Mavic Open Pro Ceramic 700c Black Anodised Rim - suitable for commuting?

[bernieUK]

Good morning all

I need to replace the wheels on my single speed that I use to commute to work - which is about a total of 15 miles a day through city streets. I have seen these advertised at a particularly good price, namely the Mavic Open Pro Ceramic 700c Black Anodised Rim.

I have to admit to not know too much about ceramic rims. Would these wheels be suitable for my daily commute? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[e-rider]

Are you going to buy just the rims or complete wheels? What hubs?

These rims are very good - are they new or secondhand?

Ceramic rims require special brake pads so don't forget that!

Unless you ride into deep potholes often I would say that they are fine for the job although there are more suitable rims out there for commuting - but if you like them and they're going cheap - fine.

 

[e-rider]

How many spokes? - for commuting you'd want 36 on the rear - front is less important; 28, 32 or 36 would be fine.

 

[bernieUK]

Thank you for replying.

The roads that I use through London - Putney, Hammersmith, Fulham, Kensington, Knightsbridge - certainly have more than their fair share of pot holes so if someone could suggest more suitable rims/wheels I would appreciate it.

I am still fairly new to cycling so I do not have too much technical knowledge regarding hubs and spokes. At present there I have 32 spokes on each wheel. The hubs just have "EX" stamped on them

 

[Will1985]

Save your money and get the standard OP for half the price. Ceramic coatings can get chipped and shorten the life of the rim...I think braking can be affected too.

 

[fossyant]

Like Will said - my LBS said don't bother as the ceramic can chip. I've raced with him for years, and he knows his stuff. Open Pro CD's (CD's have the machined braking surface) are slightly better then plain Open Pro's.

 

[RedBike]

You ideally do need special brake pads for a ceramic rim. Normal pads don't work very well in the wet.

The ceramic coating is MUCH harder than aluminium. The brake pads are too soft to wear out a ceramic rim so in theory the rims should last for donkeys years. You don't get any of that black gunge after a wet ride.
In practice you get all sorts of rubbish (stones) stuck in your brake blocks and the rim and this debris does damage the rim. It tends to chip the surface rather than wear it down. Treated rightly a ceramic rim should easily outlast a standard rim several times over.

 

[jpembroke]

As above, ceramic rims can be a bit brittle, i.e. prone to chips etc, and require special pads. I'd go for standard Open Pro - absolutely fantastic rims.