how slick are anodized brake tracks?

[vqdriver]

i love the way black rims blend in with the tire. completely aesthetic reasoning, i know. the question is how does anodizing the brake track affect braking performance? can this be addressed with different pads?

i've no interest in carbon btw.

[gone]

I've got a set of Nemesis rims without a machined brake track. I have to say the braking performance (apples to apples with the same brakes and pads) isn't as good as with a machined brake track but it's still plenty good enough that I don't worry about it.

[christian]

After a three-hour rainy ride, they will be exactly as good as machined brake tracks. Why pay Mavic to grind down you braking surfaces when you can do it yourself?

[false_Aest]

i love the way black rims blend in with the tire. completely aesthetic reasoning, i know. the question is how does anodizing the brake track affect braking performance? can this be addressed with different pads?

i've no interest in carbon btw.


I have a set of H+S that will be built up shortly. I rode a friends set for a few days. For a 150lb guy I didn't notice a difference. If there was one it wouldn't matter after 500-1k miles (maybe less) cuz you'll wear through the ano.

[bismo37]

^ what he said. The anodized braking surface will wear off after a while anyway.

I've had Ambrosio Nemesis wheels with anodized brake tracks w/o machining and H plus Son anodized brake tracks. Both surfaces wore off after a while. The braking on the machined rims was way better than the non-machined.

[CunegoFan]

Mavic wheelsets with exolith brake tracks. Braking seems to be somewhere between machined AL and ceramic. Mavic claims 20% shorter stopping distance than bare aluminum. Don't ride them in the rain and the exolith layer (dark color) should last a long time.

[illuminaught]

Archetypes brake perfectly well. Just as well as cleaned up machined rims.

[zoid]

I've got a set of Nemesis rims without a machined brake track. I have to say the braking performance (apples to apples with the same brakes and pads) isn't as good as with a machined brake track but it's still plenty good enough that I don't worry about it.

he's asking about anodized brake tracks. this means they machine it then anodize the track.

[zoid]

i've ridden a pair of archetypes and they're just like a machined set.

just be careful in the rain, the anodizing rubs off on the track in the rain from road grit.

[Mark McM]

It depends on the thickness of the anodize layer. A thin cosmetic anodize layer has little affect on braking. A thicker (hard anodize) layer is slicker and decreasing braking performance (especially when wet).

Dye colors don't show well with thick anodize layers, so if the rim is black (rather than the grey native color of aluminum oxide) it must only be a thin anodize layer, and so will have little affect on braking.

[KidWok]

It depends on the thickness of the anodize layer. A thin cosmetic anodize layer has little affect on braking. A thicker (hard anodize) layer is slicker and decreasing braking performance (especially when wet).

Dye colors don't show well with thick anodize layers, so if the rim is black (rather than the grey native color of aluminum oxide) it must only be a thin anodize layer, and so will have little affect on braking.

That explains why my H+Son black TB14's don't really feel any different than any other wheels I own...only have alum clinchers.

Tai