Do carbon rims wear down

[jonny jeez]

im mindful of how much my aluminium rims wear from braking...if I were to buy carbon wheels/rims, would they wear as much...less....or more.

Carbon rims are a lot more costly than Ali and I want to know how long I can expect them to "last"

I may consider discs if they wear a lot.

 

[ianrauk]

Not great for stopping in the wet apparently.
Go disc John. No rim wear, spend less on pads, better stopping. It's worth the expense. Especially for a commute bike or a bike that gets heavy use.

 

[young Ed]

as ian said /\
virtually no wear with carbon, although i think carbon specific pads are recommended/necessary?
Cheers Ed

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Yes they do.. For heavy use bikes stick to alloy rims on cheaper wheels or do it right and go disc

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

I have a friend who reckons that his carbon rims were ruined by a single ride in the rain.

 

[raleighnut]

I have a friend who reckons that his carbon rims were ruined by a single ride in the rain.

Melted?

 

[Smokin Joe]

I have a friend who reckons that his carbon rims were ruined by a single ride in the rain.

You just don't like carbon fibre, do you?

 

[ayceejay]

I find they last longer with tyres on than without.

 

[pclay]

Not great for stopping in the wet apparently.
Go disc John. No rim wear, spend less on pads, better stopping. It's worth the expense. Especially for a commute bike or a bike that gets heavy use.

But this would require a new bike....

 

[Eurostar]

I used to chat with lots of owners of Carbonsports Lightweight wheels http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/reviews/wheels/lightweight-meilenstein-wheels and I never heard one instance of a rim wearing out. I remember Erik Zabel claiming he'd had a pair for 6 seasons. Of course they cost as much as the moon...they've been the gold standard for years and years...but I would argue they are worth it. (I had a pair briefly before getting them nicked.) If you want to contact current owners you'll find some at the weightweenies forum.

I am too poor to afford Lightweights now but I'm slowly building some (comparatively) el cheapo wheels with 55mm wire-on carbon rims by Gigantex. I probably won't have any wear data for a long time.

 

[ayceejay]

If grit/sand etc sticks to a rim and a brake block picks it up and the grit is embedded in the block this will be like braking with sandpaper, cleaning rims and brake blocks often will lessen the damage.

 

[ianrauk]

But this would require a new bike....

You say that as if it's a bad thing.

 

[jonny jeez]

Thanks Guys.

this wouldn't be for a commuter, I have two bikes that perform that role well.

I am thinking of a weekend Indulgence bike and don't want to consider super duper rims if they cost a packet and need replacing every 5,000 miles

 

[shadow master]

Its a frictional surface,so yes it is subject to wear,best cure is don't use the brakes