Carbon clinchers? Stay away, I was told!
08-01-18, 03:53 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Carbon clinchers? Stay away, I was told!
I'm 59 y/o, 6'-1" and 245 lbs. Been cycling for 13 months now on a 2011 Bianchi Sempre with Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels. 3,500 miles later I've had one spoke break (last November), otherwise things have been great.
The guys in my group keep telling me, "Get yourself some aero wheels and your speed is gonna go up!" Three of them in particular are guys I know and trust, who are speaking from experience.
Said all that to tell this story... I found a set of low mileage November Rail52 carbon wheels for sale today, and emailed the company to ask about weight limits. The owner graciously replied, quickly I might add to his credit, and said...
"I know it's not what you want to hear, but at 245 lbs I'd just stay away from carbon clinchers entirely. There are way many wheels out there that will work better for you than those will."
How's that for honesty? Clydes, what do you say?
Gary
The guys in my group keep telling me, "Get yourself some aero wheels and your speed is gonna go up!" Three of them in particular are guys I know and trust, who are speaking from experience.
Said all that to tell this story... I found a set of low mileage November Rail52 carbon wheels for sale today, and emailed the company to ask about weight limits. The owner graciously replied, quickly I might add to his credit, and said...
"I know it's not what you want to hear, but at 245 lbs I'd just stay away from carbon clinchers entirely. There are way many wheels out there that will work better for you than those will."
How's that for honesty? Clydes, what do you say?
Gary
08-01-18, 05:37 PM
#2
Senior Member
I'm at~1800 miles on my Vision Metron 40s...at 200lbs +/- 5%...no issues to date. Mine are Disc eliminating brake surface wear on the rim. Number of spokes in the wheels may be an issue he was concerned about?
The carbon 40s didn't make me noticeably faster.
The carbon 40s didn't make me noticeably faster.
Last edited by Stormsedge; 08-01-18 at 05:45 PM. Reason: Creative writing fail
08-01-18, 07:32 PM
#3
Junior Member
Thread Starter
There's a lot of difference in 200 lbs and 245 lbs! Over 20% difference... and that makes some carbon wheels unridable for me. I know Boyd and some others have carbon wheels for us Clydedales, as they talk about it on their website.
Still hunting,
Gary
08-01-18, 08:00 PM
#4
Senior Member
I've been riding no-name chinese knock-off carbon clinchers for years (close to 20,000 miles). No issues. I ordered all parts separately, and had my wizard wheelbuilder build them to my specs.
I'd assume the company CEO was a bit afraid of going "on the record" giving written permission and if something should happen to you.
I'd assume the company CEO was a bit afraid of going "on the record" giving written permission and if something should happen to you.
08-02-18, 01:17 AM
#5
Senior Member
Like anything bike related, if you've got the money, you like the look of it and want it, then why not? I had Shimano RS81s in 50mm depth and there was a very slightly noticeable difference when I was going fast down a hill. My everyday wheels are Kinlin XC279 rims. I honestly didn't notice a difference when riding them. Most of that is probably because I rarely would ride around solo, which is where they will make some difference. If like me you ride around in bunches mostly, then they're not much other than poser value. If that floats your boat go for it.
PS I ride track and I have an 88mm front spoked wheel and a disc rear. On that combo I will only do about 2kph faster when I'm up over 60kph when compared to a low tech velocity aerohead wheelset with 32 straight gauge spokes. They really don't make a huge difference. But when you win or lose by seconds or less, such gains can matter.
PS I ride track and I have an 88mm front spoked wheel and a disc rear. On that combo I will only do about 2kph faster when I'm up over 60kph when compared to a low tech velocity aerohead wheelset with 32 straight gauge spokes. They really don't make a huge difference. But when you win or lose by seconds or less, such gains can matter.
08-02-18, 08:32 AM
#6
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I'm 59 y/o, 6'-1" and 245 lbs. Been cycling for 13 months now on a 2011 Bianchi Sempre with Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels. 3,500 miles later I've had one spoke break (last November), otherwise things have been great.
The guys in my group keep telling me, "Get yourself some aero wheels and your speed is gonna go up!" Three of them in particular are guys I know and trust, who are speaking from experience.
Said all that to tell this story... I found a set of low mileage November Rail52 carbon wheels for sale today, and emailed the company to ask about weight limits. The owner graciously replied, quickly I might add to his credit, and said...
"I know it's not what you want to hear, but at 245 lbs I'd just stay away from carbon clinchers entirely. There are way many wheels out there that will work better for you than those will."
How's that for honesty? Clydes, what do you say?
Gary
The guys in my group keep telling me, "Get yourself some aero wheels and your speed is gonna go up!" Three of them in particular are guys I know and trust, who are speaking from experience.
Said all that to tell this story... I found a set of low mileage November Rail52 carbon wheels for sale today, and emailed the company to ask about weight limits. The owner graciously replied, quickly I might add to his credit, and said...
"I know it's not what you want to hear, but at 245 lbs I'd just stay away from carbon clinchers entirely. There are way many wheels out there that will work better for you than those will."
How's that for honesty? Clydes, what do you say?
Gary
Carbon rim brake wheels require carbon pads and I’ve heard that while descending steep hills the braking process is more critical. You have to pulse and release as opposed to just gripping the brakes the whole way. This is where I would think most heavier riders should really seriously consider disc brake bikes just for the safety issue alone. The current trend of running less tire pressure in order to get a smoother ride and more grip is something I never considered until this year but I changed to about 88-90psi front and 90-98psi rear with my 25mm Michelin Power clinchers and latex tubes and find the combo less jarring on the bad roads in my area. The old prevalent belief that maximum pressures produced the lowest rolling resistance just lead to a harsh, rattle laden ride with more soreness for me.
If you are wanting to treat yourself to better wheels and tires maybe you could go custom? One of my favorite fantasies lately is to plan out custom wheel builds in my mind. A few of them actually have gotten built. Modern aluminum rims are much stronger than the rims of old. At 245# a custom wheelset with 28 front 32 rear could easily be strong enough with shallow profile rims, and if you went with aero profile rims you could even get away with 24 front, 28 rear with minimal worries. Just yesterday I was checking out the DT Swiss RR511 rims online. They look affordable, really strong and the rear has an asymmetrical option to decrease spoke breakage. They can be set up tubeless as well.
Since you mentioned November Bikes: if you need a custom wheelset - they have fantastic options. Hunt wheels in England is another company that appear to be building fantastically strong, light wheels at decent prices.
Last edited by masi61; 08-02-18 at 08:40 AM.
08-02-18, 08:35 AM
#7
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I'm 59 y/o, 6'-1" and 245 lbs. Been cycling for 13 months now on a 2011 Bianchi Sempre with Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels. 3,500 miles later I've had one spoke break (last November), otherwise things have been great.
The guys in my group keep telling me, "Get yourself some aero wheels and your speed is gonna go up!" Three of them in particular are guys I know and trust, who are speaking from experience.
Said all that to tell this story... I found a set of low mileage November Rail52 carbon wheels for sale today, and emailed the company to ask about weight limits. The owner graciously replied, quickly I might add to his credit, and said...
"I know it's not what you want to hear, but at 245 lbs I'd just stay away from carbon clinchers entirely. There are way many wheels out there that will work better for you than those will."
How's that for honesty? Clydes, what do you say?
Gary
The guys in my group keep telling me, "Get yourself some aero wheels and your speed is gonna go up!" Three of them in particular are guys I know and trust, who are speaking from experience.
Said all that to tell this story... I found a set of low mileage November Rail52 carbon wheels for sale today, and emailed the company to ask about weight limits. The owner graciously replied, quickly I might add to his credit, and said...
"I know it's not what you want to hear, but at 245 lbs I'd just stay away from carbon clinchers entirely. There are way many wheels out there that will work better for you than those will."
How's that for honesty? Clydes, what do you say?
Gary
Last edited by Cyclist0108; 08-02-18 at 08:45 AM.
08-02-18, 09:00 AM
#8
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Thanks for the great replies so far. I'm not unhappy with the Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels that I'm riding. I've put over 3,500 miles on them in the first year and other than one broken spoke, they have been flawless. (I asked the mechanic at my LBS if my weight caused the broken spoke, and he said he doubted it. One guy who works in the shop there is a CAT 3 racer, weighs 135 lbs and broke a spoke earlier that week! He said I could have hit a pothole and it just took a while afterwards to break, or anything similar.)
The Fulcrum's are 18 front/20 rear spoke count, fwiw. I was 263 a year ago - 245 now and still going down. I need to get down to 225 and then get serious about the carbon aero advantage. We run about 18-20 mph on our group rides, and it would be nice to pick up an extra mph with aero wheels... but I don't want something crazy in the spoke count, either.
Hey, losing another 20 lbs of ugly fat will help my speed more than a wheelset will - ha!
Gary
The Fulcrum's are 18 front/20 rear spoke count, fwiw. I was 263 a year ago - 245 now and still going down. I need to get down to 225 and then get serious about the carbon aero advantage. We run about 18-20 mph on our group rides, and it would be nice to pick up an extra mph with aero wheels... but I don't want something crazy in the spoke count, either.
Hey, losing another 20 lbs of ugly fat will help my speed more than a wheelset will - ha!
Gary
08-02-18, 09:02 AM
#9
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I had November Dave build me a rear wheel with 32 spokes, because I was worried 28 were not enough.
I found losing 10 lbs made a significant difference in my ability to climb.
I found losing 10 lbs made a significant difference in my ability to climb.
08-02-18, 10:28 AM
#10
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I'd say if you have allot of steep hill in your area where you are riding 40-50mph WHILE on the brakes, the chances of over heating the surface are much greater. Saving 200 grams from carbon clinchers to say Mavic Carbones that are Alum rims w/ carbon faring. The 200 grams won't make you slower on the climbs, but the 56mm aero shape will make you faster at speeds over 20mph with less effort say 5-50 watts. But because they have alum braking surface you won't have to worry about exploding carbon on 10% down hill grades. I've seen it happen with both rims and/or tubes exploding from heat.
If you live/ride in areas that are flat as a pancake, I don't think the braking surface is much of problem unless it's repeated emergency stops in traffic n what not.
Mavic Carbones SL
Hed Jet 4 to 6
Bontrager Aeolous Comp/ Aura
I'm on a used set of MAvic Carbones SL I got from Ebay for $500 and they have been bomb proof for me, both dirty/rocky fireroads, sand pits and of course paved roads. My weight swings from 200-220 pretty regularly pending season
If you live/ride in areas that are flat as a pancake, I don't think the braking surface is much of problem unless it's repeated emergency stops in traffic n what not.
Mavic Carbones SL
Hed Jet 4 to 6
Bontrager Aeolous Comp/ Aura
I'm on a used set of MAvic Carbones SL I got from Ebay for $500 and they have been bomb proof for me, both dirty/rocky fireroads, sand pits and of course paved roads. My weight swings from 200-220 pretty regularly pending season
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08-02-18, 12:18 PM
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Look at Bontragers new XXX line of carbon wheels. They are saying no weight limit.
10-20-19, 08:31 AM
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What about HED Jet wheels? Those are aluminum rims with non-structural (read: delicate) fairings.
10-20-19, 10:50 AM
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My business used to rent lots of road bikes with an upgrade option to Reynolds carbon wheels. No rider weight limit.
The only failure we ever had on those wheels was from excessive heat due to braking on long descents. These were rim-braking wheels, of course.
If you use disc brakes and avoid pinch flats, I think carbon wheels should be plenty strong for a large rider.
The only failure we ever had on those wheels was from excessive heat due to braking on long descents. These were rim-braking wheels, of course.
If you use disc brakes and avoid pinch flats, I think carbon wheels should be plenty strong for a large rider.
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10-21-19, 10:03 AM
#14
Junior Member
2 years on some Reynolds Assault LE's over 250 lbs and they've been rock solid. YMMV and yeah, that guy was covering his keester.
10-21-19, 10:51 AM
#15
Senior Member
I bought November RCG36 wheels last year. I read November's blog and exchanged a couple emails with Dave as well. He seems like a good guy and a straight shooter.
I suspect his suggestion is due to your rim brakes. They say the RCG36 wheels have no rider weight limit. I'm just under 200# now, was closer to 210 when I bought the wheels. I've had no issues but I have disc brakes. Reading thru some of November's older blog posts and you'll see in their opinion the real carbon wheel breakthrough is due to disc brakes.
I suspect his suggestion is due to your rim brakes. They say the RCG36 wheels have no rider weight limit. I'm just under 200# now, was closer to 210 when I bought the wheels. I've had no issues but I have disc brakes. Reading thru some of November's older blog posts and you'll see in their opinion the real carbon wheel breakthrough is due to disc brakes.
10-21-19, 12:25 PM
#16
SuperGimp
I've been using reynold's assault wheels for years, no issues at all.
Rim braking is annoying with carbon wheels though and there is a definite, non-zero chance of destroying your rims due to over heating so I take mine off when I head up into significant hills.
Rim braking is annoying with carbon wheels though and there is a definite, non-zero chance of destroying your rims due to over heating so I take mine off when I head up into significant hills.
10-22-19, 09:41 PM
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Aero wheelsets are fast
I bought a cheap pair of Vuelta 24 spoke 26" deep V MTB wheels years ago and replaced the original 36 spoke wheelset with non aero rim. This was on a mid 90's Trek unsprung fork MTB. This instantly raised my average speed by 2mph at all times. I was astounded because the Vuelta hubs were low end loose ball hubs. The spokes were quite large, maybe 2.6mm or bigger and never broke. I've been doing a lot of internet research on where aero design will really help a cyclist. Aero wheels are probably the biggest gain for a cyclist. I believe that fewer flattened spokes combined with a deep V rim produces, in some wheelsets, a net gain in speed for the rider. I'm still mucking through a technical website concerning this topic but good aero wheels appear to be a great upgrade that will fit several era's of bikes. There are plenty of aero aluminum rims wheelsets available that would minimize the brake heating issue. That has always been the bane of rim brakes and I've heated up my share of rims. My fastest bicycle now has a non aero rim in the 27"x1 1/4" wheel size with flattened spokes. It is several mph faster than my other bicycles all of which have round spokes and same brand tires. Pretty unscientific but my experience.
10-23-19, 12:53 PM
#18
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Thread Starter
Resurrected thread! I ended up buying a 2015 Cannondale Synapse in August of last year that has Reynolds R4 (46 mm) carbon wheels, with rim brakes. So far I've ridden 5,052 miles (so says Strava) and I haven't had one issue.
My speed DID pick up by 1-1.5 mph... is it bike? Wheels? Or??
Since then I've continued losing weight... down to 228 now and still headed down.
Reynolds wheels have no weight limit, I've learned, and they are the way to go for us Clyde riders, IMO.
Gary
My speed DID pick up by 1-1.5 mph... is it bike? Wheels? Or??
Since then I've continued losing weight... down to 228 now and still headed down.
Reynolds wheels have no weight limit, I've learned, and they are the way to go for us Clyde riders, IMO.
Gary
