Alu VS Carbon braking performance
naavt
Posts: 226
Hi all,
I didn't resist from sharing this and hear your thoughts about it.
Went to commute today and picked up my dusty "city" bike, an old 90's chromoly frame with a new Centaur group, Mavic Ksyrium wheels, and was really surprised and impressed by the braking, particularly on how much more bite it has compared to my all carbon bike with Record direct mount brakes and Campy pads (and I'm talking dry weather here).
I don't know if my Centaur bike really stops earlier (or if I'm being influenced by a different "feel" on the levers), but it certainly feels like.
Anyone sharing the same experience between Alu and Carbon rims?
I didn't resist from sharing this and hear your thoughts about it.
Went to commute today and picked up my dusty "city" bike, an old 90's chromoly frame with a new Centaur group, Mavic Ksyrium wheels, and was really surprised and impressed by the braking, particularly on how much more bite it has compared to my all carbon bike with Record direct mount brakes and Campy pads (and I'm talking dry weather here).
I don't know if my Centaur bike really stops earlier (or if I'm being influenced by a different "feel" on the levers), but it certainly feels like.
Anyone sharing the same experience between Alu and Carbon rims?
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If I understood it right, you're saying that both will perform equally in the dry if the carbon rim has had some braking?
I was thinking the exact opposite, since one of carbon's weakness is heat dissipation.
This is just nonsense and should be ignored. Milemuncher has obviously watched a bit of F1 on the telly and extrapolated...
This year I got my first full carbon wheels and I've been surprised at how good the braking is. The absolute power is there, but they don't seem as "grabby" as my alloy rims, so the modulation is better. I'd say the dry weather performance mirrors that of my hydraulic disk braked bike. I haven't really used them in the wet a huge amount yet, when it could all fall apart, but in the dry they've been great.
Brakes are Ultegra, pads are Lifeline, wheels are Chinese with Basalt brake track.
If it's raining though, they get a little bit dicey! The pads take far longer to "grab" and require more lever force to do so.
Probably stop distances will be very alike, and if they are, we can then argue if a direct mount system really is better than a dual pivot one (and I'm talking about comparing a top tier with an entry level one).
The thing is that the lever feeling is very different. Today I went to work with my commuter again and I find the brake feel so much better on the aluminium wheels.
I have to do half the effort in the levers on some descents in my commuter by comparison, and braking from the hoods is just more easy on this bike.
Personally I wouldn't and haven't worried. If you are using carbon, you are usually more experienced dealing with descents and braking. Instead of constantly rolling and breaking and burning your rims up. You break when you need to and the stopping power is there with carbon. It doesn't bite the same but stops you for sure. First time in the wet I was dressing it, but the breaking performed very well.
disc brake + carbon wheel = ok
calipers + carbon braking surface = not ok
To each his own. Stay safe.
Agreed. The fatality rate in the peloton from dangerous carbon rims is astounding. I'm amazed the sport is allowed to continue and the wheel manufacturers are still in business. Ban this evil filth.
Oh look, another generalisation based upon a single experience of limited value.
Ever considered that it was user error rather than the wheel at fault?
I only use cheap (£5 for 4) Wiggle Lifeline blue carbon pads, they're great and last for ages.
Braking in the dry is excellent, as good as I had with Mavic Exalith (the machined surface). Better than normal alloy in my experience.
In moderate, normal rain, they're very good too. Not noticeably worse than aluminium.
Only in torrential rain are they any worse. There's a second or two delay until the pads bite. They're then fine.
In the rain, the pads don't disintegrate in the way pads for aluminium rims do.
Some of the comments in the posts above are simply out of date. Carbon rims used to have a problem with braking, both wet weather and heat management, but i think the reputable manufacturers have overcome them now.
I find it works great for me.
I also like the cylon noise they make