Is it safer to buy cheap Chinese disc brake carbon than rim brake?
Moderator: robbosmans
Considering getting some lighter wheels for the gravel bike as I’ve converted it into a road training mule. Want a lighter wheel set but they’ll be used in all sorts of weather so don’t want to spend too much. Hunt light aero look good but would prefer still something a touch cheaper and am thinking Chinese carbon wheels could match them weight wise. Also thinking that it’s safer as they’re disc. New to the whole disc brake thing so it sure if it’s as simple as that. Maybe disc braking puts mad stress on wheels in some other way?
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I think with any carbon rim, disk brakes are safer for the rim than rim brakes. The disc braking puts stress on the spokes, rather than on the rim.
People are buying tons of these wheels and don't seem to be having problems.
Personally, I'd still be more comfortable with a "name brand" Chinese wheel like Farsports or LightBicycle than a no-name Aliexpress wheel.
Personally, I'd still be more comfortable with a "name brand" Chinese wheel like Farsports or LightBicycle than a no-name Aliexpress wheel.
With disc specific rims, they don’t have to worry about a proper brake track or even worry so much about using heat resistant resins etc to help keep a carbon clincher from softening up at the rim walls and having the pressure from the clinchers blow it apart. In essence, it is much easier and cheaper to build a disc braked based rim. Where they do have to reinforce it more than a rim brake based rim is at the spoke holes, since the braking force at the hub gets transmitted all that way through the rim and ultimately the road. But that’s more about just adding a bit more material around the spoke holes to accommodate it, not a big deal.
So, to answer your initial question I’d say that yes, I’d be more comfortable buying a cheaper Chinese disc brake specific rim than I would a rim brake rim, where the quality of the track, the resins and compounds used are so much more critical. And it seems that many of those brake tracks are just added afterwards via using basalt or layers of textured carbon strips which ultimately wear through. Versus say, a Bora where the brake track is really a structural and integral part of the rim itself.
So, to answer your initial question I’d say that yes, I’d be more comfortable buying a cheaper Chinese disc brake specific rim than I would a rim brake rim, where the quality of the track, the resins and compounds used are so much more critical. And it seems that many of those brake tracks are just added afterwards via using basalt or layers of textured carbon strips which ultimately wear through. Versus say, a Bora where the brake track is really a structural and integral part of the rim itself.
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Cheers, that makes a lot of sense to me though the prices of some of the Chinese named brands aren’t really that cheap compared to a discounted Zipp 302 for example.. was really thinking to find a couple of wheels around 1500g and priced around £300 per set
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Not seen anything at that pricepoint.
316 for 38mm etc
Sellers on eBay like this guy:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/kingbike888/ ... 7675.l2562
Sellers on eBay like this guy:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/kingbike888/ ... 7675.l2562
I bought a set of Farsports a few months ago with DT Swiss 350 hubs for $580 on their last 10% sale. You can go cheaper with Bitex/Novatec hubs. One thing I've noticed is that Farsports usually builds with CX Ray spokes included. No name wheels seem to use CN spokes. A google search shows me $1500 for Zipp 302s so the difference still seems substanial to me.
For super cheap I'd check out CSC (carbon speed cycle) or Carbonzone. You can find both of those sellers on ebay, on their own sites, or maybe aliexpress.
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It turns out it not safe to buy American made enve rims. Chinese rims are safer.
Chinese made is not all the same. It a bit like saying all American cars are rubbish and all french ones are great.
Chinese made is not all the same. It a bit like saying all American cars are rubbish and all french ones are great.
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