Carbon rims and the rain...

RossoCorso34

I have a set of Cannondale Hollowgram wheels which are Carbon, and whilst in the dry they are lovely, in the wet the braking is... Questionable. They will stop, but have nowhere near the level of braking power that I'd be happy with.

Is this a typical issue with carbon rims, or can it be resolved with new pads? In still running the ones that came with the wheels.

super_davo

Yes, typical issue, but some wheels are better than others and changing the pads can improve things.

Try some Lifeline carbon pads - about a fiver and anecdotally the same as Reynolds blue. Not much to lose if they don't improve things. You can spend mega bucks on Swissstop, but the Lifeline for me give 90% of the performance for a reasonable price.

jgsi

super_davo wrote:

Yes, typical issue, but some wheels are better than others and changing the pads can improve things.

Try some Lifeline carbon pads - about a fiver and anecdotally the same as Reynolds blue. Not much to lose if they don't improve things. You can spend mega bucks on Swissstop, but the Lifeline for me give 90% of the performance for a reasonable price.

As above... spend any other silly money on Swiss for a best bike or buy a higher end wheelset that gives them for "free".

Lifeline stuff is a lifeline for cheap cycling.

cycleclinic

I don't think it typical. It depends on the brake track and pads. Noone can recommend what pads work best for your rims unless testing has been done. Pads and rims go together. Some pads cause overheating issues and will void warranty.

When it's really wet mine wheels suffer a bit as the water has to clear before you get bite. This is true with alloy rims though. When it's less wet braking is quite alloy like.

Campagnolo Bora's have good wet braking too.

It is quite possible to have carbon rims that brake like alloy rims. I do it, campagnolo do to.

I suggest campagnolo red pads for my rims.

sloppyschleckonds

Ive never had a set of carbon wheels I couldn't lock up in the rain

RossoCorso34

thecycleclinic wrote:

I don't think it typical. It depends on the brake track and pads. Noone can recommend what pads work best for your rims unless testing has been done. Pads and rims go together. Some pads cause overheating issues and will void warranty.

When it's really wet mine wheels suffer a bit as the water has to clear before you get bite. This is true with alloy rims though. When it's less wet braking is quite alloy like.

Campagnolo Bora's have good wet braking too.

It is quite possible to have carbon rims that brake like alloy rims. I do it, campagnolo do to.

I suggest campagnolo red pads for my rims.

Thanks, how do I know what pads go with what rims? There is little to no info on the Cannondale website about it.

I'll look into Lifeline as well, see what's what with those.

Matthewfalle

swisssssstop are good but v expensive. go for yellow ones as the black prince are rubbish.

i've just fitted lifeline blue to the back brake of N1. seemed to work fine today even after i vomited all over them.

braking on carbon wheels is fine really. no major dramas.

RossoCorso34

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Ive never had a set of carbon wheels I couldn't lock up in the rain

There is a difference between being able to lock up, and having good control and modulation of the brakes

cycleclinic

Swiss stop are crap on some rims as they cause overheating. You have to experiment with pads to find ones you like. This however voids warranty as different pads can cause damage. If a brake track warranty claim was made on my wheels and the pads that came back were no campagnolo then that no warranty. If you don't like the manufacturers offering and want to keep your warranty then sell the wheels and get new ones.

StillGoing

On my third set of carbons. Previous two sets were poor under braking in the wet. The curent Mavic Cosmic Carbone Pro USTs with Swiss Stops are light and day better. No more nervousness wondering if I'm going to stop when riding in the wet.

dannbodge

I use the lifeline blue carbon pads on my wheels too.
I've actually found recently that they stop better than my Ultegra pads on an aluminium rim.

zeee

I have swisstop black prince and have locked up my carbon rims multiple times.

pamplemoose

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Ive never had a set of carbon wheels I couldn't lock up in the rain

All rim/pad combos are easy to lock up at low speeds though...

RossoCorso34

Zeee wrote:

I have swisstop black prince and have locked up my carbon rims multiple times.

Thanks. Somebody else has suggested these and he is on the same rims as me.

zeee

theboyfold wrote:

Zeee wrote:

I have swisstop black prince and have locked up my carbon rims multiple times.

Thanks. Somebody else has suggested these and he is on the same rims as me.

Not too expensive either. £23 for a set of 4 local to. Me.

singleton

I have some Reynolds carbon rims and the supplied blue brake pads and braking is very decent in dry and wet.
Perhaps not quite up to alloy standards, but really not far off.