MF Carbon Cycles WAVY: A Custom Carbon Wheel Review

With their 45/50 mm wavy profile, 21 mm internal width, and a weight of 1,380 g per pair, the MF Carbon Cycles WAVY offer performance characteristics typically found in much more expensive wheels. After riding nearly 1,000 km on mostly rolling terrain, we were particularly impressed by their stiffness, balance, and handling in crosswinds. An interesting alternative to the big brands?

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: ©3bikes.fr

MF Carbon Cycles is not a wheel manufacturer in the traditional sense. As with the frames and accessories it distributes worldwide (with a particularly strong presence in track cycling), the French company relies on components from specialized manufacturers but offers an approach more akin to that of a craftsman or integrator. Customers can choose various specifications for their wheel set based on their bike, intended use, and personal preferences.

This ability to customize is precisely one of the appeals of this approach. Rim height, hub selection, spoke lacing, and even the finish can all be tailored. MF Carbon Cycles offers its WAVY wheels in several configurations. The brand also offers custom finishes and the option to add engraved logos.

In our case, the selected wheel set features 45/50 mm rims, FHR201 hubs engraved with the MF Carbon name, and Sapim spokes. The entire set is assembled directly at the Asian subcontractor’s facility—one of the most renowned in the industry—in accordance with the specifications defined by MF Carbon Cycles.

Carbon Specialists

The Chinese manufacturer is one of the world leaders in carbon components and wheels, and operates primarily as an OEM and ODM. This means the factory can produce rims or wheels on behalf of other brands, with customization options regarding finish, logos, and wheel configuration. The manufacturing process includes various stages of rim inspection, finishing, drilling, and tension checks during assembly. The manufacturer also states that it performs checks on roundness, weight, lateral offset, and maximum spoke tension. This process partly explains why wheels with very similar designs are now found among various market players. And the WAVY wheels from MF Carbon Cycles are no exception. This is, in fact, a testament to their quality.

You only need to look at the WAVY wheels to see a very strong visual resemblance to certain wheels from Princeton CarbonWorks. The wavy profile is particularly distinctive, with a height that varies across different sections of the rim. The comparison is even more striking with the Princeton Peak 4550, which also features a variable profile ranging from 45 to 50 mm, an internal width of 21 mm, and an external width of approximately 28 mm… Just like the WAVYs. However, this does not mean that the two wheels are identical. Princeton uses its own design and spoke lacing process, whereas the WAVYs tested here are based on an architecture specific to the subcontractor and a different assembly method.

This similarity primarily illustrates a shift in the market. The most technically advanced rim designs are no longer the exclusive domain of major Western brands. Specialized manufacturers are now capable of producing highly sophisticated carbon profiles for various clients.

Custom Wheels

Our test wheel set therefore features the 45/50 mm profile. It is compatible with both tubeless and tube setups. The build uses Sapim spokes and FHR201 hubs. The complete pair weighs 1,380 g, which places it in a very attractive weight range for wheels with this profile, without necessarily aiming to set any weight records. And especially when you consider the price at which the wheels are sold—€1,199—the value becomes particularly compelling.

The hubs alone weigh about 295 g per pair. They use S&S bearings, model 6803 in the front and 6802 and 15267 in the rear. These are very common bearing sizes, which have the advantage of making maintenance and replacement easier.

Another unique feature of this approach is the customizable build. Customers can choose the rim height and hub type—including the option to select DT Swiss hubs—as well as various spoke patterns and tension settings. This is a far cry from a standard, off-the-shelf complete wheel. The wheel is configured to meet specific needs, even though the physical assembly takes place directly in Asia.

Another feature that sets MF Carbon Cycles apart is the finish. Beyond the traditional choices between matte and glossy, the WAVY wheels can be customized with logos, particularly through laser engraving. On our test pair, this finish gives them a much more exclusive look than a standard OEM wheel set. It’s a small detail, but on a product as visible as a pair of wheels, it really contributes to the overall perception of quality.

And most importantly, the point of contact is based in France. If customers have questions, need configuration assistance, or encounter issues after purchase, they don’t have to deal directly with an Asian manufacturer. MF Carbon Cycles handles customer relations and service in France. From our perspective, this is probably one of the most important selling points for this type of product.

Nearly 1,000 km on the road

After riding nearly 1,000 km on the WAVYs, my first observation is their excellent overall balance. I had some reservations before hitting the road. With a rim height of 45/50 mm and such a pronounced profile, the wheels could have prioritized stiffness and aerodynamics at the expense of handling. But that’s not the case at all.

The overall stiffness is one of the strengths I appreciated the most. The wheels respond well to input, especially during acceleration and changes in pace. Whether out of the saddle or during hard sprints, the sensation of power transfer is very clear, without feeling like an excessively stiff wheel.

A pleasant surprise is their resistance to crosswinds, which remains remarkably low. With a 45/50 mm rim, I expected to experience more directional wobble under certain conditions. On the rides I took, however, the WAVY wheels proved easy to keep on track, even when the wind picked up.

In my opinion, this behavior is one of the great strengths of this set of wheels. It allows you to benefit from a profile that’s tall enough to deliver good efficiency at high speeds without turning the bike into a veritable weather vane as soon as the wind picks up.

However, this wheel set weighs 300 g more than the Dura-Ace wheels tested in parallel on the same bike. This difference is noticeable during accelerations and on certain steep climbs. It is largely due to the tire setup. With 28 mm Specialized Turbo Cotton tires and TPU inner tubes, the Dura-Ace wheels offer a particularly lightweight and high-performance setup. For the WAVY test, MF Carbon Cycles chose 28 mm Continental GP5000 AS TR tires, which actually measure 30 mm on a caliper.

To better match the external width of the rims, however, I would have preferred at least a 26 mm tire on the front wheel, so that its sidewall would be perfectly aligned with the rim. This would have been better for the bike’s aerodynamics and responsiveness when standing up on the pedals, particularly by avoiding the balloon effect. The Continental tires weigh nearly 350 g each on the scale, to which you must add at least 40 g of sealant per wheel. Ultimately, this amounts to about 100 g more per wheel compared to the Dura-Ace setup, just for the tires alone.

In practice, however, the weight of the complete wheelsets is never a noticeable drawback. The WAVYs are obviously not ultra-light mountain wheels, but their weight remains low enough to maintain good responsiveness when the road climbs. On flat terrain and fast sections, their profile provides a more substantial feel. The wheels offer a sense of stability and make it easy to maintain speed, while their stiffness allows for effective acceleration when the pace changes. On short climbs and changes in gradient, they remain responsive enough that you don’t feel like you’re dragging a pair of heavy wheels—even if, of course, they don’t reach the level of excellence of the Dura-Ace wheels, which, it’s worth noting, sell for more than twice the price.

A Credible Alternative to the Big Brands?

That is ultimately the question raised by this pair of wheels. At €1,199, the MF Carbon Cycles WAVY aren’t trying to compete with the most exclusive wheels on the market solely on the basis of prestige. Their appeal lies elsewhere. They offer a carbon rim with a sophisticated profile, Sapim spokes, a customizable build, and a bespoke finish—all while providing a dedicated point of contact and service in France.

And after nearly 1,000 km of testing, their performance strikes me as particularly impressive. They deliver excellent stiffness, remain well-balanced in their handling, and their sensitivity to crosswinds is low enough to make this 45/50 mm profile highly versatile.

Of course, long-term reliability still needs to be verified—particularly that of the hubs and the assembly—as well as the availability of replacement parts. But based on these first few kilometers, the WAVY wheels give the impression of having been designed with the goal of offering a modern, high-performance wheel without making the consumer pay the price of a major brand’s marketing costs. At €1,199, the MF Carbon Cycles WAVY wheels are therefore a serious alternative for the racer or recreational cyclist looking for a pair of high-performance, customizable, and unique carbon wheels, without necessarily wanting to spend twice as much on a pair of big-brand wheels.

The MF CARBON CYCLES WAVY wheels at a glance… Pros: price, finish, overall balance, customization Cons: width slightly below current standards Rims: high-modulus carbon – Internal width: 21 mm – External width: 28 mm – Profiles: 30/35, 35/40, 40/45, 45/50, 50/55, 60/65 mm – Braking: disc brakes – Spokes: Sapim (24 front/rear) – Hubs: Fastop FHR201, RATCHET system – Compatibility: tubeless or tube – Design: wavy – Weight (45/50 mm): 1,380 g – Price: €1,199, several options available – Contact: mf-carbon-cycles.fr

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