Carbon Wheel

[Russell]

Can anyone who has ridden on a carbon wheelset explain to me the good and bad points. Thanks.

[Lanternrouge]

It depends a lot on what carbon wheels you're talking about. All carbon wheels are lighter than aluminum ones of the same rim depth (in general). They can be made deeper and more aero than aluminum wheels, but can cost a lot more. The braking is not quite as good, but having not ridden carbon wheels in the rain or on long descents, in my experience the braking has been fine.

Also keep in mind that there are lots of different opinions out there on each brand/model of wheels, so that makes a big difference in the benefits and drawbacks.

[Climb01742]

i've ridden two carbon wheelsets: zipp 202 and bontrager aeolus 5.0. the zipps were very light but stiffened up the ride of the frame more than i wanted. the aeolus aren't as light but they roll really nicely. their ride is smooth, they're aero and i really like 'em EXCEPT in the rain. wet weather braking is, ah, challenging, especially with ZG brakes. in dry conditions, i'd ride them in a heartbeat. but with wet spring weather ahead, i shelved mine for awhile. and in the future, i'd only ride them with DA brakes. i think carbon wheels are a neat option to have but you could live and ride quite happily with nice handbuilt alu rims forever. an interesting middleground are mavic cosmics: deep dish aero but alu braking surface.

ps: i used the bontrager pads made for their carbon wheels. other pads may perform differently.

[vaxn8r]

For clinchers I see no advantage other than bling. They aren't lighter. They are super expensive. No aero advantage over AL (since they aren't lighter). Braking isn't quite as good as on an AL rim (though it isn't poor by any stretch). Not as many whel choices.

For a sew up rim the main CF advantage is lighter weight and because of this you can make a more aero rim for a similar weight.

Disadvantage: 1)if it's your only bike and you go back and forth between wheelsets you need to switch out brake pads each time you use them (not a huge deal). 2) Price.

[J.Greene]

right on. carbon wheels really shine when they are tubular atmo.

JG



For clinchers I see no advantage other than bling. They aren't lighter. They are super expensive. No aero advantage over AL (since they aren't lighter). Braking isn't quite as good as on an AL rim (though it isn't poor by any stretch). Not as many whel choices.

For a sew up rim the main CF advantage is lighter weight and because of this you can make a more aero rim for a similar weight.

Disadvantage: 1)if it's your only bike and you go back and forth between wheelsets you need to switch out brake pads each time you use them (not a huge deal). 2) Price.