Does anyone know the advantages and disadvantages (besides price) of ceramic rims?

Somewhere I heard about another type of coating that is supposed to be even better than ceramic. Does anyone know anything about it?

Also, someone told me that DT makes better ceramic rims than Mavic. Are they better? Are there other companies that make good quality ceramic rims?

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Side note: Is it possible to coat rims oneself? Where could I find out how to do this? (My main interest is in minimizing wear on the rims (from brake pads).)

Or, are there companies that do this sort of thing? -- could I bring in some rims and have them coated (either a ceramic or some other coating)?

Have had Mavic ceramic rims on my Spectrum Ti touring bike for 10 years. Can attest to their excellent performance in dry and especially when wet. Major improvement wet vs regular rims. They work well with those (usually) green ceramic specific brake shoes, but at the time of this build there we none of these on the market, so I used the standard Campy Record brake shoes. The first set got chewed up in a few months, but since then, I have used the same shoes for many years. So be prepared for this when you do an install.

Ceramic rims lasting 10 years??? Ceramic surfaces are brittle and crack easily. But aside from that they can be durable. However one must understand that ceramics are insulators, both electrical and thermal, so the braking energy converted to heat in the brake pad cannot transfer to the aluminum rim where it can be dissipated. This is the reason for rapid pad wear and reduced brake effect, but ceramic only makes the pad operate at higher temperature, so it will limit braking when the pad material breaks down or melt, or at least closer to melting than if it were running against aluminum. The main benefit was intended to be for wet braking, where water makes soft pads on wet metal rims ineffective. Its resistance to wear is probably also a goal for wet conditions that circulate much grit.

I agree everything you say except for ceramic pad availability. KoolStop makes very nice ceramic specific pads:

https://biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id...em_id=KS-DURAC

That link is for Shimano type pads, but you can also get them for Campy on a different page at biketoolsetc.


The green pads coupled with ceramic coated rims give excellent wet condition braking. But, you will go through pads at a faster rate. I ride in a lot of wet weather and find the extra investment well worth it.
I am using Mavic OP Ceramic rims with the KoolStop "greenies". Very nice.

When I bought those rims from Peter White he told me that he runs the Mavic MTB ceramic rims (I forget the specific model #) on his own bike that he rides in the wet woods of NH all the time. And he said they perform great.

Most people that I have come across that badmouth ceramic coated rims have never actually used them. They are good and they are worth it if you ride a lot in the wet. Just be prepared to spend a little more on pads.

Spend a lot more on the pads based on my experiences. Also, the ceramic can chip which causes annoying judder when braking. My opinion is that ceramic rims are only a good idea if you are riding in the rain a LOT. Otherwise, pass.

[QUOTE=Nessism]Spend a lot more on the pads based on my experiences. Also, the ceramic can chip which causes annoying judder when braking. My opinion is that ceramic rims are only a good idea if you are riding in the rain a LOT. Otherwise, pass.[/QUOTE]

Right. Every bike rider in Scotland then.

Or at least, every Scottish rider who rides when it's raining...

[QUOTE=onbike 1939]I didn't say that people that ride in the should get them. I've had them and won't get them again because of the pad wear issue.

From Mavics website: CERAMIC 2
What is it ?
Thermal shield that is 30 times harder than aluminum. This process has been improved on in 2000 for even greater strength.

Benefits :

Increases the coefficient of the friction between the rim and the brake pads. Reduces braking distance (50% in wet weather)
Superior resistance to wear
Reduces heat on rim

How :
A plasma beam torch spreads titanium and aluminum oxide powders on the sidewalls of the rim

With the level of machining of the sidewalls on high quality rims ceramic is an unnecessary expense...unless you want something other than the Al silver sidewall color. I have some Mavic Open 4 CD rims from the late 80's which are still doing fine but I do all my builds out of Open Pro or the new DT Swiss double eyelet rims.
Clean the brake pads after riding on roads in wet weather to get rid of any embedded dirt in the rubber which is hell on Al rims.