Carbon wheels are a great investment, their value is usually at least three times the value of an aluminum wheel, but why do they have this value and what are the advantages and differences that they offer? Check out everything you need to know about them before purchasing your wheel below.
Carbon Fiber.
Carbon fiber, in its pure state, is five times stronger than steel and twice as rigid. For this reason, carbon fibers are used in combination with other base materials (such as resins and polymers) to provide them with greater performance. It is considered a premium material, as its manufacturing process occurs at the molecular level.
There are several types of carbon fibers with different characteristics and properties. What differentiates the fibers are: the quality of the fiber depending on the factory where it was produced, the type of composition, the direction of the fibers or sheets, the quality of the resins and their application and finally the manufacturing process of the product.
Carbon fibers are classified primarily by modulus , a measure of stiffness that describes the material's ability to be temporarily deformed when a force is applied. The most widely used standard nomenclature worldwide to indicate fibers is "T", tons-force per square millimeter, which is basically the metric equivalent of the English unit PSI.
Here at Session, all of our carbon wheels are manufactured using fibers from Toray, a renowned Japanese manufacturer that has been producing this material since 1971.
Carbon fiber rims.
Rims made from carbon fiber are lighter and more rigid because of the characteristics of this material. Because they are lighter, the cyclist ends up using less force to move the wheels and consequently gains more speed. Handling also improves, because with less weight you can steer better. All this weight saving and speed gain means that, during a long training session or a race, the cyclist can reduce fatigue.
Carbon rims are more rigid, so they deform less, thus dissipating less energy applied to them, that is, when you need to use force to make a shot or to climb a steep terrain, the wheel suffers great traction and because it deforms less, all this energy is transferred to the ground resulting in better performance.
Carbon fiber can be molded into different shapes, and one of the benefits of a carbon wheel is its aerodynamic shape. Because they have aerodynamic rims, carbon fiber wheels have less drag, which makes them more efficient and faster, even without pedaling. Because they have a different shape and the texture of their material, carbon wheels end up having a very impressive and modern aesthetic appeal, which sets the bike apart from the rest.
Bibliography:
Energy-Dissipative Matrices Enable Synergistic Toughening in Fiber Reinforced Soft Composites
Yiwan Huang, Daniel R. King, Tao Lin Sun, Takayuki Nonoyama, Takayuki Kurokawa, Tasuku Nakajima, Jian Ping Gong