I'm getting very close to getting a pair of carbon wheels. For me, these are going to be every day wheels. Other people have already given a lot of good advice on this. One thing that hasn't come up, is that carbon
clinchers have had some issues with heat build up on long descents. Since Clydes have more inertia than other riders, this might be worth thinking about.
Originally Posted by
StephenH
Theoretically, there's no reason you couldn't make carbon wheels to support a 1,000 lb rider. If there's an issue, it's likely to be because anything new and light was likely made as light as possible for racing applications. Ang that would be an issue regardless of whether the product in question was carbon, titanium, or what.
There's a set of carbon fiber wheels that are rated to hold a 1,400 pound rider. They're more expensive than most frames, but they're out there.
Weight isn't typically that important to racers, at least a lot of them. Aerodynamics are, unless the whole course is up hill. Even then, the UCI has a 15 pound (minimum) weight limit; if your bike weighs less than this, you'll have to add ballast under the saddle, so ultralight wheels don't make sense in competitive races.