Who here races AND trains on carbon wheels?

[FastforaSlowGuy]

I'm actually going to try to get in shape and race this year. I've even got some awesome HED Stinger 6 wheels to do the job with Spring weather is dodgy, though, and the potholes up here can blur the line between pavement and gravel. Historically I've logged my training miles on some alu rims and waiting for things to clear a bit before taking out my good wheels, and while that's good for fitness, it doesn't get you as tuned in to how your bike handles and brakes when wearing race wheels. Maybe that's just the way of the world, but with the proliferation of cheaper carbon hoops I wonder how many folks here are now training on deep-dish carbon rims?

[makoti]

I'd ride them year-round, if I lived someplace without road salt & sand. I'd be worried that stuff would trash the braking surfaces.

[saab2000]

I don't race anymore but I just bought a fancy new bike with ENVE carbon wheels and they are my daily rider wheels now, at least when I ride that bike, which lately has been about 80% of the time.

They are expensive, but there's nothing at all about them that seems 'fragile'. I don't think you have anything to fear if you ride smartly.

All that said, where I live there are no hills so I'm not wearing out the brake tracks.

I don't see any real reason you shouldn't ride high zoot carbon wheels as your daily wheels if you find some you like.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7579/15534741957_025a04daf7_b.jpg

[thegunner]

i'm just plain too lazy to change brakepads, so when i want to ride the moots, i ride the carbon wheels - simple as that haha

[carpediemracing]

I used to. I had DV46 tubulars and clinchers so used the clinchers in training.

I went to wider rims so am all HED stuff now. Race wheels are Stinger 4 front, 6/6, and 7/9. I have Jets and Bastognes but want to get rid of them and get one set of carbon clinchers, rounded profile, not sure of height. I'm thinking super short height (30mm?) as an alternative to the taller race wheels in case of rain or something in a race.

Another member uses open mold carbon clinchers in training. Based on his experience I'll probably get rims/wheels from the same place.

[Likes2ridefar]

i dont race or train anymore but i do ride on carbon clinchers by choice. I will admit I got them for free so I would not be riding them if not for that. but i have lots of other wheels and I do prefer these. They are better handling than any of my aluminum wheels on the terrain I ride probably because they are stronger and nice and wide and look right with 25-27c tires.

mine are currently covered in dirt and salt. they seem OK. so is the bike.

[FlashUNC]

Not racing, but riding some Hyperons with no issue. They're not on my rain bike, but I don't have any qualms taking them out for a random Sunday or midweek ride.

Life's too short to ride stuff you don't like.

[Dead Man]

Im riding an older set of Aeros through this winter, and if they're still good come spring (and I think they'll be fine) I'll race on them too. But if not, it's no big deal... I bought them used and if I crash them or wear them out im not out $2500.

That's how I roll. Other dudes are too snooty.

Some stiff carbon rims are stronger than any aluminum rims... So I defjnitely wouldn't sweat rough road riding. You're not gonna hurt them, unless you hit something that would buckle any wheel, or crash em.

[Highpowernut]

I have one set of wheels for each bike, the aero tri bike has 404 fc clinchers, the road has zipp 101s ( take offs from tri bike when I got the 404 set)
They are depreciating assets, and as a wise man once said, if you have the means I highly recommend it.

[aaronka]

Like others on the thread I ride on carbon wheels all the time because I have one bike set up that way (with appropriate brake pads). It doesn't hurt that those wheels (Zipp 404's) look and perform amazingly. And they are strong and durable so I don't worry about it. However I don't ride them in rain/snow.

My other bikes are not set up with carbon wheels so when the weather is wet I grab one of those.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

I've got a bike that only wears alu rims, but once I get into race season I like to log as many miles as possible on the race bike. So I can always just grab a different bike, but that sort of defeats the purpose of training on what I'd race on.


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[azrider]

guilty

[Deucer01]

Last year I trained and raced on my Zipp 404 Firecrests. But this year I think I'll save them for races and and go back to my 101s for training. I just converted my 404s for 11 speed and have a conversion kit for the 101s from Zipp on the way.

[Uncle Jam's Army]

I train and race on my carbon wheels. The first six months of the year I trained and raced on some Reynolds Assault clinchers. Though I didn't do any racing the last six months, I'm riding two sets of clincher wheels (different depths) for training, though I have a new set of Pacenti wheels I am throwing into the training mix as well.

I also have one set of superlight carbon tubulars that I bust out only for special occasions, when I've lost enough weight to see my feet.

[shovelhd]

I do. Train on clinchers and race on tubulars.

[Kentf14]

Likewise, I used to race on Stratus DV tubies, and when I stopped I sold them off thinking that I'd never have a use for carbon hoops again. Fast forward about 8 years... I had a new bike built and thought what the hell, throw on some ENVEs. I love the wheels, but I do swap them out periodically for aluminum wheels.
I keep the brake tracks and pads very clean and don't ride them in the wet if I can avoid it. Otherwise, they're awesome everyday hoops for the "spirited" rides.

[abalone]

I have acquired some generic carbon clinchers in about a 40mm height that are one of the newer wide style rims that are all the rage. I also have some name brand (ie, HED, Ritchey, Mavic, DT) rim wheels. You name it, I've probably had it if it is a decent aluminum clincher. I MUCH prefer the carbon rim wheels and almost ride them exclusively now except when it rains. Carbon clinchers suck soooooo much for braking when it is wet.

[Ozrider]

I ride carbon wheels for training about 9 months of the year,
I have a set of 2008 Zipp 404 clinchers on my training bike I use 9 months and only swap out for the really wet months. I figure they have paid for themselves and the brake track is still in excellent condition so I might as well get some good use from them while still running 10 speed on my training bike.
I have FFWD F6R and Edge 1.38 Tubulars I use on my race bike. I use these most of the year. the F6Rs brake pretty well in the wet, so I tend to use them in preference to the Edge wheels in wet weather.
I train on the Zipps as it is really windy here and I find using them most the time has made me very comfortable with deep dish wheels in all conditions.
It could be pretty scary riding low profile clinchers and then swapping to deep dish wheels just for races without being adapted to using them in windy conditions.
I'm a bigger rider so probably cope better with deeper wheels than much lighter riders.

[Jgrooms]

Dedicated bike with the pads running 404s. However, she's hung up & its gravel bike or Roubaix SL2 or real heavy on the 30 lb Fargo this time of year.

Having said that, weather dependent, Mar 1 the Cervello/404s are everyday.

[old fat man]

I lived in Boston (the city, not the North Shore, or Newton or something like that) for 12 years, where the roads are the worst and I rarely used my carbon wheels unless I knew I was riding to a race, riding far enough away from town to get away from the crappy roads, or feeling too lazy to swap them off the race bike. I just moved to the Hartford area last winter.

Carbon wheels are fun, but not the least bit necessary for training or racing in New England. I raced more often on my aluminum wheels (A23s or Fulcrum tubeless) primarily for fear of damaging the carbon in a crash.

I suggest, if you aren't going to be heart broken by a damaged carbon wheel when training or racing, then go for it, ride them all the time. If the thought of a broken carbon wheel makes you weep, and you know you probably can't afford to fix/replace it, then you shouldn't bother with carbon wheels in the first place.

Now, if you move away from the awful roads of Boston, then the story changes. I rode my carbon tubulars and clinchers almost all year here in central CT with never a worry.

[aramis]

I race and train on normal old nothing special aluminum wheels but I wear a skinsuit w/pockets, an aero helmet and use latex tubes when racing and sometimes when training. I'm pretty sure those things make more of a difference than deep section carbon wheels, but don't tell anyone.

I had a pair of dv46 carbon clinchers that I used on maybe 4 rides but sold them on ebay and bought a quarq with the money. I didn't like the idea of being able to trash an $800 set of wheels if I hit something and I didn't like the braking or having to change brake pads.