Road Bike Rims made of Aluminium and Carbon

Rims for Road bikes

With and without brake disc, made of aluminium or carbon

Anyone riding a road bike loves speed. They love to bring the performance of their thighs to the road and set new records on the flat, downhill and uphill. A lot is being done to achieve this goal. They train, optimise their diet, work on their road bike and much more. For many cyclists, the fact that the equipment in particular plays a decisive role in performance is as clear as the fact that a sprinter will never roll down the Champs-Élysées in the yellow jersey of the Tour de France.

Of central importance but often neglected – the rim

Knowing this, investments are rightly made in carbon frames, aero handlebars, power meters and other components. Unfortunately, one particularly important component often falls by the wayside: the rim. The importance of the rim cannot be overestimated, because both the weight and the material of the rim have a considerable influence on the riding characteristics of a road bike. The lighter the rim, the smoother it runs. This advantage, which is based on the lower rotational mass, is primarily noticeable on hills, so that you can tickle a few more watts out of your thighs with a good rim alone.

Advantages of the disc rim

Road bike disc rims offer special features in this respect, as they do not have to conform to the peculiarities of classic caliper brakes. While conventional rims have particularly robust brake flanges, this is not necessary for road bike disc rims, as the wheel is not braked on the rim, but only on the brake disc. This means that special road bike disc rims are generally significantly lighter than comparable products for caliper brakes. Despite its low weight, such a rim is measurably stiffer.

Aluminimum vs. Carbon

Aluminium rims for disc brakes are characterised by their robustness and versatility as well as a very good price-performance ratio, making them particularly suitable for road bike beginners. The ultra-light carbon rims, on the other hand, are primarily aimed at ambitious cyclists who want to improve their performance with the help of extremely low rolling resistance. While disc carbon rims have been used in cyclocross for some time, they are also becoming increasingly popular in road cycling. Compared to rim-braked carbon rims in particular, these suffer significantly less wear and tear and at the same time have a higher braking performance. A road bike disc rim made of carbon can make the most of these advantages, especially in wet conditions.