I took in a Cosmic Pro Carbon SL UST from a customer.
Starting with the front wheel.
It was slightly off-center, so
I fixed it.
Next, the rear wheel.
The fact that it shipped this way means it passed the manufacturer's quality control, but I'm not sure if they didn't even use a centering gauge, or if they used one and decided "okay, it's within spec so it's good!" This wheel has a wide rim, so if it had direct-mount brakes, this much misalignment would make it difficult to get equal clearance between the rim and brake shoe on both sides.
Fixed it.
Since this is a brand new wheel, the left dropout has no damage or scratches.
Next, another one of the same wheel.
Based on the number of inspections we do, this wheel seems to be selling incredibly well lately.
Come to think of it, that brand with the unmentionable name that was supposedly selling like hotcakes thanks to Nom Lab, I hardly see them anymore.
There are quite a few that we haven't posted articles about (mostly because I didn't even take photos), so we've been doing a significant number of inspections recently.
The front wheel had no centering issues, just the slightest bit of runout.
Next, the rear wheel.
It had the same kind of misalignment we usually see, so
I fixed it.
Even if the manufacturer is being careless, it doesn't matter as long as we get it right in the end. I've often had customers bring in items to us that they were told were "inspected" at other shops when purchased, only for them to have the same kind of centering issues as a wheel hanging unwrapped in the shop. Like I always say, if a shop's inspection and service is at that level, what's the point in paying top dollar to buy at a physical store?
By the way, until just recently I thought the Cosmic Pro Carbon SL UST and the Cosmic Pro Carbon SL (WO) were being sold side by side. That's not the case. It seems they discontinued the non-UST version to focus on the UST. Now I understand why. That Cosmic Pro Carbon SL that came with the shop-original complete bike we did before (here) was probably assembled to clear out defective inventory—and it had cosmetic damage and worn tires to boot. Combined with the obvious used parts on other components, I've gotten multiple comments saying "isn't this fraud?" and "you should name the shop," but the customer's wishes were the primary reason, and there are other reasons why I can't expose them. I'd like to go to war over this. Besides, when you get into the details, there were some really ugly things happening that made the wheelset and crankset being non-new seem trivial by comparison. I gave the customer some guidance on that front and we managed to get it sorted out.
Starting with the front wheel.
It was slightly off-center, so
I fixed it.
Next, the rear wheel.
The fact that it shipped this way means it passed the manufacturer's quality control, but I'm not sure if they didn't even use a centering gauge, or if they used one and decided "okay, it's within spec so it's good!" This wheel has a wide rim, so if it had direct-mount brakes, this much misalignment would make it difficult to get equal clearance between the rim and brake shoe on both sides.
Fixed it.
Since this is a brand new wheel, the left dropout has no damage or scratches.
Next, another one of the same wheel.
Based on the number of inspections we do, this wheel seems to be selling incredibly well lately.
There are quite a few that we haven't posted articles about (mostly because I didn't even take photos), so we've been doing a significant number of inspections recently.
The front wheel had no centering issues, just the slightest bit of runout.
Next, the rear wheel.
It had the same kind of misalignment we usually see, so
I fixed it.
Even if the manufacturer is being careless, it doesn't matter as long as we get it right in the end. I've often had customers bring in items to us that they were told were "inspected" at other shops when purchased, only for them to have the same kind of centering issues as a wheel hanging unwrapped in the shop. Like I always say, if a shop's inspection and service is at that level, what's the point in paying top dollar to buy at a physical store?
By the way, until just recently I thought the Cosmic Pro Carbon SL UST and the Cosmic Pro Carbon SL (WO) were being sold side by side. That's not the case. It seems they discontinued the non-UST version to focus on the UST. Now I understand why. That Cosmic Pro Carbon SL that came with the shop-original complete bike we did before (here) was probably assembled to clear out defective inventory—and it had cosmetic damage and worn tires to boot. Combined with the obvious used parts on other components, I've gotten multiple comments saying "isn't this fraud?" and "you should name the shop," but the customer's wishes were the primary reason, and there are other reasons why I can't expose them. I'd like to go to war over this. Besides, when you get into the details, there were some really ugly things happening that made the wheelset and crankset being non-new seem trivial by comparison. I gave the customer some guidance on that front and we managed to get it sorted out.