Alternative to Exalith Brake Track

[K u r t]

Velomici,
(yes, I just made that up)
Looking for some intel here:
What other companies/ rims in the market offer a good alternative to Mavic Exalith?

I have a set of Ksyrium SLR that I've liked very much--especially for the Exalith braking performance!--but, with the recent sale of Mavic, I've fallen somewhat out of love lately (I'd really like to support a smaller/ more hand-craft company).

*I prefer the aesthetics of caliper brakes to discs, so really looking for "top performance" in a rim brake set-up. Exalith braking has been exceptional in my experience; I just don't like what it comes with.

Grazie!
Kurt

[hollowgram5]

I have a set of Boyd Altamont ceramic coated clincher wheels. I've found the braking is spectacular. Rims come in 20, 24, 28, and 32 hole formats as a standard (30mm tall) or Lite version (25mm). They recommend the Swiss Stop BXP blue pads, and they work very well.

HED does their Ardennes wheelset in a Black version, which has a similar textured surface to Exalith. I spoke with them at NAHBS, and they said the rims aren't available on their own, only using their hubs on a wheelset.

I think others are offering coatings (DT Swiss, Ritchey?, And Vittoria) but the above are the ones I've seen up close.

[Lanternrouge]

Originally Posted by hollowgram5

I have a set of Boyd Altamont ceramic coated clincher wheels. I've found the braking is spectacular. Rims come in 20, 24, 28, and 32 hole formats as a standard (30mm tall) or Lite version (25mm). They recommend the Swiss Stop BXP blue pads, and they work very well.
.

I've been told the ceramic Boyd's brake about as well as discs. Do you have a basis for comparison to discs or standard rims?

[pdmtong]

PEO / keronite = not small companies

- mavic exalaith
- shamal mille
- fulcrum zero nite
- vittoria nero

[scoobydrew]

There's been several discussions on here and Mavic's Exalith rims/wheels, Boyd Altamont/Altamont Lite, and HED Ardennes Black are usually brought up.

I personally have a wheelset built up with A-Force Al33 "Ceramic" rims. Plenty wide yet has a semi-aero profile. Braking performance is decent, but wears through a set of Swissstop BXP pads extremely quick.

I'd recommend taking a look at Boyd Altamonts as noted above.

[hollowgram5]

Originally Posted by Lanternrouge

I've been told the ceramic Boyd's brake about as well as discs. Do you have a basis for comparison to discs or standard rims?

Yes. I've got a bike or two, in different setups over the years.

I've have ridden Open Pros, Belgiums, Campag Bullets, Pacenti SL23s, and a whole variety of other standard machined brake track rims as well as older hard Anno stuff. I've also ridden a variety of Carbon rims.

I have been on disc road and cross bikes since around 2009, using bb7s, Spyres, and even SRAM Hydro.

As far as braking quality, I'll be hard pressed to buy any other rim. I think the biggest short coming On my current setup is the caliper flex on the mid-reach Tektro brakes. I look forward to trying them on a bike with standard rim calipers as well. Wheels are currently on my Cielo, there's pictures of it here on the forum.

I've also got a set of 32h hubs I'm going to get built with Lites I think for an upcoming road project, just to have a lower profile.

[jwalther]

I've put 2000+ miles on my DT Swiss wheels with no visible sign of wear on the brake track. https://www.dtswiss.com/en/products/...00-dicut-oxic/

[ergott]

Originally Posted by pdmtong

PEO / keronite = not small companies

- mavic exalaith
- shamal mille
- fulcrum zero nite
- vittoria nero

https://boydcycling.com/tech/

Gen 2 Coating: Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation – PEO
This coating is a much more durable coating than the previous coatings. The entire rim is dipped into the coating, which has much better hardness and wear resistance than other coatings on the market. Note that the Thermal spray coatings are NOT a PEO coating!!

I have these, but to be fair they are new to me. I have some wet riding and they performed much better than an uncoated rim. In wet riding, disc bikes can howl or other terrible noises which these won't.

[pdmtong]

did not know Boy was doing PEO...thanks for that

details here:
https://www.keronite.com/surface-technology/

[pdmtong]

Originally Posted by ergott

https://boydcycling.com/tech/

I have these, but to be fair they are new to me. I have some wet riding and they performed much better than an uncoated rim. In wet riding, disc bikes can howl or other terrible noises which these won't.

wondering pro/con Boyd altamonts versus shamal mille?
roughly same price but Boyd's about 100g heavier

[one60]

The PR 1400 Oxic wheels have the 2nd generation PEO coating and are built around DT240 hubs with bladed straight pull spokes. There are two options this season; 32mm deep and a 21mm deep. The are tubeless ready and come taped with milkit brand (one way) tubeless valves and the recommended BXP pads.

The reviews have been great and matches my own experience.

[ergott]

Originally Posted by pdmtong

wondering pro/con Boyd altamonts versus shamal mille?
roughly same price but Boyd's about 100g heavier

Not sure about the Shamal. One major turnoff of those wheels are the alloy spokes that aren't prepped at the factory well so I've seen them cross threaded into the nipples and have never seen any grease used during assembly. No grease or thread prep of any kind is a non starter for me unless you consider them disposable goods after a few years.

[ergott]

Originally Posted by one60

The PR 1400 Oxic wheels have the 2nd generation PEO coating and are built around DT240 hubs with bladed straight pull spokes. There are two options this season; 32mm deep and a 21mm deep. The are tubeless ready and come taped with milkit brand (one way) tubeless valves and the recommended BXP pads.

The reviews have been great and matches my own experience.

I've measured DT SP hubs and found the flange spacing to be terrible compared to even their flanged models. Lateral stiffness is simply not of any importance to DT. It's one reason Enve dropped their hubs from their wheel offerings. They were getting bad reviews for lateral stiffness and there is a measurable improvement using the Chris King R45s that they offered instead. If lateral stiffness isn't a priority then sure, DT internals are legendary.

[vqdriver]

How do any of these coatings hold up?

[simonov]

Originally Posted by vqdriver

How do any of these coatings hold up?

The DT is extremely durable, though braking isn't as good as Mavic. The Mavic braking is the best of the bunch that I've tried, but is a little less durable. They seem to discolor a bit with extended use, but will only scratch if your pads pick up grit from sandy, wet riding. The Fulcrum braking is great, but the coating isn't durable at all. Mine ride nice, but after a few thousand miles, the rims are as much silver as they are black.

I'd also agree with ergott about stiffness. The DTs are very nice riding wheels, but the Mavics and Fulcrums are much stiffer and feel better when accelerating or sprinting.