Why do people despise deep section alloy braking tracks but love tan wall tires?

[Matthew]

Man, I thought my Moots with C35s and aluminum brake track looked pretty good. Guess I was wrong. Thanks guys.

[sleepyfelix]

I'm also firmly in the 'tan walls good, silver brake tracks not good' camp. But I don't mind a grey anodised rim like a nemesis or archetype where the grey has worn off a bit from wet braking. Go figure...?

It just that machined brake tracks look cheap for some reason.

[Dracarys]

I don’t like either of them. All-carbon wheels and black-walled tires for me.

[loxx0050]

I remember when Flo wheels started to put a anodized black coating on their brake tracks with their aluminum rim with carbon fairing offering. The Tri guys loved the look but were unhappy at how fast the black coating wore off (what did they expect honestly). HED figured out something with the "Black" serieis and has some kind of textured brake track with a black coating (don't know for sure but probably ceramic?). That seems to last pretty long staying black and actually improves braking over a smooth alloy track (but eats through pads faster).

I just live with the aluminum alloy showing on my HED Jet+ wheels that I have. Looks fine to me but what do I know.

[tv_vt]

I can live with the alloy brake track. But we all do have our opinions.

I think the exalith coating does look good, and Mavic does put it on some deep fairing wheels. But I always think - I wouldn't be using those deep dish wheels either in the rain or on very hilly/mountainous rides, so why bother with that coating when it requires me to use different brake pads than I normally use? Those higher-friction coatings make sense on wheels to be used for climbing/descending and in the rain, but not really needed for drier flatter rides.

PS. I have a set of old Mavic Classics SSC wheels - basically Open Pros with ceramic coating. Those things will last forever.

[William]

Originally Posted by Bentley

...Not a hater.. I like deep section wheels, but I get the silver track on black wheels is distracting.

It's only distracting if you watch it ride by. It's not noticible at all on the bike.






W.

[Blown Reek]

Tan wall clinchers are for poseurs wanting the tubular look, and aluminum rim carbon wheels are the heavy, cheap alternative to what real carbon wheels offer. However, if you run tan wall clinchers with carbon fairing aluminum rims, you might as well tighten your SPD sandals, refer to your shifters as "brifters", and sign up for an account on bentrideronline.com and share your thoughts with other likeminded individuals.

[tv_vt]

Originally Posted by Blown Reek

Tan wall clinchers are for poseurs wanting the tubular look, and aluminum rim carbon wheels are the heavy, cheap alternative to what real carbon wheels offer. However, if you run tan wall clinchers with carbon fairing aluminum rims, you might as well tighten your SPD sandals, refer to your shifters as "brifters", and sign up for an account on bentrideronline.com and share your thoughts with other likeminded individuals.

Sheez. Guess I don't belong with your crowd. Thanks for pointing it out.

[Blown Reek]

Originally Posted by tv_vt

Sheez. Guess I don't belong with your crowd. Thanks for pointing it out.

Not a problem. There's a "them and us" for a reason.

[jefenger]

Originally Posted by Blown Reek

Tan wall clinchers are for poseurs wanting the tubular look, and aluminum rim carbon wheels are the heavy, cheap alternative to what real carbon wheels offer. However, if you run tan wall clinchers with carbon fairing aluminum rims, you might as well tighten your SPD sandals, refer to your shifters as "brifters", and sign up for an account on bentrideronline.com and share your thoughts with other likeminded individuals.

Perfect delivery.

[TheseGoTo11]

Originally Posted by Tony

I agree. All black carbon wheels can really change the appearance of ones bike.

Just imagine how the Pegoretti Responsorium Ciavete in the classifieds would look with carbon wheels.

Ha, I had the exact same thought when I saw that bike!

[Matthew]

So all those Shimano C series wheels with the aluminum brake track are junk according to the experts here. Funny, they seem pretty popular. And brake tracks are distracting?! Really?

[denapista]

Deep carbon with alloy was and still is an eye sore to me. Also the fairing construction, just sounded like a cheaper way to make carbon wheels. I'm assuming this is true as the Alloy mavic fairing carbon wheels, are significantly cheaper than their carbon counterparts.

[Dino Suegiù]

The other side of the wheelset:
I love deep section alloy braking tracks but despise tan wall tires for my own bicycles.

I have owned two sets of the Campagnolo Shamal 16-HPW black for ~20 years now, and they are among the best wheels I have ever had. I do not ever even think about the alloy braking tracks, because they work, and look great with the silver spokes and skewers.

I would never mount tan wall tires on these wheels. Even if someone were to give me a pair of tan walls I would just give them away. I think they look really bad on almost all modern wheels, frames, and builds.


These are beautiful wheels, in my opinion, and tan tires look completely incongruous on them. All blacks look fantastic otoh.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by denapista

Deep carbon with alloy was and still is an eye sore to me. Also the fairing construction, just sounded like a cheaper way to make carbon wheels. I'm assuming this is true as the Alloy mavic fairing carbon wheels, are significantly cheaper than their carbon counterparts.

For clincher rims, deep carbon with alloy is a less expensive way to make rims, but it is not "cheaper" in an meaningful way. They are only typically only a handful of grams heavier than full carbon clincher rims (and some carbon/alloy rims are actually lighter than some full carbon rims). Carbon/alloy have better breaking than full carbon rims when rim brakes are used. Carbon/alloy rims are typically fair better than full carbon clincher rims when the rim bottoms out on a pothole. And there is zero evidence that carbon/alloy rims are any less aerodynamic than full carbon rims.