This carbon wheel issue has been burning a hole in my soul for so long. The twin headed snake of thrift and indecision (not such an impressive snake as far as twin headed snakes go) held me at the impasse for years. Having @mauibike commit to all carbon for his lifetime wheelset needs got me hot. Seeing Fabs winning Paris-Roubaix and the Ronde on his Aeolius 5.0 wheels made the fever burn higher.
Maui is a very gusty place to ride and I was loath to own some deep section rims that would be the death of me. Looking pro while getting blown off the road at speed, uncool. Bontrager has the budget to blow on high speed computing and wind tunnels to make sure Gianni is not buffeted unduly. They also use Alpina spokes with plastic inserts so the the wheel should be truable for years.
Ebay is full of people who buy tubular wheels then sell them after very light use (or their first flat tire). Voila, Gianni finally owns Fabooo’s tubular wheels.
The first impression on the first ride was holy smokes, these float uphill. The weight difference was what impressed me immediately. I take off the front wheel when transporting the bike and I still marvel at its lightness. This lightness is also noticeable when cornering and not in a good way. The flywheel effect of a heavier aluminum rim is diminished making the steering, for lack of a better term, whippy. I’m used to it now but for the first few weeks the front end felt less stable.
My wife was quite vexed that I was undroppable on climbs; these wheels were feeling better and better. The improved climbing alone was enough to make me embrace the benefit of carbon construction.
It was during the first descent of Haleakala volcano where the other lightbulb switched on in my dim brain. Unintentionally I was going into every corner faster than usual. My V-meter does not give me data to substantiate the feeling but these wheels are more impressive going down than they are going up. They are fast. When you get off the brakes on a descent the bike just hauls more ass. To add to their list of wonders, they are very stable in gusty crosswinds too. The windtunnel testing was money well spent. Score one for the boffins.
I have not done enough riding in wet weather to have an opinion on rainy day braking. This is my number one bike after all and I’ve avoided the real steep descents if I have a choice.
To address the original question in the original article; can carbon wheels be one’s everyday, go-to wheels? I now say absolutely. These aero wheels are faster in all directions, why would you deny yourself that pleasure everyday. They do cost a huge amount to money new. That is their one massive downside. They can be had reasonably if one looks at slightly used tubulars, what is not to love about that? If one buys the premise that wheels are the most important upgrade to a bike, then buying light, aero, carbon wheels is the way to go.
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@Mikael Liddy after spending more than a year thinking about my daughter's n+1, making the jump up from a 24" wheel set to 700c, the C24 is exactly the wheel set she's now riding. She took home a gold medal in AL State RR Champion Jr's event the first weekend on the new bike w/this wheel set. The circuit featured a steep little climb where she attacked an older young man and left him in her dust. She cracks me up. Considers herself a "climber". And this wheel set, a carbon alloy hybrid, is exactly perfect for her and her bike. With the AL brake track I have no worries on her learning how to descend and use the brakes properly in different conditions.
I had buried this question and rationalised the R45 / Pacenti SL23 combo on my #1 as being adequate for my needs. Chris King has since announced a run of bright green parts, which would match the decals on my frame perfectly. I've managed to hold out so far, but really it's only a matter of time before I order a pair of R45s in 20/24 drilling that would match a pair of Enves. And once the hubs are here, it's all over.
One day, maybe.
Right now I'm content with my Ksyrium SL's and ES's.
Then again, have a new job starting in two weeks and I'll be commuting 40 minutes each way. Has me thinking about an extra-special commuter, as I already have just a solid commuter. Hmm...rack, disc brakes, fenders...
I got my 303 Fircrest tubular wheelset in July 2013. They have a one year warranty and I did everything I could to do to break them within warranty Period. No such luck. I rode them every ride, up or down, all around, rain or shine, 60kph crosswinds, it made no difference. They are still perfectly round and I have made about 9 half turn on the nipples, to date. I solved any potential wet braking issues by installing an Enve disc fork and a front 303 disc wheel on my Madone. I probably broke some rules, but not my femur. Gianni, I wish you could of delayed this article until I dumped all my aluminum rims and wheels on Ebay.
My go-to training wheels are HED Ardennes SL. Sub 1500g, nice riding and stiff enough. My #1 set for racing and "tuesday night world champs" rides are a pair of Rail 52 carbon clinchers with White Industry T11 hubs. I also rotate in HED jet 6's and some 50mm Boyd carbon clinchers. If rain is predicted on race day, I go with the Jet 6's, with their alloy brake track. It's funny, the Jets are monsterously heavy at almost 1900g, but on flat fast races they seem to be the fastest.
Unfortunately, in a racing application when you need that extra 1%, the deep rims are required if the guys you are racing against have them. I would never even consider them if I road alone or not competitively. For that matter, if I were the head of the USAC, I would ban carbon wheels as it would make racing less expensive, safer (have seen carb failures in races), and not give advantage to those who try to outspend the competition.
@ChrissyOne
I'm paranoid about heating the hell out of my carbon rims on those steep descents where you have to be on the brakes alot. I believe the rims can take it fine, it's the glue I'm worried about. Durability-wise, I'll have more data this winter. Bontrager uses cork pads, we will see if they hold the grit in the rain. That's what has messed up my aluminum brake surfaces. I'll be very impressed if they hold up well and very depressed if I've scored the hell out of them after one rainy, gritty, descent filled Sunday ride.
These wheels are great climbing, descending and crosswinds. Does Moto GP gone to carbon rims? That is the question.
@Nate
Trust me laddy, it's worth saving up for. Mine are replacing some Eurus tubeless. I can't say the carbon rims corner better but outshine the Eurus in up, down and flat. My first secteur at Roubaix was so incredibly rough I was sure my aluminum campy clinchers (older Scirocco) would not make it to the end of that section. When I saw Boonen and Fabs winning on deep carbon rims at PR, I knew those wheels were as tough or tougher than aluminum.
@Geraint
Yeah, life is too short not to have the perfect Chris King hubs and Enve rims. The mango hubs and Enve rims made my temperature spike. These Bontrager DT Swiss hubs are OK but they are not R45s. The crazy thing is, the freehub body comes off with no tools! It just pulls off.
@mauibike
I feel like a hoarder now. Four sets of Campy and Fulcrum clincher wheels hanging in the new bat cave. I hope there is some resale value. Oh, and by the way, nobody actually heeds my advice here, so we are safe for the price of aluminum not crashing anytime soon.
@Gianni
Send them to me...