Originally Posted by Dan Burkhart

There is really no reason to fear building with a carbon rim. Many have maximum tension ratings in the 130 to 140 kgf range and you really have to work at it to get it up there.
I use tension meters but I build large numbers of wheels which must be consistent.
For doing a one off you should be fine without it.

Originally Posted by Andrew R Stewart

The big issue I've had with the handful of carbon rims I've laced up (besides the actual feeding nipples onto the spoke ends) is that some carbon rims seem to have a "softer" spoke bed. It seems that the nipples seat/pull into the spoke bed more than with metal rims. So the spoke's ramping up of tension while turning the nipples takes more turns, to a point of wondering if you're doing the right things if you're not use to this aspect. Our shop has built up it's fair share of carbon rimmed wheels (my portion has been the lesser amount) and we've seen a very few wheels end up with under tensioned spokes after a few hundred miles. We have revisited a few wheels with follow up tensioning/trueing. Not an issue if the builder is also the rider... Andy (who stays away from Aluminum nipples too)