Safety is a primary concern, but not the only one. You can descend at high speeds safely, but you have to have well maintained equipment and confidence in your skill set. In my case, I was lacking the former; fortunately the latter saved my bacon. This is now my commuter. The rims are pristine.


I got into competitive cycling at the ripe young age of 44. If you didn't learn to descend with speed and skill, you didn't get to the finish line with a chance at the podium very often. At the time my rim let go my commute included a 2 mile climb in the morning with about a 1/4 mile grade in excess of 12%. On the way home it was a lot more fun....... except when your rim explodes.