Carbon Wheels - Brake Track Wear

[Dannnnn]

I recently bought a pair of Cosine 45mm wheels off another forum (Sold as "as new")
So far they have been great and I really like them.

Last week I went out and got caught in the rain. When I got home I saw that both wheels were covered in a white powder/solution.
I assume that this was where the resin has been wearing away whilst braking in the wet (like aluminium rims shed black powder/liquid).

So the next day I cleaned them and upon inspection of the brake track they look like the pics below in places.

My question is how badly worn do these look?
I read that when you start to see the carbon weave that they are almost done.

I only weigh 70kgs, the bike is 8kg and I'm using the Cosine supplied Carbon pads. I've been very careful with how I brake on them so I don't create too much heat (not that I do much braking on my training routes)

Thanks

[sungod]

is the brake track deeply worn? i.e. concave or 'rutted', you should be able to feel this by running your fingers over the surface

generically, wear is not as simple as being able to see the weave - with some you can see the weave in brand new unridden wheels, and the weave is a normal part of the braking surface

if you're concerned, try contacting wiggle and see what their advice is for assessing wear

[guyc]

That looks like they’ve scored. Something caught between pad and rim?

[kode54]

grit on the road act like sandpaper on carbon. some rims wear more than others.

[Dannnnn]

is the brake track deeply worn? i.e. concave or 'rutted', you should be able to feel this by running your fingers over the surface

generically, wear is not as simple as being able to see the weave - with some you can see the weave in brand new unridden wheels, and the weave is a normal part of the braking surface

if you're concerned, try contacting wiggle and see what their advice is for assessing wear

Nope, the brake track is still smooth. There is a slight groove in them but it's not massively noticable.

I'll give wiggle a shout and see what they say.

[alcatraz]

Were the brake tracks much less scratched before the ride in the rain?

Seems like you have a lot of debris in the pads. Better clean them out and reduce your rain riding.

You might also choose a softer pad. Take care when choosing though as many pads aren't suitable in the wet.

Is it possible the pads themselves are very abraisive? That would significantly lower the rim life span.

How about barradine blue. Oz cycle on youtube recommends them, affordable all weather pads. His rims passed 20.000km with those pads.

/a

[wingguy]

I read that when you start to see the carbon weave that they are almost done.

Where did you read that? It’s impossible to make a generic determination like that across multiple brands of wheel. It may or may not be true of some wheels (though tbh I’d be surprised if it held for any) but as mentioned above, there are huge differences in the way braketracks are made.

Some manufacturers actually machine away the external resin layer to leave the carbon threads exposed from day 1, as it provides a grippier surface.