Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Road Cycling
Reload this Page >

How long should rim brake carbon wheel sets last?

Notices
Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

How long should rim brake carbon wheel sets last?

Old 06-22-20, 09:11 PM
  #1  
InvertedMP 
Full Member
Thread Starter
 
InvertedMP's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 349

Bikes: 2021 Scott Addict RC 20

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 177 Post(s)
Liked 269 Times in 104 Posts
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?
__________________
www.mp-aviation.com
InvertedMP is offline  
Old 06-22-20, 11:57 PM
  #2  
justonwo
Full Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 216

Bikes: 2020 Pinarello Dogma F12 Disc (Enve SES 3.4), 2020 S-Works Roubaix (Zipp 303 NSW), 2020 Canyon Ultimate Evo 10.0 (DT Swiss DICUT 1100), 2006 Cervelo Soloist (10 speed Ultegra), 2018 S-Works Camber, 2019 S-Works Epic

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 58 Post(s)
Liked 72 Times in 32 Posts
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.
justonwo is offline  
Old 06-23-20, 08:23 AM
  #3  
upthywazzoo 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Chicago
Posts: 538

Bikes: 1984 Trek 770

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 99 Post(s)
Liked 66 Times in 37 Posts
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.
upthywazzoo is offline  
Old 06-23-20, 08:40 AM
  #4  
GlennR
On Your Left
 
GlennR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Long Island, New York, USA
Posts: 8,373

Bikes: Trek Emonda SLR, Sram eTap, Zipp 303

Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3004 Post(s)
Liked 2,433 Times in 1,187 Posts
Originally Posted by justonwo
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
I have 24,000 miles on 303s with no visible wear.
GlennR is offline  
Likes For GlennR:
Old 06-23-20, 08:43 AM
  #5  
datlas 
Should Be More Popular
 
datlas's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Malvern, PA (20 miles West of Philly)
Posts: 42,957

Bikes: 1986 Alpine (steel road bike), 2009 Ti Habenero, 2013 Specialized Roubaix

Mentioned: 560 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 22514 Post(s)
Liked 8,843 Times in 4,113 Posts
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???
__________________
Originally Posted by rjones28
Addiction is all about class.
datlas is offline  
Old 06-23-20, 08:56 AM
  #6  
noodle soup
Senior Member
 
noodle soup's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 8,922
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4717 Post(s)
Liked 1,882 Times in 998 Posts
Originally Posted by GlennR
I have 24,000 miles on 303s with no visible wear.
This is pretty common for people that don't live in the PNW, and don't ride in slop almost constantly.

Brake track wear is an issue for some, but most people never need to worry about it
noodle soup is offline  
Likes For noodle soup:
Old 06-23-20, 09:02 AM
  #7  
HTupolev
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Seattle
Posts: 4,261
Mentioned: 41 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1971 Post(s)
Liked 1,297 Times in 629 Posts
Originally Posted by InvertedMP
For the weekend warrior type, non competitive rider. How long should these wheels be expected to last as long as they are reputable?
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.
HTupolev is offline  
Old 06-23-20, 09:09 AM
  #8  
GlennR
On Your Left
 
GlennR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Long Island, New York, USA
Posts: 8,373

Bikes: Trek Emonda SLR, Sram eTap, Zipp 303

Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3004 Post(s)
Liked 2,433 Times in 1,187 Posts
Originally Posted by noodle soup
This is pretty common for people that don't live in the PNW, and don't ride in slop almost constantly.

Brake track wear is an issue for some, but most people never need to worry about it
I have a second bike with hydro disc for rain and winter riding
GlennR is offline  
Old 06-23-20, 10:45 AM
  #9  
Psimet2001 
I eat carbide.
 
Psimet2001's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Elgin, IL
Posts: 21,627

Bikes: Lots. Van Dessel and Squid Dealer

Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1325 Post(s)
Liked 1,306 Times in 560 Posts
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.
__________________
PSIMET Wheels, PSIMET Racing, PSIMET Neutral Race Support, and 11 Jackson Coffee
Podcast - YouTube Channel
Video about PSIMET Wheels

Psimet2001 is offline  
Likes For Psimet2001:
Old 06-23-20, 10:52 AM
  #10  
Seattle Forrest
Senior Member
 
Seattle Forrest's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 23,208
Mentioned: 89 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18883 Post(s)
Liked 10,645 Times in 6,054 Posts
Two or three rides.
Seattle Forrest is offline  
Likes For Seattle Forrest:
Old 06-23-20, 10:56 AM
  #11  
ljsense
Senior Member
 
ljsense's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Madison, Wis.
Posts: 756
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 284 Post(s)
Liked 152 Times in 92 Posts
Originally Posted by Psimet2001
Just make sure you have the right pads and keep the system clean-ish between uses.
That's the advice I was going to offer.

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.
ljsense is offline  
Old 06-23-20, 02:19 PM
  #12  
InvertedMP 
Full Member
Thread Starter
 
InvertedMP's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 349

Bikes: 2021 Scott Addict RC 20

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 177 Post(s)
Liked 269 Times in 104 Posts
Originally Posted by datlas
Which ones are you getting???

I have a set of Reynolds AR58x that are maybe 300 miles old. No issues what so ever, I was honestly just curious.
__________________
www.mp-aviation.com
InvertedMP is offline  
Old 06-23-20, 03:33 PM
  #13  
datlas 
Should Be More Popular
 
datlas's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Malvern, PA (20 miles West of Philly)
Posts: 42,957

Bikes: 1986 Alpine (steel road bike), 2009 Ti Habenero, 2013 Specialized Roubaix

Mentioned: 560 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 22514 Post(s)
Liked 8,843 Times in 4,113 Posts
Originally Posted by InvertedMP
I have a set of Reynolds AR58x that are maybe 300 miles old. No issues what so ever, I was honestly just curious.
Cool. Are you using the fancy new Cryo Blue Power Pads??


__________________
Originally Posted by rjones28
Addiction is all about class.
datlas is offline  
Old 06-23-20, 03:34 PM
  #14  
InvertedMP 
Full Member
Thread Starter
 
InvertedMP's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 349

Bikes: 2021 Scott Addict RC 20

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 177 Post(s)
Liked 269 Times in 104 Posts
Yessir! Came with them.
__________________
www.mp-aviation.com
InvertedMP is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.