Rim brake advice on carbon wheels.

pete1336

In a few months time I'm hoping to buy a new bike,(Canyon CF SLX 8 or 9) an upgrade on my current ride. The bike I've got my eye on comes with carbon wheels. I've never had a bike with carbon wheels before. I have a little bit of a dillema over the disk or rim brake version...however my questions today relate to rim brake use on carbon wheels.
1. How concerned should I be over heat build up in the wheel on long descents? (I'm nothing more than a leisure rider and certainly won't be doing long descents on a regular basis.)

2. How concerned should I be over rim wear from rim brake use over time? I suppose what I'm getting at here is if I use rim brakes on carbon wheels...how long will the wheels last for with normal use before they have to be replaced?

Thanks in advance.

redvision

You shouldn't have any concerns.
Carbon rims are used in the pro peloton and have been for years.

In the wet they don't work as well as some aluminium rims, but just ride according to the conditions.

Midlands Grimpeur

1. How concerned should I be over heat build up in the wheel on long descents? (I'm nothing more than a leisure rider and certainly won't be doing long descents on a regular basis.)

Not that concerned. Unless you are coming down a mountain and constantly braking you won't experience much heat buildup, certainly not enough to do any damage and if you do I would usually put it down to poor braking technique rather than the rims/pads.

2. How concerned should I be over rim wear from rim brake use over time? I suppose what I'm getting at here is if I use rim brakes on carbon wheels...how long will the wheels last for with normal use before they have to be replaced?

As long as you use them sensibly they should last you several years. I have had my current set of carbon clinchers for three years and the brake track shows very minimal wear.

svetty

Modern resins are much more resistant to heat. It depends on your weight too - if you are 100kgs+ and drag the brakes on long descents then maybe carbon rims aren't for you but otherwise I'd not worry.

Matthewfalle

1. don't be. it will be fine.
2. don't worry. it will be fine.

millions of people use them and it is fine. if they weren't fine people wouldn't be allowed to sell them

#it'llbefine

imposter2.0

pete1336 wrote:

1. How concerned should I be over heat build up in the wheel on long descents? (I'm nothing more than a leisure rider and certainly won't be doing long descents on a regular basis.)

Unless your regular routes include 15/20 minute alpine descents, then this is simply a non-issue.

pete1336 wrote:

2. How concerned should I be over rim wear from rim brake use over time? I suppose what I'm getting at here is if I use rim brakes on carbon wheels...how long will the wheels last for with normal use before they have to be replaced?

Nobody can answer that, because there is no such thing as 'normal' use. Far too many variables. Other than that, it's a non-issue, as above.

OnTheRopes

Use brake blocks designed for carbon rims and you should not have any issues.
On long descents don't ride with the brakes on for extended periods, just brake a bit harder and shorter when you need to. Most of the issues with carbon rims on long alpine style descents were caused by one of the above.

thegreatdivide

Delamination is no longer an issue unless you’re using knock off Chinese rims punted on eBay. Canyon don’t supply knock off eBay Chinese rims with their bikes.

As the others have already said, you’ll be more than fine.

veryslowtwitch

You are right to think that rims will wear out eventually. Disc braked wheels will not suffer same wear. If in doubt go discs.
In future you could buy even better wheels and not be concerned about binning them from rim wear. Enjoy.

zest28

If you use carbon wheels, get a disc brake bike. It’s the only logical setup.

Unless you are loaded with money and don’t mind replacing your carbon wheels now and then or are riding for Team Sky where your sponser gives you free wheels every race.

imposter2.0

Zest28 wrote:

If you use carbon wheels, get a disc brake bike. It’s the only logical setup.

Unless you are loaded with money and don’t mind replacing your carbon wheels now and then or are riding for Team Sky where your sponser gives you free wheels every race.

Can you tell us a bit more about Sky giving it’s riders ‘free wheels every race’..?

diplodicus

Imposter wrote:

Zest28 wrote:

If you use carbon wheels, get a disc brake bike. It’s the only logical setup.

Unless you are loaded with money and don’t mind replacing your carbon wheels now and then or are riding for Team Sky where your sponser gives you free wheels every race.

Can you tell us a bit more about Sky giving it’s riders ‘free wheels every race’..?

I've seen it happen. Rider gets fed up with his current wheel so pulls over to the side of the road, sticks his hand in the air and the team car arrives with a new wheel. Sometimes they give them a whole new bike

imposter2.0

diplodicus wrote:

Imposter wrote:

Zest28 wrote:

If you use carbon wheels, get a disc brake bike. It’s the only logical setup.

Unless you are loaded with money and don’t mind replacing your carbon wheels now and then or are riding for Team Sky where your sponser gives you free wheels every race.

Can you tell us a bit more about Sky giving it’s riders ‘free wheels every race’..?

I've seen it happen. Rider gets fed up with his current wheel so pulls over to the side of the road, sticks his hand in the air and the team car arrives with a new wheel. Sometimes they give them a whole new bike

You mean they don’t even swipe the rider’s credit card before giving them the new stuff..?

Matthewfalle

nah - its logical, innit.

step83

Braking wise carbon an alloy rims are different, if your worried about this or wear to your carbon wheels get discs as the disc wears not the rim. End of the day you ride to the conditions like you would anywhere.

Decent wise again as above unless your trailing the brakes its not an issue

jrich

If you are riding the bike regularly in wet weather then I would choose discs just because braking performance on carbon rims with rim brakes is usually very poor (dangerously poor in some situations).

If you are mostly riding in the dry then I would choose rim brakes because they are lighter, faster and look better.

StillGoing

jrich wrote:

If you are riding the bike regularly in wet weather then I would choose discs just because braking performance on carbon rims with rim brakes is usually very poor (dangerously poor in some situations).

If you are mostly riding in the dry then I would choose rim brakes because they are lighter, faster and look better.

Modern day, higher end carbon rims are fine in the wet with the correct brake pads.

jrich

philthy3 wrote:

jrich wrote:

If you are riding the bike regularly in wet weather then I would choose discs just because braking performance on carbon rims with rim brakes is usually very poor (dangerously poor in some situations).

If you are mostly riding in the dry then I would choose rim brakes because they are lighter, faster and look better.

Modern day, higher end carbon rims are fine in the wet with the correct brake pads.

As someone who has owned: Reynolds Strike, Reynolds Aero 72, Zipp 404 and 808, Vision Metron and Hed Jets, as well as trying other rims in between, I would say carbon rim braking is not good in the wet with the wheels listed. I have used several colours of Swiss Spot pads as well as the recommended pads which came with the wheels.

Alejandrosdog

Ive got a set of 303 wheels with about 6 years service. Wet dry up down rims seem fine. I ride 800 to a thousand miles a month (not using the 303 all the time obv)and I’m a fat bstard

I ride alone and in groups, until recently I raced.

I don’t understand how people
Wear out rims, don’t you ever clean your bikes or blocks? Destroying rims through crashes potholes and rocks on the other hand.... disc or not that’s the more likely outcome.

shirley_basso

Carbon rims don't really wear out like Ali wheels do.

Matthewfalle

agree that i have never understood how people jeff their wheels up so badly so quickly - i have communted in kyserium elites for years without jeffing them up butsome people here seem to go through them in one summer

#clubbies
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