Real life benefits of carbon wheels?

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by martl

You can testride my LWs and see if you can make them creak. Also look for any signs of wear other than cosmetic. - good luck with that.
They were made 1998, btw.

@original poster: there are about 50-100 people in the world which actually benefit from light, stiff wheels, those with a chance of winning an important race. For the rest of us, they are just candy. I like candy.

Reality, what a concept. The are light(tubular) and stiff and expensive to fix if you wack them. I think the tubular aspect is as or more important than the 'carbon' aspect tho. If you don't 'need' or want aero-ness..I kinda don't get all carbon clinchers. If ya want the carbon 'benefits', don't be a nancy and get tubulari.

[weisan]

I reckon that carbon is basically here to stay for the long haul. The products that are made of it will continue to "iterate and improve".

[ripvanrando]

Originally Posted by peanutgallery

If you like creaky wheels with a really limited lifespan, buy em. Otherwise save your dinero. Aero is the only benefit, plan on them lasting less than 5000 miles

Really?

I put nearly 5,000 miles on my FLO60 carbon front wheel.....in June.

It is fine.

[ripvanrando]

20-24H carbon wheels are lighter, more aero, stronger, and absorb bumpers better than 32H Alu box rims. Dealing with the special brake pads is a pain though as is all the scare tactics about blowing tubes on clincher versions

[tuscanyswe]

As a messenger i have some real insight into using carbon wheels as every day to day wheels with stop sign and red lights etc. I actually think the benefits feel bigger in this type of scenario then they do on long stretches of country side road. I can feel the ease the lighter carbon wheels accelerates with and how nimble they feel at lower speeds. Once up to speed i guess i know they are faster if aero but that effect is harder to feel imo.

I have been using carbon wheels for most days like 10 years now. My reynolds assault rims must have lasted 50000 km before i traded them. They were still in rather good shape. And these were ridden in northern climate even with snow for some days here and there.

[chiasticon]

they're certainly fun, I'll say that. do you need them? no. but neither do you need anything other than a steel frame with 105 on it. they can improve your enjoyment of a ride similar to the way upgrading to DuraAce or a stiff and light carbon frame would though.

I will agree with OldPotatoe and say that to get the most benefit, tubulars are the way to go; get the aero benefit and the weight benefit. carbon clinchers can be ok too, but I think there's a smaller sweet spot. I had 52mm deep carbon clinchers and they were awesome once you got up to speed or if you were in a fast group and wanted to close a gap or something. but getting them up to speed or up hills was less fun than standard weight alloy wheels; not awful, just less fun. I picked up a pair of zipp 202 FC's here that I'm pretty blown away by though. they feel like standard weight alloy clinchers spinning them up, and they still have that extra aero and stiffness once up to speed. it's not a huge difference, but it's enough to add a little extra something to the ride. and that extra something makes them really enjoyable.

anyway, point is the deeper wheels were great in a way, but ultimately not what I wanted for my style of riding and every day terrain. I'm liking the less deep ones better for just a bit of aero, less weight, and more stiffness. they just suit me better. so if you do demo some wheels, try to demo various ones.

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by benc

They're fast. Borrow a pair or test out some loaners from your LBS. There will likely be naysayers around here but I suggest you make your own opinion.

I'm 5500 miles in on a pair if Chinese carbon clinchers. 200+\- miles a week of shotty intown Atlanta roads. When I ride other wheels, I miss my carbons. I'm a roadie racer with a 15# bike.

We've had a few people renting wheels (303s, 808s) coming back saying either it didn't make a difference or they were actually slower.

First and foremost, you have to (get this!) PEDAL THE @#$% BIKE! The aero wheels are that last little bit of speed to help you hang on to the back of the pack or go OTF to win. They're not a panacea for not doing the intervals, etc. Wheels won't make you Cancellara, YOU make you Cancellara.

They certainly aren't a motor that will pedal the bike for you.

Real world? They'll get you about a gear harder (at speed) for the same effort. That's about it. Slower speeds = less benefit other than 'hey lookit me! I'm kewl!'

Having said that: I like em. I've got a few pair now.

...and ride whatcha want. If it makes you want to go ride your bike, it's a good thing.

M

[54ny77]

when i travel i borrow a bike from a pal that has 'em, and they're a heck of a lotta fun when going on terrain and at a pace that suits them (flattish/rolling). i'd call that sweet spot high teens+ mph.

otherwise, it's embarrassing when the road tilts up and i'm "that guy" grinding along at 6-7 mph with high zoot aero wheels.

one thing i'm not a fan of is the braking feel vs. alu. especially if wet/damp out. really takes some finessing/getting used to.

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by kramnnim

What? Maybe don't buy cheap carbon rims. My Enve rims have been perfectly fine for...I guess I haven't counted, but over 20,000 miles, and will likely be fine for another 20,000.

Sorry about that self made jinx. Good luck this weekend.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by vqdriver

Dead sexy on the right bike,

Just remember people pay big $$ for custom bike paint jobs too, which are all show and no go.

My point is that there is nothing wrong with buying wheels, or anything else simply because you like the way they look. There doesnt HAVE to be another advantage, aesthetics are important too.

[quauhnahuac]

i have owned many carbon clinchers but have since moved back to regular, high quality wheels for everyday riding. the biggest drawbacks for carbon are the psychological that they seem less sturdy with a higher pricetag to fix, and the braking performance with wet. even with magura rim brakes theyre still hard to deal with in the rain.

I do use them for road races and time trials for the aerodynamic advantage, not for crits though (see cons above).

[quauhnahuac]

Originally Posted by tuscanyswe

I can feel the ease the lighter carbon wheels accelerates with and how nimble they feel at lower speeds.

what carbon wheels are you using? even 202s, some of the lightest carbon clincher wheels out there (sacrificing the aero advantage mostly) are nearing 1,400g, which is heavier (and much, much more expensive) than a pair of high quality wheels like DA C24s.

if you're taking 303s/404s, then there is a big gulf in weight.

[tuscanyswe]

Originally Posted by quauhnahuac

what carbon wheels are you using? even 202s, some of the lightest carbon clincher wheels out there (sacrificing the aero advantage mostly) are nearing 1,400g, which is heavier (and much, much more expensive) than a pair of high quality wheels like DA C24s.

if you're taking 303s/404s, then there is a big gulf in weight.

I have had Lightweights ventoux tubs and standards tubs, 202 clinchers and tubs. 303 and 404s tubs. Reynolds 32s clinchers, Reynolds attacks clinchers, Reynolds assaults clinchers and tubs. Reynolds 46 tubs. Corima 32s and Corima 47s both tubs. Campagnolo hyperon tubs, Campagnolo 35s tubs. Fulcrum 35 tubs. Some asian carbon tubies. Enve 25s Enve 38s Enve 45s all tubies. Nimble horse fly and nimble fly tubs. I have probably forgotten one or 2 pairs but maybe thats for the better .) Im also currently building up some light-bicycle 25mm rims in clinchers with some tune hubs too..

I have and have had the need for approx ZERO carbon wheels but since I'm a sucker for carbon wheels (as seen) i can't help myself. The lighter ones do make a difference in how the bike feels as i said imo esp at lower speeds and accelerations or quick turns as one do in a city environment.

The sturdy bit about reynolds were a referene to my assault clinchers and they were not particularly light but not heavy either. If i remember correctly they were like 1480g or something similar but held up as good as any alu rim ever did for me.

[zap]

Originally Posted by vqdriver

Dead sexy on the right bike, but it seems a lot of the advances are to get back to aluminum rim performance and weight benchmarks. I get the aero benefits at speed, but is there any day to day benefit for the typical rider? Think neighborhood streets with stop signs and long avenues but nothing epically epic.

Typical rider toodling around. No.

Experienced fast cyclist who's fiddled with lots of bits, can tell the difference between Campy/Shimano hubs and the rest, there are benefits to rolling on high quality carbon wheelsets.

Ride what makes you happy.........just don't be surprised if some skinny person on a mtb with wide knobbies kicks aerocarbon azz on your local wc ride.

[rando]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

Just remember people pay big $$ for custom bike paint jobs too, which are all show and no go.

My point is that there is nothing wrong with buying wheels, or anything else simply because you like the way they look. There doesnt HAVE to be another advantage, aesthetics are important too.

The bigger picture is they need to be good wheels long before they fulfill any dreams of being faster or more efficient. In this regard the majority have put years of inconsistent manufacturing processes, dangerous failures, and neglected braking performance behind them.

One other thing. Full carbon clinchers don't melt their brake tracks (high UV + extended technical descent) and fail stupendously under normal conditions. What is debatable is their ability to produce enough friction along the bead and rim bed to resist the forces generated in an emergency maneuver. These are two very distinct issues that can both result in throwing the tire or popping a tube at very bad times.