How long should rim brake carbon wheel sets last?
#1
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How long should rim brake carbon wheel sets last?
For the weekend warrior type, non competitive rider. How long should these wheels be expected to last as long as they are reputable?
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A very long time, particularly if you don’t do a ton of miles. I had 7,000 miles on my Zipp 303 rim brake Firecrests before I donated that bike to a kid on my high school MTB team. The brake track showed no signs of wear. I chose Zipp at that time (2014) because they had much more stopping power than the Rovals I tried. I believe at this point pretty much every big maker makes a reliable and sturdy brake track. Fear not!
I do have to be a little careful not to let my wheels drop into ruts in the road. That can mar the edge of the rim.
I do have to be a little careful not to let my wheels drop into ruts in the road. That can mar the edge of the rim.
#3
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Just like with aluminum wheels, brake track longevity is determined by the hardness of the brake pads and how clean you keep the brake track/pads. If you stay on top of this maintenance, the brake track will last a very, very long time. Also, assuming the wheel has been built correctly, the rim integrity should hold up for a lifetime.
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Agree they should last a long time. That said, I have a lovely Williams 38 front wheel that hit a stray rock and the crabon cracked. So stuff happens, but if you don't hit something like a rock they should last plenty.
Which ones are you getting???
Which ones are you getting???

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#7
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Not worlds apart from using aluminum. If you're riding in clean conditions, its typically basically forever. If you're doing a lot of wet riding and your regional roads are covered in a particularly abrasive grime, it may be relatively short.
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They should last forever - If you never ride them.
All rim brake rims are a wear component. Use and conditions can reduce or accelerate wear.
They last long enough otherwise there'd be 10,000 threads on here about how no one would ever buy them as they always wear out.
I have seen them wear out in customer's hands. Some. Those customers were ....well....riding. A lot usually. More than most people and/or in all conditions and with lots of long descents. Most that I have seen wear out were rim brake cyclocross use carbon with sand and mud braking conditions.
Regular casual road riders like 90% of this forum....never wear out.
Just make sure you have the right pads (ask manufacturer), and keep the system clean-ish between uses. In other words if you ride in a ton of slop them wash off the bike and brakes when you're done. Inspect the pads every few months and see if there is debris in them. Don't use the same pads for you aluminum and carbon. Yes you can sometimes but the alloy will get caught in the pad material and eat the shiz out of the rims.
All rim brake rims are a wear component. Use and conditions can reduce or accelerate wear.
They last long enough otherwise there'd be 10,000 threads on here about how no one would ever buy them as they always wear out.
I have seen them wear out in customer's hands. Some. Those customers were ....well....riding. A lot usually. More than most people and/or in all conditions and with lots of long descents. Most that I have seen wear out were rim brake cyclocross use carbon with sand and mud braking conditions.
Regular casual road riders like 90% of this forum....never wear out.
Just make sure you have the right pads (ask manufacturer), and keep the system clean-ish between uses. In other words if you ride in a ton of slop them wash off the bike and brakes when you're done. Inspect the pads every few months and see if there is debris in them. Don't use the same pads for you aluminum and carbon. Yes you can sometimes but the alloy will get caught in the pad material and eat the shiz out of the rims.
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Two or three rides.
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#11
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In my experience, if you're using the right brake pads, keeping them dedicated to carbon rims, and not constantly riding through muck and grit, the life of a carbon rim depends on how long you can go until you crash it into a curb or something like that.
Tubular rims suffer bangs and collisions better than clinchers, in my experience.
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#13
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#14
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Yessir! Came with them.
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