This carbon wheel issue has been burning a hole in my soul for so long. The twin headed snake of thrift and indecision (not such an impressive snake as far as twin headed snakes go) held me at the impasse for years. Having @mauibike commit to all carbon for his lifetime wheelset needs got me hot. Seeing Fabs winning Paris-Roubaix and the Ronde on his Aeolius 5.0 wheels made the fever burn higher.
Maui is a very gusty place to ride and I was loath to own some deep section rims that would be the death of me. Looking pro while getting blown off the road at speed, uncool. Bontrager has the budget to blow on high speed computing and wind tunnels to make sure Gianni is not buffeted unduly. They also use Alpina spokes with plastic inserts so the the wheel should be truable for years.
Ebay is full of people who buy tubular wheels then sell them after very light use (or their first flat tire). Voila, Gianni finally owns Fabooo’s tubular wheels.
The first impression on the first ride was holy smokes, these float uphill. The weight difference was what impressed me immediately. I take off the front wheel when transporting the bike and I still marvel at its lightness. This lightness is also noticeable when cornering and not in a good way. The flywheel effect of a heavier aluminum rim is diminished making the steering, for lack of a better term, whippy. I’m used to it now but for the first few weeks the front end felt less stable.
My wife was quite vexed that I was undroppable on climbs; these wheels were feeling better and better. The improved climbing alone was enough to make me embrace the benefit of carbon construction.
It was during the first descent of Haleakala volcano where the other lightbulb switched on in my dim brain. Unintentionally I was going into every corner faster than usual. My V-meter does not give me data to substantiate the feeling but these wheels are more impressive going down than they are going up. They are fast. When you get off the brakes on a descent the bike just hauls more ass. To add to their list of wonders, they are very stable in gusty crosswinds too. The windtunnel testing was money well spent. Score one for the boffins.
I have not done enough riding in wet weather to have an opinion on rainy day braking. This is my number one bike after all and I’ve avoided the real steep descents if I have a choice.
To address the original question in the original article; can carbon wheels be one’s everyday, go-to wheels? I now say absolutely. These aero wheels are faster in all directions, why would you deny yourself that pleasure everyday. They do cost a huge amount to money new. That is their one massive downside. They can be had reasonably if one looks at slightly used tubulars, what is not to love about that? If one buys the premise that wheels are the most important upgrade to a bike, then buying light, aero, carbon wheels is the way to go.
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@frank
Ah, that's more like the Fronk I remember. I was getting confused by the polite one.
However, I'll suggest you have no fucking idea why the world hates roadies. You come form Holland, the most cycle friendly country in the world, and live in Seattle, the most cycle friendly city in North America, and miles ahead of anywhere in the UK or especially Oz. In the several years I've been looking at this site, I've never heard you mention getting shit thrown at you, getting shaved by bogans or being mown down by a soccer mum. Not to say that you haven't, but nary a mention. I'm not even sure you've been strafed by a magpie.
I've had a thousand reasons for hate thrown at me, and flash wheels was never one of them. Shaved legs and lycra, OTOH, feature heavily.
People don't really hate cyclists anyway. They hate their small lives, they hate commuting, they hate the job they are on their way to, and left too little time to get to, because they fucked about instead of getting there early. They hate people with little enough to do that they can waste time cycling and secretly envy the fitness, courage and independence that cyclists demonstrate.
They just re-direct all that hate and frustration at bikes when they happen to be in the way. They also hate the loss of their youth, and bikes represent the carefree freedom of youth like nothing else.
It is more than a little ironic that this site promotes helmet use quite strongly, but despises mirrors. Anyone who has any clue about safety knows that PPE is at the bottom of the hierarchy of controls, and only comes into play when every other level has failed.
You really need to come ride the pinch points over here sometime.
@Ken Ho
Ironic..really? Mirrors are just plain ugly. Does you neck not function? Helmets genuinely keep you alive when used for it's intended function..in the vast majority of cases mirrors create the illusion of safety. I often see more people weaving all over the place cause they were trying to use a mirror.
And Frank is just trying to lull you into a false sense of security..he's making you think he's grumpy so you'll follow the next tidbit of advice he gives, which will be another revenge move like trying to get you to sniff acetone.
Carbon is restricted to my seat post. Give me good old metal alloys any day. Steel frame, alloy components, and aluminum wheels (really light weight wheels) comprise my number one ride. The bike is light and fast. But, I am a bit of a retro grouch...
@frank
I agree it's total bullshit but would say it's a big reason why more people don't join clubs. They're afraid that their kit either isn't good enough or it's too good, and they'll have the piss taken by the club's clique who'll ride them off their wheel or snigger to each other and generally make them feel excluded.
So, in order to join a ride, you have to have pro-level fitness and exactly the right combination of mid-level bike and not-quite-matching kit? Bollocks.
@Geraint
...er...@Frank did I miss something there, it looked like you were not only specifying the technical requirements for bike and kit matching but also the possible the number, circumference and weight of ones bollocks too? Did you have an IT meltdown mid sentence? Please continue we are all ears...(insert the appropriate emoticon, I am off to self administer a mini pump lashing).
@Haldy
My Zefal Spy mirror is a subtle inconspicuous thing, while my helmet is a fugly dunce cap that looks like an alien took a dump on my head. Dunno HTF anyone thinks that helmets look fantastic. Too much brown-nosing to FRank.
And no, helmets do not genuinely keep people alive. Helmets are rated to a 20 kph impact, and are as much use as sheep guts in a franger fight if you get it by a truck. Not getting hit keeps me alive, and my mirror stops me getting hit at pinch points. Cyclists die mostly when struck from behind here in Oz.
@Ken Ho
Well, without wishing to restart the argument but some years ago I went clean over a car that hit me from behind, as he came onto a roundabout a mirror would not have helped me as I saw him coming anyway and tried to turn away from him. I landed on the back of my shoulder and head. Helmet was clean split in two. No doubt in my mind without a helmet I'd most likely be dead or if lucky a severe TBI.
@Haldy
Huh? the weavers I see are the ones incapable of turning their heads and keeping the bike on track at the same time!
David
@Ken Ho
So right about the bikes being an easy target.
I was on a sportive ride on Sunday - not a massive event, just a small club sportive. Owing to a mechanical nightmare I was much later around than I had planned and got caught in the traffic leaving Sunday lunch from the picturesque pubs and villages of leafy Surrey.
So I'm going through one little village called Downe which is very lovely but basically a single lane road in an out with cars parked down one side. Two cars cannot pass unless one pulls in but once you get 40-50 or more cars trying to go in opposite directions it becomes impossible.
However there are of course a few feet at the side where bikes can go quite happily, if not at high speed.
So I'm riding past and some tosser in the back of a convertible Mercedes - engaged in a particularly difficult attempt to allow a truck past - starts yelling at me about how I should stop because "We can't get through here."
I told him it looked fine to me, see you later.
It amazes me how people in cars always think someone else is the problem, not them.
And finally
No it doesn't. It's one of the few places where people tend to respect the right of others to make a choice, or at least don't get bogged down in endless debates.
@ChrisO Dulwich Paragon's Ride of the Falling Leaves? Wasn't on it myself, but rode part of the route in the morning.
As to motorists in queues getting upset by cyclists passing them, I see it every day when commuting, I can only think it's jealousy - there they are sitting in their boy racer capable of producing 10K watts and I zip by using 200. As to mirrors, not keen on them for a bike, only wish drivers used the fuckers they have on their vehicles occasionally.