I'm considering disk vs rim brake options for a new bike build.
How many miles would a set of rim brake carbon rims last (for something like a Bora one or Zipp 303?
67kg rider, would mainly be used in the dry or wet only if caught out in the rain.
Average Carbon rim life?
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67kg, mostly dry: basically forever.
I sill don't have any significant wear on my 2013 Farsports rims, which are my most ridden set.
I sill don't have any significant wear on my 2013 Farsports rims, which are my most ridden set.
Dry weather, proper carbon pads cleaned well after each use
Asking on average as i have no idea....1k miles, 10k miles??
Can’t speak for the zipps, but for the Boras.... 67kg, dry weather.... ha... at 10,000 miles they will just be getting warmed up. You may find it difficult to distinguish them from new.
The rim wear argument for disc brakes is a red herring as far as I’m concerned. Get discs for other reasons if you want, but not rim wear. Unless perhaps, you’re commuting daily in extreme foul weather all year long and grinding sand and muck into the rims.
The rim wear argument for disc brakes is a red herring as far as I’m concerned. Get discs for other reasons if you want, but not rim wear. Unless perhaps, you’re commuting daily in extreme foul weather all year long and grinding sand and muck into the rims.
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joejack951
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Far more important than any other factor, IMO, is the local terrain and traffic controls. By the latter, I am referring to how often you encounter stop signs or red lights at the bottom or in the middle of steep hills. Steep hills on their own don't pose any brake issues assuming you don't drag your brakes, but if you are repeatedly going from 50-70 kmh down to 15 or 0, that will take a toll on your rims. It gets much worse if you combine rain with that type of use.
On flat roads in mostly dry weather, I wouldn't worry too much about it.
On flat roads in mostly dry weather, I wouldn't worry too much about it.
My guess is that at 20k miles you'll look at your brake tracks and wonder whether there's any wear at all.
Last edited by Marin on Thu Sep 13, 2018 8:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
It's a combination of:
Pads (hard or soft)
Rider weight
Terrain (climbing a lot?)
Braking technique
Cleaning intervals
Brake track quality
Thickness of braketracks
Overheating
At 67kg if you aren't doing something very wrong you can expect the rims to last many many maaany years.
Pads (hard or soft)
Rider weight
Terrain (climbing a lot?)
Braking technique
Cleaning intervals
Brake track quality
Thickness of braketracks
Overheating
At 67kg if you aren't doing something very wrong you can expect the rims to last many many maaany years.
I know you love your Bora's. As I do mine (which I ride sparingly). But I've seen plenty of Bora's with braking surface well worn. Over time (a few years of regular use) it goes from that matte grey-ish finish towards a gloss/transparent finish. Run your finger over it and you can feel a difference in the surface. That's on 3diamante rims. We've also seen plenty of accounts from people who have Ac3 surface and the grooves have all but disappeared in a single season indicating that they do wear.Calnago wrote: ↑Wed Sep 12, 2018 2:38 pmCan’t speak for the zipps, but for the Boras.... 67kg, dry weather.... ha... at 10,000 miles they will just be getting warmed up. You may find it difficult to distinguish them from new.
The rim wear argument for disc brakes is a red herring as far as I’m concerned. Get discs for other reasons if you want, but not rim wear. Unless perhaps, you’re commuting daily in extreme foul weather all year long and grinding sand and muck into the rims.
So yeah, love your kit - and you should, you have great taste in your equipment - but it aint made of unobtanium
The thing is, some people seem to be so afraid of wearing out carbon rims when in fact it is really hard to do. An alloy rim is much softer and much more prone to wear than carbon, so if you are wearing through a few alloy rims each season then sure, maybe your conditions are pretty darn harsh and you should consider this. Any time there is contact between surfaces there will be some wear, but for this lightweight user riding in dry conditions he’s not going to have to worry about it, at all, for many seasons and miles. And 10,000 miles imo would be on the very very low end of what he could expect.
Also, those light semicircle “grooves” in the AC3 track of the new Boras are simply an artifact of the production process. They are also present in the older Boras, just not easily visible.
Also, those light semicircle “grooves” in the AC3 track of the new Boras are simply an artifact of the production process. They are also present in the older Boras, just not easily visible.
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There you go.. 60.000km and still going on strong..
Very impressive
Now not to forget that campy carbon wheels are top of the line quality wise. Other wheels will most likely not amount to the same, but should be reasonably close.
Surface treatments however are only temporary, they wear and sooner or later everyone will be down to bare carbon eventually. So I don't see much disadvantage in just getting a normal cheaper untreated brake track and just get used to it's initial unimpressive braking. Braking performance is going to stay the same through out the life of that wheelset. After a while you will have found the brake pads that you like the most. Everyone likes different because we live in different climates, weigh different, have different brake calipers and ride different terrain.
If you like climbing and descending then just get the high temperature resin wheels. If you're light you can use some old carbon wheels but don't take that chance if you are heavy and intend to do some steep descents on an older wheelset. Both big brand and chinese wheels carbon technology has progressed far in the last 5-10 years. A chinese wheel might today perform like a 3-5y old big brand carbon wheelset.
/a
Very impressive
Now not to forget that campy carbon wheels are top of the line quality wise. Other wheels will most likely not amount to the same, but should be reasonably close.
Surface treatments however are only temporary, they wear and sooner or later everyone will be down to bare carbon eventually. So I don't see much disadvantage in just getting a normal cheaper untreated brake track and just get used to it's initial unimpressive braking. Braking performance is going to stay the same through out the life of that wheelset. After a while you will have found the brake pads that you like the most. Everyone likes different because we live in different climates, weigh different, have different brake calipers and ride different terrain.
If you like climbing and descending then just get the high temperature resin wheels. If you're light you can use some old carbon wheels but don't take that chance if you are heavy and intend to do some steep descents on an older wheelset. Both big brand and chinese wheels carbon technology has progressed far in the last 5-10 years. A chinese wheel might today perform like a 3-5y old big brand carbon wheelset.
/a
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bm0p700f
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it really depends on conditions. my first set were doing fine until I rode them in march on the strada bianca course. it as wet and the grinding paste wore eveything out including my rims. They did 20,000km in shity conditions as well a nice dry days.
Give them to me and I'll wear them out for you. Its a service I provide. No charge either.
Give them to me and I'll wear them out for you. Its a service I provide. No charge either.
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It surprises me to hear people talk about wearing through an alloy rim; I've got front wheels (which take the brunt of braking force) with over 25k miles on them that look new.
@Cal agree on the individual's conditions being the driver for any decision making on wheel life.
