Carbon Bicycle Wheels Vs Aluminum

The components factor greatly into how well a bike performs.

Carbon bicycle wheels vs aluminum.

Thankfully a few training rides leading up to the peaks challenge put my mind at ease somewhat. Carbon bikes are more expensive than aluminum bikes. Good carbon fibre wheels can transform the ride of a bike. On a carbon bike the catastrophic failure point is much higher than an aluminum bike due to the flex qualities of the carbon material.

Just as one impact of this nature could break an aluminum frame and not a carbon frame repeated stresses in this manner would cause an aluminum frame to break sooner as well. Unlike aluminum the production of carbon bikes is labor intensive and requires specialized molds and machinery. When considering bikes at an equal price point an aluminum bike will generally have a nicer component spec than a carbon bike. Stiffness is greater than an aluminium wheelset so for powerful riders sprinting and out of the saddle climbing this attribute can make a clear difference to how the bike feels with a more responsive nature.

Remember components are always easier to upgrade than frames. With more options than ever between carbon or alloy rims at different depths clincher tubeless and tubular tyre compatibility disc or rim brakes and quick release or thru axle options. Although i describe the alloy wheels as old faithful they are pretty much new and were stock on my mid level di2 carbon road bike. It is a balancing act between paying for frame quality and component quality.

Well like comfort aesthetics are quite subjective and in any case beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Bike riders often wonder what the difference is between carbon and aluminium bike wheels so in this video we ll tell you everything you need to know. Higher end wheels such as enve and reynolds are better able to withstand de laminating due to heat but i have at one time or another seen every carbon rim on the market today damaged by braking on long descents. I have a specialized stumpjumper evo in aluminum coming and this has convinced me to go through a similar process for that bike as i m curious to know if carbon wheels will complement the in.

We ll start this guide with our immediate product recommendations split into four different groups.