Bob Dopolina 

We're in the middle of Chinese New Year vacation so I've had some time to get in some miles - guilt free.

I had a few days in the mountains and it was great. Today was supposed to be 3 1/2 hours with a few small climbs but only a total elevation gain of 2000m or so.

I was about 90 minutes in when I picked up a nasty piece of glass. It put a good gash in my tire. So I boot the tire and swapped in the spare tube. I pumped and hopped back on just in time to have the valve go on the spare. Crap.

I pulled out the old tube and slaped on a glueless patch which had, by now, become literally 'glueless'. I don't know how long I've had these but clearly I need to buy new ones.

So now I am just over 20km from home if I take the most direct route which involves some broken up farm roads, a few overpasses and one small climb. So I set off.

A lot of what I do is test stuff from various factories and today is no different. I have a set of sample carbon clinchers laced into new hubs we are working on for an OE customer. The tire was already trashed so I really didn't care what happened to it but I was hoping to get a few more kms out of the rims so I could form an opinion about the factory and their ability to produce carbon goods.

I rode the 20ish km home and pulled of the tire. I looked at the rim and there is no physical evidence of anything ever having happend. The rim is as goods as when I laced it up a few days ago. There is no pitting or chunks missing or maring of any kind.

Colour me impressed.

Try that with cheapo Chinese carbon!

spectastic

where can I buy this fine taiwanese carbon wheelset?

Bob Dopolina 

It's not a wheel set. I took sample rims and laced them into a set of hubs I am also testing.

These rims are not sold consumer direct. They are ODM only (which means unavailable for now). If we do start a project with this factory we won't use these rims. We would take our own design to them and have them produce it for us.

I still want to ride the crap out of these for 1000km or so but I was pretty impressed that that is still even possible.

coasting 

I had a nice ride.

kleng

What was your average speed on the the flat tire ?

Homebrew01

Probably the same as me on 100 psi

zvez

This is interesting to read. I was wondering how much damage would occur travelling any distance on a flat tire with carbon rims. In my mind I have the fear I'll have a flat, ride 20 feet and tear up the rim.

phoebeisis

so the rubber tire was enough to protect the rim-
WOW
JUst curious-did it go out of true?
And carbon fiber rims-are they "all carbon fiber" or is there some metal in them?

Hey why bother designing "your rims" if "their rims" are sooooo good?

Bob Dopolina 

Yeah, the weather here has been perfect over CNY.

Bob Dopolina 

I was going anywhere between 15kph and 20kph.

R1lee

Without going over major bumps or anything. The biggest issue with riding on a flat with clinchers is that the tires can easily roll off the wheel. If that happens there is no protection from road to wheel.

on tubulars it's common to be able to ride on a flat, since the tire isn't coming off the rim at any time.

Bob Dopolina 

The wheels are perfectly true.

They are full carbon clinchers. Alloy is for sissies

Theses rims were designed by the factory as an ODM project. We really don't do much open mold stuff anymore. Most of the work we do is proprietary products which is much, much more fun for me.

Bob Dopolina 

This is true, which also speaks to the tolerance and strength of the hook on the rim. The tires didn't slip off.

As I said, the roads I was on were some pretty chewed up asphalt farm roads. There were bits of gravel here and there and I rode for just over 20km on this surface. I fully expected some damage or, at the very least some marring of the rim.

Nada.

Silvercivic27

Exactly. I'm more scared of crashing from rim-road contact than I am to damage the rims. . .especially if the rims aren't mine! I don't ride flat clinchers. That's how I know I married the right woman, lol. She's had to make the drive of shame a little over 40 miles once, but wasn't too mad, lol.

gc3

So, what would have happened if they were alloy rims?

Bob Dopolina 

Pitting, scratches, dings and perhaps the hooks would have bent.

gc3

I loves me some crabon clinchers! I would've tried this on my cheap chinese clinchers, but not the new Zipps....that would have necessitated the call of shame.

canam73

Why would I want to ride on any flat tire?

A rim or any product proving itself capable of a task it was never designed for does not necessarily make it better for doing what it was designed for.

And if you really want to prove a point, then YOU get some chinese rims and ride them with a flat. Same set up, same roads, same rider.

Your revelation may be entirely due to tighter fitting tires and rims because one or more was designed to be tubeless compatible (even if not advertised as such). This in turn kept the tire in place and protected the rim allowing you to ride home on it. A happy feature for anyone who rides too far from home unprepared. But not necessary for anyone who rides prepared because they don't want to ride home on any flat. I plead guilty to that.

Bob Dopolina 

Rims were not tubeless compatible.

I rode home on a flat because I had no other options. It is Chinese New Year here so the bike shops are closed. My wife was out of town visiting family like most other people so I was on my own. As for riding on a flat? It happens. Not often mind you but every few years it is something that happens although not usually this far.

I was stuck because of a series of mishaps not because I was unprepared (although having ancient glueless patches in my bag is all on me). If the patches had worked I would have finished my ride and had nothing to post about.

As to cheap Chinese carbon clinchers handling this there is no way in hell they would have stood up. I have seen many of these fail even basic EN tests never mind what I put mine through today.

The reason I am testing these rims in the first place is because of the technology this particular factory possesses allowing them to create insane bladder pressures in the mold which creates uber compaction. My first impression of these rims is that they may be TOO HARD which would be a direct result of the technology.

Lastly, is it now your mission to contradict everything I post?

YOJiMBO20

I was expecting something like this.

canam73

I am fairly certain you have made at least one post between now and the last time I contradicted you. Probably more like a hundred. More than a hundred? But oops, I just did it again.

Anyway, if your main point is to avoid Chinese carbon on Chinese New Year, I will support you.

Otherwise, my experiences don't match up with yours. But why should they, I am not a guy living in Taiwan who makes part of his living dealing in taiwanese carbon bike parts.

BigJeff

I 'm guessing pictures are unlikely....

Bob Dopolina 

Of what? There's nothing to show, just a rim.

Bob Dopolina 

The real point of my post was about how amazed I was when I peeled off the trashed tire. I fully expected to have to lace in a new rim.

The Chinese carbon clincher bit was a bit of levity but, honestly, if you think Chinese carbon rims sold for a fraction of the price of rims made elsewhere are just as good there is nothing I can say to you, show you or do to prove otherwise.

You are right that I do make a living working with Taiwanese carbon vendors to bring carbon bits to market but I also have experience with their Mainland Chinese counterparts.

It is from that experience I speak.

And I do more than just sell carbon bits. We are involved in design, testing, QC, finishing and whatever else it takes to get the carbon bits into our customer's hands. So not just selling but the actual manufacturing of carbon bike bits as well as alloy, plastic and leather goods.

The real point of this thread was my amazement at just how tough carbon can be. By that I don't just mean these particular rims but what is possible and that all the talk of asplosions, while amusing, really is unfounded.

Bob Dopolina 

It's funny. I've seen this video and this was in the back of my mind the entire time.

I did catch the edge of a couple of white painted lines a few times and it pulled the rear wheel out from under me but I stayed upright and got home.

I just realized that this was a rear flat. If it had been a front flat I wouldn't have ridden on it.