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MovingSports SL1200cs wheels promise to offer an excellent price-to-gram ratio. At just 1265g with a 50mm depth and priced at $1099, they do offer exactly that. But how is their assembly quality and ride feel?
KEY TAKEAWAY
The ride comfort, responsiveness, and stiffness of the MovingSports SL1200cs wheels are on par with those of other carbon-spoked Chinese wheels I tested. The main issue with these wheels compared to alternatives is their reduced crosswind stability and the difficulty of seating tubeless tires. Continue reading for more info, or buy them here.
My SL1200 wheels scoring at a glance:
Crosswind Stability 3/5 | 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 4.0/5
More about this road wheel’s scoring.
MovingSports SL1200: Main Features and Specs
Here are the main features and specifications of the MovingSports SL1200cs 50D wheels. Other rim depths (40D and 65D) are also available, and a version with steel Pillar spokes is available for $999.
Main Features
- Lightweight, stiff, responsive
- Poor crosswind stability
- Enclosed hub flanges
- Tubeless rim tape and valves included
- No spare spokes included
- 3-year warranty
Technical Specification
- Type: Disc, clincher (tubeless-ready)
- Weight (without tubeless rim tape):
- Front Wheel: 565g
- Rear Wheel: 669g
- Measured weight: 1234g
- Claimed weight: 1265g (±5%)
- Measured rim width:
- Internal: 21.3mm
- External: 29mm
- Rim depth: 50mm
- Spokes: 4.5mm carbon spokes without hidden nipples
- Hubs: 36T ratchet, TPI steel bearings
- Enclosed flanges: Yes
- Rider’s weight limit: 120kg (270lbs)
First Impressions and Unboxing
The MovingSports wheels arrived in a basic, brown, unbranded box. They were protected with a foam bag and protective covers. The box contained a tubeless rim tape and valves. These were not installed. MovingSports later reached out to me and told me I received a review version, and the retail version comes with the rim tape installed. No spare spokes, spoke tension chart, or anything similar was included.
Similar to the Lún HYPER 5 or Elitewheels DRIVE 2 wheels, which I reviewed recently, the valves have multiple “air shafts” for improved airflow. In theory, they should make it easier to seat tubeless tires. Spoiler alert: It didn’t help.
In-House Tests
As always with road bike carbon wheels, I performed the following tests before I started using the wheels:
These tests provide a better understanding of the wheel’s assembly quality. So, how did the SL1200 perform?
Lateral and Radial Trueness
The SL1200 wheels’ lateral trueness was perfect. In fact, so perfect that the only deviation I noticed was the brand label. It was one of the best results I ever recorded.
Spoke Tension
Surprisingly, the spoke tension was not as good as the trueness, suggesting the rims were not perfectly straight and therefore required varied spoke tension to keep the wheels true. A couple of spokes (2 on the rear wheel, 1 on the front wheel) were outside 5% of the average. Despite these three spokes, the results are still good enough for a 5/5 score.
Rim Centering (Dishing)
The hub was almost perfectly centered, as the dishing tool showed only 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. It wasn’t perfectly smooth, as I encountered a few places with epoxy remnants. Based on the dozens of wheelsets I’ve seen from the inside, I would rate this as average. It has no impact on the ride.
The Difficulty of Putting the Tire On and Off
The MovingSports SL1200 wheels are hooked. I always use Tufo Comtura 4 TR 28 mm tires to get consistent results when mounting and seating them. I managed to mount tires easily. I didn’t need tire levers. Unfortunately, seating was quite challenging. I needed to use a fully charged compressor to ensure the tires received enough initial air burst to seat properly. It took me several tries. That was a bit disappointing since not everyone has access to a compressor.
Riding Experience
As always, I was looking forward to trying out the wheels. I’ve already tested more than 20 pairs of Chinese wheels, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from them. And my expectations were pretty much on target.
In terms of comfort, stiffness, and responsiveness, the SL1200 feels similar to wheels like the Elitewheels DRIVE 2, Lún HYPER 5, and Nepest NOVA. The SL1200 is relatively comfortable, stiff, and responsive.
However, I did notice one significant difference. The SL1200’s stability in crosswinds isn’t quite ideal. I attribute this to two factors. The first is the narrower inner and outer rim widths (21.3 mm and 29.0 mm), and the second is the rim shape. When I first held the wheels in my hands, I felt that they weren’t as U-shaped as the wheels mentioned above, but rather V-shaped. Overall, the rim profile feels a bit outdated, even though the wheels are relatively light.
However, in crosswinds, I had to be very careful to hold my line. The instability was similar to that of earlier Lún HYPER wheels. So, if these wheels have one weakness, it’s their poorer stability in windy conditions.
The rear hub uses a standard 36T steel ratchet and enclosed flanges. They handled low-cadence, high-power efforts without any issues, and after about 500 km on these wheels, I haven’t had any problems with them. The freehub’s noise isn’t particularly noticeable, and I’m fine with that.
My 28mm Tufo Comtura 4 TR tires inflate to around 30.8mm on these wheels, so the tire-rim transition is quite smooth.
Overall, these are solid wheels. They are very competitively priced, but I feel that the similarly priced steel-spoked YOELEO NxT SL2 wheels still have an edge. This is especially thanks to the more modern rim profile and better crosswind stability. I’m curious, though, to see what wheels MovingSports will release in the future.
MovingSports SL1200 Alternatives
There are several alternatives to the MovingSports SL1200. I want to highlight the Elitewheels DRIVE II, YOELEO NxT SL2, and Farsports C series. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MovingSports SL1200 | 4.0 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 50mm | 565g, 669g, 1234g | 21.3mm 29.0mm |
Stiff and responsive, but not as stable in crosswinds. | Check Price Use code CYCLISTSHUB to get 15% OFF |
| 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 |
My scoring of the Chinese carbon road bike wheels with a note and other technical details.
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.
My Verdict
MovingSports SL1200 wheels offer one of the best price-to-gram ratios among the wheels I recently tested. They are enjoyable to ride until the wind starts blowing. They struggle in crosswinds and are not as stable.
So, should you buy them? If this is your first wheelset or you’re on a tight budget and want carbon spokes, then these should make it onto your shortlist. If you’re willing to pay a little more, I’d stick with established Chinese brands that offer wheels with better crosswind stability.
Browse More Chinese Carbon Wheels Reviews
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.