Updated HEDs Stinger braking surface?

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xmashx
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 12:30 am

by xmashx

Hi,

just bought new Stingers and I noticed a difference between older models. In the old models (not necessary very old, just few years ago) the braking surface looked like a clean carbon fibre pattern. Below the braking surface (where decals were sticked) there was some kind of "no pattern carbon fibre" - just a black surface (see picture). In the new ones the clean black surface is also for the braking part (you can still see the carbon pattern on the gluing side).

Anyone notice any difference in performance of braking? In my opinion the black surface is more slippery so it could affects the performance but haven't tried it yet as we are off the season now :(
Image

whosatthewheel
Posts: 123
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2016 1:35 pm
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by whosatthewheel

I don't see why unidirectional fibre composite would be worse at braking than woven fibre composite. The real issue when braking on composite is what kind of temperature it can take before the material begins to warp or even soften. The trend is to push this temperature as high as possible, using better resins.
In terms of pads grabbing composite better, I have seen different solutions, mostly unconvincing and I thing the trend there is towards better pad material, rather than the old fashioned particle-coated brake track that you still see in many Chinese rims.

HED are at the front, when it comes to innovation, so if they use unidirectional fibres rather than woven, it's probably because overall their rims are better this way

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TheKaiser
Posts: 653
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 3:29 pm

by TheKaiser

whosatthewheel wrote:I don't see why unidirectional fibre composite would be worse at braking than woven fibre composite.
A lot of the new generation carbon rims from companies like Zipp, Fulcrum, Mavic, etc...have a heavily textured braking surface that is machined post production, in order to give it ridges that increase grip on the pads and perhaps improve water evacuation. If the texture of the old woven fiber on these HED rims causes small variations in the surface, corresponding to the weave, it might provide similar effect, whereas the unidirectional fiber on the new rims, may not. I agree that any effect would likely be small when compared to the coarse texturing of the new gen Zipps for instance, and perhaps the effect would get even smaller as the HEDs wore and get even smoother, but it is still possible.

xmashx
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 12:30 am

by xmashx

Ok, got the point. Thanks for the answers :-)

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