Originally Posted by
2muchroad
I just purchased a cheap road bike (Trek Emonda ALR 5 2018) with rim brakes and plan on upgrading it with a used CF wheelset, to get the best bang for my buck.
Of course I've watched a bunch of videos and read articles beforehand, but I'd still like to know what the community thinks.
In the interest of a balanced discussion I'll present common arguments made in favor and against rim brakes with CF wheels.
Pro: maintenance, weight, affordability
Cons: outdated, degenerative, ugly
I very rarely see claims of rim brake carbon wheels being ugly simply due to them being designed to stop with brake pads touching the rim.
...actually the only times I can think of are from hard-core c&v folk. Even a lot of c&v people think carbon wheels on old steel frames look cool.
As for carbon rim brake wheels being outdated...they are no more outdated than aluminum rim brake wheels. As such, I don't see why that should even be a consideration.