Review on ICAN F685 26er Fat Bike Carbon Wheelset with 90mm Width for Optimal Snow Riding Experience by David Edwards

I am an experienced cyclist in various cycling disciplines. A few years ago my friends started riding fat bikes, but I wasn't ready to take the plunge. There are so many different types of bikes and terrain in MTB riding that you have to draw a line somewhere or you're going to a divorce court. However, with new snow slopes and more opportunities to ski in the winter, I decided to take the plunge. I still didn't want to spend a fortune, but I also wanted to ride a relatively light fat bike. So I started researching wheels and realized that there really aren't many options. Aluminum wheels are pretty heavy, 80-100mm, and domestic carbon was insanely expensive. Enter ICAN carbon wheels. In general, fat bikes are getting wider these days. People want 5 inch tires and rim widths over 80mm are becoming more desirable because they add even more width to already wide tires. The ICAN is 90mm wide, which is a pretty good compromise in terms of weight while still being extremely wide. Since the overall wheel weight is significantly lower than comparable aluminum wheelsets and costs about the same, I ordered a set. Shipping was a bit tricky as I was out of town, but I was pleasantly surprised by the good communication with the Salesperson. I exchanged a few emails and the response times have always been very good. I ordered a SRAM 11 speed freehub and thru axles to match my new 197mm frame and everything arrived as ordered. The rims have a wider rim next to the bead without the hook that will snap the tire into place when the compressor finally gets enough pressure. The center of the rim is narrower and if care is taken to keep the tire beads centered, the tires can only be raised by hand. Once they snapped into place the seal was pretty quick - I accidentally used the new Orangeseal system and it worked great. Installing the X01 cassette was easy enough and the wheels fit nicely in the frame. I was also positively surprised by the quality of the thru-axle skewers. They were actually lighter than the skewers that came with my frame. The ride on wheels was great and I had no complaints. I ran about 5psi in each tire and didn't lose an iota of air. I'm about 163 pounds and this pressure has worked well for me in the conditions here in Colorado. Engagement was good and the wheels stayed true and round throughout my season. I haven't ridden them in the mud but I'm sure they will do fine. When the tire is that soft it's hard to tell how stiff the wheelset is, but with a 26 inch wheel and a 90mm rim I'm pretty sure there isn't much flex going on. The hubs have sealed bearings so I know I can service them if they get a little rough, but currently they are smooth as silk. The only recommendation for all foreign wheel (and frame) manufacturers is to include detailed, easy-to-understand instructions. will speed up my understanding of the assembly. I would particularly like tire assembly instructions, as I have read again and again how difficult it is to mount tires on other people's rims. The instructions are still quite small things and in terms of communication, shipping and quality, I give them Fatbike wheels two thumbs up!