Cyclists Hub is supported by its readers. We may receive a commission if you buy products using our links.
All content on Cyclists Hub is written by humans, not robots. Learn More
Nepest NOVA I conducted in-house QC tests and compared them to some of the most popular Chinese road bike wheels to find out.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Nepest NOVA wheels pleasantly surprised me with extras like the wheel bag, spare spokes, and 3-year warranty. They scored high in my in-house tests and didn’t let me down on the road. They are stable in crosswinds, stiff, and pretty comfortable considering they have carbon spokes. Continue reading for more info, or buy them here.
Use this Nepest discount code CYCLISTSHUB at nepestsports.com during checkout to get 8% OFF your purchase. Share this code via email.
My NOVA wheels scoring at a glance:
Crosswind Stability 5/5 | Stiffness 5/5 | Riding Comfort 4/5 | Speed Maintenance 4/5 | Tire On 3/5 | Trueness 4/5 | Spoke Tension 5/5 | Dishing 5/5 | Price 3/5 | OVERALL 4.2/5
More about this road wheels scoring.
Nepest NOVA: Main Features and Specs
Here are the main features and specifications of the Nepest NOVA 45/55 wheels, marked ‘X’ on the Nepest website.
Main Features
- Lightweight, stiff, responsive
- Well built and assembled
- Stable in crosswinds
- Patented hub flange design to improve safety
- Tubeless rim tape is included but not installed
- Tubeless valves are included
- A wheel bag included
- Available in multiple designs and rim depths
- 4 spare spokes included
- 3-year warranty
Technical Specification
- Type: Clincher (tubeless-ready), hooked
- Weight (without tubeless rim tape):
- Front Wheel: 567g
- Rear Wheel: 691g
- Measured weight: 1258g
- Claimed weight: 1265g (±5%)
- Measured rim width:
- Internal: 23.4mm
- External: 29.6mm
- Rim depth: 45mm (front), 50mm (rear)
- Spokes: 3.2mm wide Vonoa carbon spokes with hidden nipples
- Hubs: 36T ratchet, Cema ceramic bearings
- Enclosed flanges: Partially*
- Rider’s weight limit: 275lbs (125kg)
*Nepest NOVA wheels use patented flanges that prevent spokes from sliding off the hub in case of a spoke failure.
Use this Nepest discount code CYCLISTSHUB at nepestsports.com during checkout to get 8% OFF your purchase. Share this code via email.
First Impressions and Unboxing
The NOVA wheels were delivered in a bright green box. But what surprised me the most was the wheel bag they were packed in. Having such a quality wheel bag in the box is not standard among Chinese wheels, so I appreciate it, and I am sure I will put it to good use. In addition to the wheels and wheel bag, the box also contained an instruction manual, a tool for hidden nipples, 4 spare spokes, tubeless valves, and rim tape.
Unfortunately, the rim tape was not installed. I strongly believe that mid-range to premium tubeless wheels should have the tape installed. Nepest could go the extra mile and apply the tape to make it more convenient for us, customers. Additionally, most competitors already have the tape installed. By the way, the rim bead has a nice structure (see the photo below) and the spoke holes are off-center, alternating left and right, for better spoke alignment.
In-House Tests
As always with road bike carbon wheels, I concluded the following tests before I started using the wheels:
These tests provide a better understanding of the wheel’s assembly quality. So, did the NOVA wheels pass them?
Lateral and Radial Trueness
The lateral and radial trueness was almost perfect. Only the front wheel had a deviation of less than ~0.3mm in one place. Still, this was one of the best results I’ve ever measured.
Spoke Tension
The spoke tension was also great, showing a high level of consistency. No spoke was off by more than 5% of the average. Similar to the DRIVE II and HYPER 5 wheels, this was one of the best results I recorded.
Rim Centering (Dishing)
The hub was not perfectly centered, but it was good enough to score highly. There was a slight gap between the end cap and the dishing tool pin. See the following photos.
A Look Inside
I also took a few photos from inside the rim. I encountered a few places with epoxy remnants. Below, you can see details of the spoke nipple and the outer wall of the rim.
The Difficulty of Putting the Tire On and Off
Nepest NOVA wheels are hooked. I always use Tufo Comtura 4 TR 28 mm tires to get consistent results when mounting and seating them. It was pretty challenging to get the tires on, and I needed tire levers. So, I hoped that seating them with a floor pump would be easy. But it was not, at least not with the front wheel. But somehow, I managed to seat the tire on my second try after I succeeded with the rear wheel that popped on rims after a few presses of the pump.
Use this Nepest discount code CYCLISTSHUB at nepestsports.com during checkout to get 8% OFF your purchase. Share this code via email.
Riding Experience
Considering the specifications, I expected similar riding characteristics to those of wheels like the Lún HYPER 5, Elitewheels DRIVE II, and similar. And I was right. The differences between them are so marginal that I probably wouldn’t be able to tell them apart in a blind test. So, how do they feel to ride?
The riding comfort is pretty good. This could be attributed to NOVA wheels having narrower flanges and hidden nipples, which make the carbon spokes longer and slightly more compliant. In theory, this should marginally improve riding comfort.
The wheels also feel fast, and I like the mullet setup, a combination of 45mm deep wheels for added stability in the front and 55mm in the rear. While there are various opinions on whether reverse mullet is faster, for me, at least visually, this option is better.
Unlike the Lún HYPER 5, NOVA use steel, 32T ratchets. Their hub sound is pretty quiet, but pleasant. I have not experienced any issues with it yet, and I’ve tried it at low cadence and high-power effort.
You might have noticed that the flanges are open. Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about the safety of open-flange designs because there is a risk that a few spokes can detach during a crash, potentially leading to all spokes detaching from the hub. Nepest uses Vonoa spokes with titanium T-heads with patented hub flange technology that keeps them in place. The hub flange opening is a bit narrower, preventing spoke slippage.
Below, you can see a few more images of the Nepest hub flanges.
My 28mm Tufo Comtura 4 TR tires inflate to around 30-31mm, depending on the rim width. The internal width of the NOVA wheels is 23.4mm, so the tires inflate to 31.3mm. The tire-rim transition is quite smooth. I feel a bit more confident when cornering due to the larger contact surface.
I find the crosswind stability of the NOVA wheels to be great. Notice they have slimmer spokes (3.2mm) than the DRIVE II (4.5mm) and HYPER 5 (5mm) wheels. This likely results in slightly worse numbers in a wind tunnel, but we are talking marginal differences here.
Use this Nepest discount code CYCLISTSHUB at nepestsports.com during checkout to get 8% OFF your purchase. Share this code via email.
Nepest NOVA Alternatives
There are several alternatives to the Nepest NOVA. I want to highlight the Farsports S, Lún HYPER 5, and Elitewheels DRIVE II. The table below displays all the wheels I tested, along with their ratings.
| Reviewed Wheelset | Average Score | Crosswind Stability | Stiffness & Responsivity | Riding Comfort | Speed maintenance | Tire On¹ | Lateral and Radial Trueness | Spoke Tension | Rim Centering | Price | Rim depth | Weight (F | R | Pair) | Rim Width (I | E) | Note | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nepest NOVA | 4.1 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 45/55mm | 567g, 691g, 1258g | 23.4mm 29.6mm | Stiff, stable, and responsive, but might be too stiff for rough roads. | Check Price Use code CYCLISTSHUB to get 8% OFF |
| Elitewheels DRIVE II | 4.2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 50mm | 602g, 720g, 1322g | 23.2mm 30.7mm | Stiff, stable, and responsive, but might be too stiff for rough roads. | Check Price Use code CYCLISTSHUB to get 15% OFF |
| YOELEO NxT SL2 C60 | 4.2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 60mm | 623g, 736g, 1359g | 23.3mm 31.1mm | Great balance between speed, riding comfort, and stability. | Check Price Use code CYCLISTSHUB to get 10% OFF |
| Farsports C5 | 4.2 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 50mm | 602g, 726g, 1328g | 24.2mm 30.4mm | Great balance between stiffness, riding comfort, and stability. | Check Price Use code CYCLISTSHUB to get 30 USD OFF |
| Up-Vine Pro+ | 4.2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 50mm | 661g, 768g, 1429g | 23.5mm 29.1mm | Great balance between stiffness, riding comfort, and stability. | Check Price |
| Lún HYPER 3 | 4.1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 46/54mm | 598g, 766g, 1364g | 23.2mm 28.6mm | Better crosswind stability and comfort than HYPER 2023, but much higher price and no butterfly-weave finish. | Check Price Use code CYCLISTSHUB10 to get 10% OFF |
| Elitewheels ENT | 3.8 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 50mm | 828g, 950g, 1778g | 20.0mm 28.4mm | Heavy and soft but comfortable and good on flats and steady efforts. | Check Price |
| Elitewheels EDGE | 3.8 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 50mm | 633g, 720g, 1353g | 21.2mm 28.9mm | Comfortable, lightweight but relatively soft compared to carbon-spoked wheels. | Check Price |
| Lún MEGA | 4.1 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 46/54mm | 616g, 782g, 1398g | 20.8mm 28.1mm | The stiffest wheels I tested. Ideal for smooth roads or racing, but they are not comfortable. | Check Price Use code CYCLISTSHUB10 to get 10% OFF |
| Lún HYPER SE 2023 | 4.3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 46/54mm | 654g, 803g, 1457g | 21.3mm 27.9mm | Better than HYPER 2020 in all aspects. I believe they provide better value for money than HYPER 23. | Check Price Use code CYCLISTSHUB10 to get 10% OFF |
| Superteam All-Carbon Ultra 2023 | 4.6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 50mm | 633g, 769g, 1402g | 21.3mm 28.7mm | Not overly stiff, but responsive. Stable in crosswinds and ideal for most terrains, questionable reliability. | Check Price Use code CYCLISTSHUB to get 5% OFF |
| Farsports Wave | 4.2 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 45/50mm | 736g, 880g, 1616g | 21.0mm 28.7mm | Affordable, easy-to-service, unique-looking wheels suitable for flats and steady efforts. | Check Price Use code CYCLISTSHUB50 to get 50 USD OFF |
| Trifox WT11 | 3.8 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 50mm | 769g, 874g, 1643g | 18.4mm 25.1mm | Affordable and comfortable, but not well assembled. | Check Price Use code CYCLISTSHUB to get 8 % OFF |
| YOELEO C50|50 SAT DB PRO 2022 | 4.1 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 50mm | 705g, 830g, 1535g | 18.5mm 25.5mm | Affordable and easy-to-service wheels suitable for flats and steady efforts but with too loud hubs. | Check Price |
| Farsports Ventoux S | 4.0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 45mm | 637g, 755g, 1392g | 19.2mm 25.5mm | Stiff, responsive, and premium wheels suitable for most terrains. | Check Price Use code CYCLISTSHUB to get 30 USD OFF |
| Elitewheels DRIVE 45mm Disc | 4.0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 45mm | 562g, 718g, 1280g | 21.4mm 28.8mm | Stiff, responsive, and lightweight wheels suitable for hilly and mountainous terrain. Not too fast on flats. | Check Price Use code CYCLISTSHUB to get 15% OFF |
| Lún HYPER 50mm | 4.0 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 50mm | 650g, 779g, 1429g | 19mm 26mm | Stiff, responsive, and lightweight wheels suitable for hilly and mountainous terrain. Not too stable in crosswinds. | Check Price Use code CYCLISTSHUB10 to get 10% OFF |
| YOELEO C50|50 SAT DB PRO | 4.3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 50mm | 705g, 830g, 1535g | 18.5mm 25.5mm | Affordable and easy-to-service wheels suitable for flats and steady efforts. | Check Price |
The scale for each feature is 1-5 points, where 5 is the best. The rating can be retrospectively adjusted based on the comparison with other wheelsets (more about this scoring).
SCROLL HORIZONTALLY FOR MORE INFO.
¹How difficult it is to put a Tufo Comtura 4 TR 28mm tubeless tire on and properly seat it.
If you prefer comfort over stiffness, I recommend choosing steel-spoked wheels, such as the YOELEO NxT SL2 or Farsports C series. They offer similar specs, but are slightly more comfortable.
My Verdict
Nepest NOVA offer a great balance between stiffness, ride comfort, stability, and speed maintenance. They feel basically the same as other popular Chinese carbon wheels, such as Lún HYPER 5 or Elitewheels DRIVE II, but add a few extra features, such as a patented open hub flange design for increased safety, hidden nipples, or a wheel bag, multiple spare spokes, and a spoke adjustment tool in the packing.
The price is comparable to that of other higher-end carbon-spoke wheelsets, so the choice ultimately comes down to your design and brand preferences.
I hope you find this review helpful. If you decide to buy them, please consider using the discount code below. It’s the best way to save on wheels and support me. Thank you very much in advance!
Use this Nepest discount code CYCLISTSHUB at nepestsports.com during checkout to get 8% OFF your purchase. Share this code via email.
Nepest NOVA FAQ
Browse More Chinese Carbon Wheels Reviews
Elitewheels DRIVE II D50 Review
Elitewheels DRIVE 45mm Review
Elitewheels EDGE 50mm Review
Elitewheels ENT 50mm Review
Farsports Ventoux-S 45mm Review
Farsports Wave 45/50mm Review
Farsports C5 Review
The product for this review was kindly provided by the manufacturer. This did not influence my overall verdict or my opinion about the product. You can learn more about how I approach reviews here.
