Carbon Clinchers in the Alps

pinno

davidof wrote:

robbo2011 wrote:

...I ride most days in the French Alps...

You lucky git.

pinno

robbo2011 wrote:

PPS, That isn't really my bike. it belongs to a crazy Italian guy who I bumped into at the top of the Gavia pass a couple of weeks ago.

You have to give credit to the 'crazy Italian guy'.

Back OT: Anyone used the DA CL24's (Alu braking surface) in the Alps?

robbo2011

Absolutely!

When you consider how high he is sitting and how low the crash barriers are on these passes, I think the word crazy is quite apt.

robbo2011

duplicate post..

pinno

robbo2011 wrote:

Absolutely!

When you consider how high he is sitting and how low the crash barriers are on these passes, I think the word crazy is quite apt.

Descending must be heart stopping on that thing.

cougie

I'd love to see footage of him descending on the silly bike.

Anonymous

Imagine it had carbon clinchers?

mamba80

Pinno wrote:

robbo2011 wrote:

PPS, That isn't really my bike. it belongs to a crazy Italian guy who I bumped into at the top of the Gavia pass a couple of weeks ago.

You have to give credit to the 'crazy Italian guy'.

Back OT: Anyone used the DA CL24's (Alu braking surface) in the Alps?

yes i have, great wheels but no where nr as good as my carbon tubs lol!!!!

tbh dont understand the debate, given a decent rider, the braking heat generated isnt much (me an a mate descended the Giau and me an carbons him on alloys and both rims were only slightly warm) i d use any wheel but in a carbon clincher, no latex tube.
Mike Cotty uses Mavic Carbon clinchers and he is still alive.

sloppyschleckonds

mamba80 wrote:

Mike Cotty uses Mavic Carbon clinchers and he is still alive.

Yeah, that Exalith brake track is superb though

pinno

mamba80 wrote:

Pinno wrote:

robbo2011 wrote:

PPS, That isn't really my bike. it belongs to a crazy Italian guy who I bumped into at the top of the Gavia pass a couple of weeks ago.

You have to give credit to the 'crazy Italian guy'.

Back OT: Anyone used the DA CL24's (Alu braking surface) in the Alps?

yes i have, great wheels but no where nr as good as my carbon tubs lol!!!!

I bet. I have been inches away from converting to tubs. Both sets of 'proper' wheels are nearing the sell by date and a window of opportunity might present itself.

mamba80 wrote:

...no latex tube.

Too soft and heat sensitive?

mamba80 wrote:

Mike Cotty uses Mavic Carbon clinchers and he is still alive.

This bloke?

https://vimeo.com/86432255

DeVlaeminck

I used latex tubes on several visits to the alps with no worries - that was before I read some people reckon they are prone to heat though so I've since stopped. I guess it's the same as carbon rims - using them isn't suicide they are just a bit more prone to heat damage should you end up braking too much on a descent.

First.Aspect

robbo2011 wrote:

Just checking, lol. it's amazing how quickly people get wound up after a little bit of push back

Cypress bowl and Mt Seymour sounds great.

For the record I live in Switzerland and ride regularly in the mountains. Since the snow finally melted in June I have ridden 12 different passes over 2000m (highest 2758m, can you guess?) and will be riding 3 more this weekend.

Trust me, those who ride regularly in the mountains (well, the alps at least) don't bother with fancy carbon wheels.

Jealous.

Look, most people anywhere, mountains or not, are on aluminium wheels. But if I was heading off for a holiday, and I'd spent £2k on some Campag wheels, I'd probably want to use them.

Carbon wheels are vanity items. I chose mine for the way they look, and I don't kid myself - the bike itself is about as fast as my 16 year old bike fitted with mismatched left over parts.

So I get the point - I just don't think the OPs wheels are going to melt or catch fire, unless he's incompetent.

But riding any carbon wheels in the rain is like having soap brake pads. Which is why I'd at least have some aluminium wheels in the boot of the car.

First.Aspect

Pinno wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

Mike Cotty uses Mavic Carbon clinchers and he is still alive.

This bloke?

https://vimeo.com/86432255

Yup. He has an unfortunate gift for making the best cycling roads in the world sound slightly dull.

He's sponsored by Mavic, so he's contractually obliged to use wheels made of cooking chocolate. Big business is just shocking.

mamba80

First Aspect wrote:

Pinno wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

Mike Cotty uses Mavic Carbon clinchers and he is still alive.

This bloke?

https://vimeo.com/86432255

Yup. He has an unfortunate gift for making the best cycling roads in the world sound slightly dull.

He's sponsored by Mavic, so he's contractually obliged to use wheels made of cooking chocolate. Big business is just shocking.

if you know what your about, then Carbon is fine (and Mavic dont make shitte chocolate wheels) if not, stick to Alloy.

davidof

Pinno wrote:

davidof wrote:

robbo2011 wrote:

...I ride most days in the French Alps...

You lucky git.

but I dream of riding in England

well ok, nightmares would be more like it, last time I commuted seriously in the UK I was hit by a truck at Winnersh (around 1987).

I wouldn't mind riding some of those northern passes though, just to see how they compare.

pinno

davidof wrote:

Pinno wrote:

davidof wrote:

robbo2011 wrote:

...I ride most days in the French Alps...

You lucky git.

but I dream of riding in England

well ok, nightmares would be more like it, last time I commuted seriously in the UK I was hit by a truck at Winnersh (around 1987).

I wouldn't mind riding some of those northern passes though, just to see how they compare.

Rough as f*ck. I think the roads in the UK have been deteriorating for the last 20 years. Vittoria should develop a tyre uniquely designed for Brittish roads. Vittoria Gran Bretagna. It has a ring to it.

davidof

Pinno wrote:

Rough as f*ck. I think the roads in the UK have been deteriorating for the last 20 years. Vittoria should develop a tyre uniquely designed for Brittish roads. Vittoria Gran Bretagna. It has a ring to it.

I like it, how about "Vittoria Chavista" - takes glass, syringes, shopping trolleys and broken paving stones with ease.

pinno

davidof wrote:

Pinno wrote:

Rough as f*ck. I think the roads in the UK have been deteriorating for the last 20 years. Vittoria should develop a tyre uniquely designed for Brittish roads. Vittoria Gran Bretagna. It has a ring to it.

I like it, how about "Vittoria Chavista" - takes glass, syringes, shopping trolleys and broken paving stones with ease.

bernithebiker

First Aspect wrote:

So I get the point - I just don't think the OPs wheels are going to melt or catch fire, unless he's incompetent.

Clearly, there are many examples of carbon clinchers (including big name ones) having failed due to overheating, so do we assume that every one of those riders was incompetent?

Of course it depends on conditions; ambient temperature, your weight, nature of the descent, etc., but as an example, I has to descend the Ventoux after the Tour de France passed through and it was so busy I was on the brakes all the way down at about 20km/h. I was on tubs and they were fine, but the front tyre blistered due to the heat (a Vittoria) and I eventually had to replace it.

So for any rider who goes to the mountains, however good or bad, a situation may easily arise that would compromise the integrity of a carbon clincher.

And yes, they brake like crap in the rain.

stueys

My view is that if you are aware of the lower margins for safety on the wheels then you can safely ride on carbon clinchers. The technology has come on, both in terms of resins used and the brake pads.

Having said that I swap over to my c24's (from enve 4.5's) when I hit the mountains. Two reasons, (I) the weather can change in a heart beat up high and I really don't fancy an alpine descent with the wet weather braking performance I get on my carbon wheels; (Ii) you can't always control the variables on a descent, I've come down mortirolo in heavy traffic where I couldn't do anything other than heavy braking, I actually stopped to let my alloy wheels cool down at one point.

fenix

Apart from looking cool - what are the advantages of carbon clinchers in the mountains ?

drlodge

Fenix wrote:

Apart from looking cool - what are the advantages of carbon clinchers in the mountains ?

Indeed, I wonder why we're even discussing this topic. Alloy has some big advantages (not delaminating hence not killing you), so why would you even consider taking carbon wheels to the Alps?

As well as the inherent dangers due to the materials and construction, braking downhill is going to wear out the brake tracks on your expensive new wheels prematurely. I just don't see the point.

FWIW, I plan to take 2 bikes with me when I visit Mont Ventoux for a fortnight next year, one has 50mm carbon tubeless clinchers so will use that on the flatter rides, but the alloy wheels will be for the lumpy rides.

First.Aspect

bernithebiker wrote:

First Aspect wrote:

So I get the point - I just don't think the OPs wheels are going to melt or catch fire, unless he's incompetent.

Clearly, there are many examples of carbon clinchers (including big name ones) having failed due to overheating, so do we assume that every one of those riders was incompetent?

Of course it depends on conditions; ambient temperature, your weight, nature of the descent, etc., but as an example, I has to descend the Ventoux after the Tour de France passed through and it was so busy I was on the brakes all the way down at about 20km/h. I was on tubs and they were fine, but the front tyre blistered due to the heat (a Vittoria) and I eventually had to replace it.

So for any rider who goes to the mountains, however good or bad, a situation may easily arise that would compromise the integrity of a carbon clincher.

And yes, they brake like crap in the rain.

Cycling "tech" has a history of absolute nonsense and superstition.

Its not so long ago that we were warned against carbon frames, and then seatposts that would break and cut our anuses to shreds. You shouldn't use hydraulic discs because the fluid would boil. Or the discs themselves would be dangerously sharp and hot. Of course, carbon tubulars were dangerous as well, because the glue would melt.

Lets face it, roadies are a bunch of fearful luddites.

First.Aspect

Fenix wrote:

Apart from looking cool - what are the advantages of carbon clinchers in the mountains ?

They look cool.

lostboysaint

Of course if you had disc brakes.......

sloppyschleckonds

lostboysaint wrote:

Of course if you had disc brakes.......

By jove, I think that's the answer.

pinno

I have two bikes. 1 made from Carbon Fibre that I only take out on sunny days because the rain will dissolve it and a plastic coated stainless steel one for wet days...

sloppyschleckonds

I'm thinking of taking 4 bikes to the Pyrenees, just in case like.

onemoresolo

I've got a semi-tarty set of carbon tubular wheels but took a set of Khamsins to the Alps for my last trip and it made precisely zero difference to how much I enjoyed myself.

PTestTeam

Sorry if riders could descend in the Pyrenees in 1910 on bikes like these, then you should be able to get down a few mountains using carbon clinchers

https://janheine.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/lapize.jpg