hazben1

I understand that most carbon wheels are more aero but what are the other advantages or disadvantages of carbon wheels?
Are they more comfy?
Are they sturdier?
Are they better at staying true?
Do they require less maintenance?
Are they OK for everyday use?
I understand this will vary by brand but overall how do they compare to regular wheels?
I am mostly curious about clinchers not tubeless

Elvo

It depends

rpenmanparker 

Perhaps the rim is stiffer if it is deeper profile than the aluminum rims you might be comparing to. But for the most part, none of the above.

Lazyass

They make you more alert and aware of your surroundings since your brakes will suck. They make you feel like you're going faster.

rpenmanparker 

Oh yes, and I forgot they are often incredibly noisy, amplifying the normal freehub noises until they sound like your whole bike is disintegrating.

gl98115

They're good at lightening your wallet.

jimc101

You are aware that they are the same thing? All tubeless rims are clinchers, and all clinchers rims can be tubeless with the correct use of rim strips & sealants.

mkadam68

Speaking from my experience with 55mm and 88mm rims...

Are they more comfy?
No.

Are they sturdier?
Yes

Are they better at staying true?
So far, yes. Quality of wheel builder is a huge effect on this.

Do they require less maintenance?
Sturdier & better at staying true? Yes, less maintenance.

Are they OK for everyday use?
I use my 55mm clinchers that way.

My clinchers are also wider-style rims, 25mm I believe. Pinch flats are almost a thing of the past. I nailed a pothole really bad once. So bad, in fact--I flatted both wheels!--that my tires were snake bit, not the tubes! The rims were/are still true in spite of such a big hit.

Homebrew01

OP probably meant tubular.

Jiggle

Are they sturdier?

Yes, the rim can be made stiffer for the same weight, ceteris paribus, etc... than aluminum. If you are descending mountains, you want a name brand rim that will hold up to the brake heat. It's not a problem my area engenders.

Are they better at staying true?

Yes. The stiffer rim minimizes spoke de-tensioning.

Do they require less maintenance?

Meh

Are they OK for everyday use?

Yes

Brian Ratliff

They are also lighter than the equivalent aluminum rim. There are several disadvantages though... namely they don't dissipate braking heat very well, and if you destroy them, you will cry.

gc3

Faster Better Smarter Prettier....

Attract women better than a baby AND a puppy....

bbattle

Above a certain speed, you get a benefit from deeper rims because they are more aerodynamic. Deep dish aluminum rims are heavier than carbon so if you want 40mm-80mm rims without the weight, carbon is the way to go.

I've got a friend that is saving up for Zipp 404's so she can ride faster in Olympic distance triathlons. She's fast enough to derive a benefit from them so more power to her.

As for me, I'll be riding my beat up country roads on good ol' aluminum rims.

canam73

So what is this certain speed?

colnago62

I was told that carbon wheels are generally more efficient from around 12 mph or higher. I was told this by the manager at the local bike shop. It seems true. I have some Zipp 808 wheels and if I am climbing at around 12 mph or better, the wheels feel pretty good. If I am climbing like 6 mph, the wheels feel like they are full of lead.

Trsnrtr

to the OP. there are carbon rims and then there are carbon-faired wheels. Carbon-faired wheels will give decent braking and be aero but will be generally fairly heavy.

Garfield Cat

Now we get into the different carbon wheels out there. Hed, Zipp, Enve, Cosmic, . How much better is one than the other.

bbattle

There's been a ton of threads on aero rims; the speed most often used was ~20mph.

Square Wheels

I am a bad bike owner and don't have lots of good pics.

Carbon wheels make your bike look wicked pissa, these aren't good comparisons, but they are the same bike.

Anything that makes you want to ride more is a good thing. Money, like life, is very temporary.

Before:



After:



(I can never figure out how to get this sie to post a full size image you don't have to click on)

rpenmanparker 

Just edit the post, double click on one of the photos, and a menu box will appear. Choose the size you want and save. Done and done. On adjustment will fix both photos.

Square Wheels

Well that's silly and I'll never remember it, but thanks.

rpenmanparker 

You can try doing it during the original posting before saving, but sometimes my system freezes when I try it that way. The edit and adjust method is more reliable for me.

Marcus_Ti

1) No
2) No
3) No
4) No
5) Braking sucks in wet or mountain descents.

They're much more expensive and get you nothing unless you're seriously racing. I personally don't even care for how they look. You can get a top-flight set of alloy wheels/hubs/spokes built custom for the cost of entry level off-brand carbon wheels.

Homebrew01

I race 50 mm carbon tubulars, but see no advantage for non race situations, so I ride my "whatever" brand aluminum wheels mostly. I like the ride of tubulars, but am lazy & cheap so don't train on them.

gc3

This whole concept of "bad braking" and "over heating brake tracks" is utterly ridiculous with current carbon wheels. I've ridden them for about 8000 miles in 2013-2014, including some halfway serious descents where I grabbed hard for short periods (isn't that what you're supposed to do?), and as far as I'm concerned there is literally no issue with braking provided you use appropriate brake pads.

I'll defer to anyone who has actually personally experienced an exploding or deforming rim, but otherwise its all conjecture.

Too expensive? Wait for the end-of-year sales and shop around hard.