Nick Bain

Carbon wheels and verticle compliance if there is such a thing. I've heard or read people talking about carbon wheels being to stiff or harsh of ride in deeper section rims. Are they smoking crack or does carbon have less verticel compliance. Being that manufacturers claim to be able to manipulate ride qualities in Farbon Ciber frames, is it possible to engineer verticle compliance or lack there of in wheels? or is this a non-issue and its really about the tires and psi.

ColinL

carbon flexes if given the opportunity. the oversized BB shells you see very often today are not that size for no good reason.

try flexing your average carbon bar and then your average aluminum bar. then try chrome-moly steel.


there is much more to stiffness when talking wheels, however.

foresthill

I prefer to get my vertical compliance from my frame. I like my wheels stiff, for the obvious reason that that's how I make the bike move.

Commodus

I'm not a carbon expert or anything, but generally if you take a plank of something and set it on its edge like that you end up with the stiffest possible orientation of the thing.

Additionally, I have read that many times as well.

Seattle Forrest

From what I've heard, carbon wheels in a toroidal shape flex when there's enough force applied to them. I've been told (by LBS, who happens to sell expensive carbon wheels) that some potholes that will destroy an alloy rim will flex a carbon wheel and dissipate the force, without ruining the wheel. I doubt they flex very much for minor road imperfections.

Flexing like a spring isn't the only way to make something comfortable. Carbon fiber doesn't like to vibrate, and, at least in theory, deeper rims could dampen some road buzz. By how much is anybody's guess. But this is one reason photographers like CF tripods - they make for sharper photos. ("A tripod is your sharpest lens.")