i just pruchased a 2017 Trek Madone SLR frame from a good friend - the frameset is great and is equipped with rim breaks. I have only had disc breaks on my bikes so far - so here is my question: Given this is a nice aero frame, I would want to fit some aero wheels as well. No expierence with rim breaks on carbon wheels so far - any experiences? I am leanings towards the HUNT 50mm aero wheels but I am wondering whether carbon rims with an aluminium break inlay perform better vs. raisin break strips on the HUNT wheels?
Check out Flocycling.com. Really great wheels at a really affordable price. Iāve been riding rim brake 45s and 60s for a couple years now and I have no complaints. In the rain, they take a couple wheel rotations to really bite hard. But itās minor. In the dry, they stop really well. Light too!
Iām looking at a similar question and basically:
The older style braking tracks (basalt or whatever) donāt work so great. They take a bit of extra time to stop you and some of them really seem to be hazardous depending on the conditions or terrain you ride regularly.
Alu inlays are a workable solution, though they add some weight. My favorite of these are from HED.
The newer style braking tracks found from Zipp (Showstopper), Campagnolo (AC3) and Bontrager (on the Aeolus XXX) seem to have solved the braking issue. They may consume braking pads faster, but they are supposed to have some serious stop to them.
Personally, Iām deciding between the #3 options. I donāt really want the weight penalty of the aluminum inlay and most of the alu inlay rims are done using āyesterdayāsā wheel dimensions (17mm internal, 22-23mm external). For me, Iām deciding between the Zipp 303 Firecrest Showstopper and the Campagnolo WTO 45s.
As for the Hunts - the price is great, but the hubs are not fantastic. I havenāt really read a lot about the braking but from the pictures they donāt seem to be using the sort of techniques that Zipp, Bontrager and Campa did (basically, removing a lot of surface resin and adding texturing).
Eh. I have yet to find a carbon rim that didnāt brake like garbage, when compared to alloy. Tubulars are fine for any application, but if itās a carbon clincher, accept that itās fine for flat to rolling roads, but any descent longer than a Cat 4 hill is a bit of a mess.
I have friends who descend Cat 2 climbs on carbon clinchers and have no problems, but I simply donāt trust the things to stop and stop quickly if needed. Let alone the whole heat buildup potential issue.
But, Iām really conservative about equipment and ride alloy clinchers except on race days (and even on those, if Iām too lazy to change pads and adjust brakes).
To answer the question, YES, aluminum brake tracks will always stop better.
You need to look at the terrain that you ride on. If itās mostly flat and/or you donāt usually need to do hard and frequent braking then youāll do fine with carbon brake tracks.
If you live in an area like the Pac NW where you are frequently dealing with wet conditions you might want to think twice about carbon brake tracks. Or, you may need a summer/winter bike solution or a summer/winter wheel solution.
My carbon rims combined with Swiss stop pads perform significantly better than the alu rims and whatever pads were on there (probably the factory padsā¦but they were decent).
Longer or steeper. My local monster climb is a Cat 3 11% av. but has 20-30% hairpin turns which are absolutely terrifying descending on carbon. Iāll give up the 300g and go with alu to get me to the bottom.
They are box rims with carbon fairings, but theyāre excellent, light, bombproof box rims with carbon fairings.
For what itās worth, I have heard many people say that the hed jet blacks (the all carbon version) are just as good braking, but I have no personal experience with them.
Totally agree with this (although I wasnāt a cyclist when I lived in PNW). Itās not just braking quality, itās longevity. If you are doing lots of technical descending in the wet, braking will just eat your expensive carbon rims.
Riden in the French and Italian alps on Zipps, no issues whatsoever. On one trip a dude did destroy his old carbon wheels, mostly because he was dragging the brakes (i.e. bad technique). And day to day I find the braking great, improved massively by direct mount brakes!
In the wet, yep, not ideal, but Iām always too fearful of pressing grit into the rim so hard to opine on the true strength or weakness there. => winter bike
It might be worth asking yourself ; "Am I going to race in the rain regularly if at all? "
My experience is that most people complain about carbon rim brakes for their reduced braking performance in wet conditions. Dry, they perform exceptionally unless your doing long alpine descents regularly. Really, they donāt perform that badly if your experienced, use good braking technique and ride according to the conditions.
The reality is, most people donāt ride in the rain let alone race in it and therefore the carbon rim brakes arenāt an issueā¦ unless it rains on the day of your āAā race.
I started with Black Prince and wore through them in less than a season. I then tried the Yellow Kings and still have a same pair on the bike for two seasons.
Iāve suggested to a number of my fellow club riders to try Yellow Kings and when they have, they have all thanked me!
Each to their own as they sayā¦ but Swisstopā¦ best choice for brake pads IMHO!
And I also meant the carbon rims with alu brake tracks (or maybe better described as alu rims with a carbon aero fairing).
