riding on carbon wheels everyday

[thegunner]

i'm sure this question has been asked ad nauseum, but i've never seen the topic brought up here (and i trust you guys much more than any other forum i'm on).

i have a full carbon wheelset, as well as a set of shimano rs10's that i use for training currently, but seeing as i'm moving for grad (to philadelphia) i figured i'd consolidate my bike junk. are carbon wheels viable as an everyday wheelset? or should they remain for racing only? keep in mind this is a stipend dependent cyclist, and not someone with a ton of disposable income.

oh and an additional bonus, i'm allowed back on the bike :banana: no full volume training, but the doc said as long as the back is compliant, all systems are go!

[1centaur]

Depends on your riding style, roads, weather and personality. Assuming we are talking deep section wheels, those are great when you're pushing it but not as plush as box rims, get pushed around in strong winds and braking in the wet can be a pain, plus the brake pads are expensive. Some CF rims are viewed as more bomb proof than others for pot hole/train track purposes. I love my CF wheels, but even I would pick box sections for everyday/commuting/only one choice available, and this being the Serotta forum I predict 99.37% agreement.

[djg]

Lotsa variables here . . . you (your weight), the roads, your style of riding, tires, tire pressure, and the wheels in question. There's nothing unsuitable about carbon per se. I picked up a killer deal on some Reynolds attack wheels and had them rebuilt around a powertap last year -- apart from cross season, they've more or less been my daily wheels. Rock solid performance, no wobbles and certainly no cracks or any other problems that I can spot. If you're talking about an ultralight build, minimal spoking, with 22c race tires on rough city roads, day in, day out . . . well, you might want to hold on to a set of backup wheels for training.

[rustychain]

All carbon wheels are not the same. I can tell you that I have not used anything but carbon wheels on my road bikes for several years. I ride around 12000 miles a year. I am a big guy at 95 kilos and ride in the mountains in rain or sun. I use EE brakes and Swiss Stop pads. As for ride quality it more about tires and air pressure. FYI all my wheels are tubular. That said I would see no need to use carbon for training and having a dedicated race wheel is not a bad idea. One other point, don't ride what you can't afford to replace. I ride carbon for the responsive feel and light weight and being an old fart I can afford to but I know plenty of riders that do very well on wheels that cost far less

[thegunner]

well i'm fairly light 65-68 kg depending on where we fall in the rowing season, and i primarily ride on metro roads (you get the idea of occasional bumps from weathering), with 23 mm tires since i don't like to change from race day.

i was talking about the 50 mm gigantex rims, and whilst they're not expensive, they'd be annoying to replace. all valid points from what you guys have said, i just wanted to get a few points of view from others.

[rustychain]

Those rims are fairly bomb proof. Braking surface is good but if you going to use them every day make sure to keep both rims and pads clean. Winter road grit eats any rim.

[Jack Brunk]

I only own carbon wheels and I ride the heck out of them. Never a problem. A good set will last a long long time.

[Bob Ross]

don't ride what you can't afford to replace.


this

[tuscanyswe]

if you are looking for a more affordable set of carbon wheels i can recommend the cheaper line of Reynolds wheels. I bought a slightly used set for around 700. Ive had many carbon wheels and these feel really good altho they are not the lightest out there if thats a concearn.

Wouldent use em in the rain but other than that they are great everyday wheels.

[rockdude]

I had a pair of Carbonsports Lightweight Obermeyers. I had a hard time riding a $7,000 wheelset even on the special days.

[gemship]

I had a pair of Carbonsports Lightweight Obermeyers. I had a hard time riding a $7,000 wheelset even on the special days.


yep, lots of variables here like other posters pointed out. No doubt if you have the means as Ferris would say or as the famous song lyric goes, "If I had a million dollars..."

[zap]

All I've had on my road single for the last 5-6 years. Little iffy when wet but no problems otherwise.

Also use one set for trainer use too. I'll probably purchase an Al clincher set at some point.

[Charles M]

I ride carbon wheels every day... don't think twice about it.

But there's the same chance for being to general here as there are in lots of threads...


Ive done things on Zipp 303's and EDGE 38s and Bontrager Aolus and xxxlites that make "carbon fragility" laughable when people want to use it in too general a form. Not all products are the same level though...

I'm not jumping curbs and riding down steps and dropping off things and riding off road on some wheels.

[SoCalSteve]

I ride on my 3 sets of Reynolds carbon wheels on every ride (I dont own anything else)...Well, that's not 100% true. I do own a set of Mavic CXP 30's on my single speed-fixie bike. But, when I ride that, I sure miss the feel of the carbon wheels.

[fogrider]

carbon wheels on the big climbs. 1,500 gram tubulars during the week for training.

[frenk]

Nowadays carbon wheels are pretty sturdy, basically they are as durable as alu rims.
The only difference is that when you'll crack/wear a rim the carbon ones will cost ten times more.

[jbrainin]

No way I'd use only carbon wheels in Philly for commuting, not because they might not be sturdy enough but because I don't like the way they brake in the rain enough to make them my only wheelset.

[thegunner]

i'm trying to get there faster, why am i braking?! :p

[max_powers]

well, my question is, do the brake pads used for carbon rims work properly on alum rims?

seems absurd to continually swap brake pads to switch back and forth for training and racing, if using the same bike.

[jbrainin]

You can use the same pads for carbon and aluminum rims. However, after going from carbon to aluminum, you don't really want to switch back t o carbon as there will be some little bits of aluminum probably embedded in the pads that would tear up the carbon rim's braking surface. Yes, you can try to clean the brake pads but there might well be something in the pad that you miss. Besides, if you're going to take the time to clean the pads, you might as well take the time to switch them out.

[jblande]

best solution to the problem of switching back and forth between carbon and aluminum (at least in my experience) is to have an extra set of brake shoes, so you can just trade them out depending on the wheels. really takes very little time.

[54ny77]

sorta-carbon wheels.... :p

http://www.asantiwheels.com/media/press/Stuff1.jpg

[thegunner]

why am i bumping this? because i decided i am NEVER riding full carbon wheels an urban environment any more. now taipei isn't really a hotbed of pothole issues, but i did a descent at 30 mph (not all that fast) hit a looooong pothole and had my wheels taco'd. thankfully corima is rebuilding the wheels for me :D, but the experience has made me come to the conclusion that city riding + carbon wheels does not fly (for me at least).

at least i get sorta new wheels at the cost of a bit of road rash and a sore butt...

[rugbysecondrow]

Glad you are alright.

[dd74]

I'm glad you're okay, too.

I'd like to try carbon wheels one day. I'm not a weight weenie type. To me a 7.2 to 7.5 kilo bike is good enough. More of my concern is how sturdy they are on the roads I ride.

If anyone lives in L.A., and knows how effed up Cahuenga Boulevard or Mulholland is between the 101 and the 405 freeway, will know what I'm talking about...and what I fear could be the result of riding carbon wheels on those streets.

My question is would they survive the punishment? I weigh about 68-70 kilos these days.

[thegunner]

I'm glad you're okay, too.

I'd like to try carbon wheels one day. I'm not a weight weenie type. To me a 7.2 to 7.5 kilo bike is good enough. More of my concern is how sturdy they are on the roads I ride.

If anyone lives in L.A., and knows how effed up Cahuenga Boulevard or Mulholland is between the 101 and the 405 freeway, will know what I'm talking about...and what I fear could be the result of riding carbon wheels on those streets.

My question is would they survive the punishment? I weigh about 68-70 kilos these days.

thanks guys :) my bike ended up being just around 7.5 to 8 kg depending on what saddle and what pedals i was using, and it felt light enough for the climbs. i guess this was a pretty unlikely thing to happen, as a lot of things had to transcend (construction + detour + weird gravel descent that had me on the left side of the road + pothole) for it to occur, but i'm kind of scared of that now.

i'm ~65-70 kg and before this they were rock solid. no fears descending or anything. there might be a pair of brand new (okay, well rebuilt) corima aero's popping up on the classifieds when i get back ;) i'm switching back to aluminum bomb-proof wheels!

[Tom Byrnes]

I'm glad you're okay, too.

I'd like to try carbon wheels one day. I'm not a weight weenie type. To me a 7.2 to 7.5 kilo bike is good enough. More of my concern is how sturdy they are on the roads I ride.

If anyone lives in L.A., and knows how effed up Cahuenga Boulevard or Mulholland is between the 101 and the 405 freeway, will know what I'm talking about...and what I fear could be the result of riding carbon wheels on those streets.

My question is would they survive the punishment? I weigh about 68-70 kilos these days.


Hi,

I ride on carbon wheels on Mulholland Drive between Nichols Canyon and the 405 often with no problems. And I weigh about 10 kilos more than you. I just need to pick my line in a few rough sections.

Tom

[false_Aest]

You'll be find on Mulholland.

You'll be fine going down Tuna or Latigo too.

Reading the road and bike handling skills do a lot to preserve a set of wheels (and your teeth and the skin on your face).


Yeah. What Mr. Byrnes said.

[dd74]

Hi,

I ride on carbon wheels on Mulholland Drive between Nichols Canyon and the 405 often with no problems. And I weigh about 10 kilos more than you. I just need to pick my line in a few rough sections.

Tom
Hi Tom,

Thanks for the information. I'm certain the carbon wheels hold up well. But damn if I'm in the La Grange group at the bottom of Nichols on Sunday morning and I'M the one to always hit the stupid potholes on the way up because I don't see them.

At any rate, it's good to hear you have no problems with them. Are they almost as comfy as aluminum wheels? I just recently in the last three months, switched over to carbon, and am just amazed at how well carbon rides as a frame material.

[Tom Byrnes]

Hi Tom,

But damn if I'm in the La Grange group at the bottom of Nichols on Sunday morning and I'M the one to always hit the stupid potholes on the way up because I don't see them.

.

Ha! That's never my problem because I am off the back of the group on the climb up Nichols Canyon and riding with a lot fewer people around me by the time I hit those stretches with the potholes! Much easier for me to see the hazards riding as I do - off the back.

See you out there.

Tom

[r_mutt]

i'd be more worried about heating up the rims from braking and causing warpege on the rim and a subsequent tube blowout rather than pothole on long descents.

[Charles M]

Pot holes are a lot more frequent than the heat conditions that warp only clinchers...

[thegunner]

even on long descents, it doesn't seem to be all that big a problem to switch between the front and rear brakes to allow for the rim to cool off. but pot holes, i can't regulate those :(