, niv
I am pretty sure the domestic goods have better quality, however I struggle to put it in categories such as "twice as good". Most importantly though, the domestic goods usually have less variation in quality. Possibly a large share of the imported wheels are decent quality, but there are usually some that just really suck and make you wish you never bought them.
At the end, a personal decision to take...
Best, niv
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