Is carbon fiber composit suitable for a bicycle wheel hub?

So go alloy instead of steel.

The difference in weight between different styles of wheel hub is swamped by the diurnal variation in body weight of the cyclist. Has the cyclist drunk any water or eaten recently? Has the cyclist excreted recently? (That sort of thing.)

Obviously you have never raced a bicycle. True riders know that the weight of moving parts is very critical no matter what the rider weighs. The frame weight is not as important as rider weight, but the wheels, crank, and chain make a huge difference in watt output of the rider to go fast. Every day cruise around the block - who cares?

Are you a road bike fan and real enthusiast?... If you are really serious about carbon fiber: The Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate wheelset starts with a 100% woven 12k carbon fiber rim. The rear rim is slightly asymmetric for greater strength. There are 16 spokes in the front wheel, 20 in the rear. The front wheel and the drive side of the rear are comprised of unidirectional carbon fiber spokes that extend from one side of the rim, to the hub, where they're bonded, to the other side. The Ultimates weigh 1185g a set. And they're still built for the rigors of everyday riding.

The front hub shell has both a carbon fiber center section and carbon fiber flanges. The front hub runs on serviceable sealed bearings. The rear hub is made of aluminum. Both front and rear axles are made of aluminum. The rear wheel uses Mavic's QRM+ bearing system and Mavic's FTS-L cassette mechanism. The cassette is steel; Mavic doesn't believe the weight savings of titanium is significant enough to merit the extra cost.

It will cost you an arm and a leg.... but worth the money. I have a Fuji that I mount these babies... amazing differrence...I am getting a new bike Trek Madone 6.9 (can't wait to get it) and hope they will fit with the bike... There quite few carbon fiber wheels on the market, depends on what you are looking for.

Hope this help

I remember when I was in High School I spent more money on my Road Racing bike than I did on my first or second car.

If you are a true racer. Then every ounce counts. But for the average person that rides around to relax. Its not really worth the extra cost of the really light weight high strength stuff.

Ignoring the relative merits of carbon fiber vs. alloy, I have just one question for the original poster, "Can you sustain 25 mph (just over 40 kph) on the flat in full aerodynamic tuck position for one hour, two hours?" Unless you have the reached level of proficiency where you can answer this question, "Yes" then carbon fiber will look pretty, but will not have a serious impact on your riding. Stated differently, do you EVER coast on a bicycle? Any time coasting will just about nullify the imapct of carbon fiber. Too, do you sprint up hills? Do you shift at the optimum moment? One missed shift may be 30 or 40 meters lost, which more than cancels any feasible equipment benefit. Where for the pros the sport is a matter of grams and inches and seconds and all equipment is about equivalent, for the casual rider, your "mistakes" from perfect form and lack of sheer continuous power can nullify any supposed equipment benefit.

As a former bike racer, for the vast majority of casual riders, buying speed does not work. And if you do decide to go for carbon fiber, just remember that when you start to trim off too much weight, the durability goes down. The pros get free bikes so they do not care about lifespan.

I still spent more money on my bikes than my car.. and probably you too ? :-)

I totally agree with you, if you don't have a good deal or pay full price for groupo (I don't really need the Dura-Ace but it's fun to have it!) or wheels, the money spent (for average joe) is not worthed unless you are serious fan or fanatics.

The only reason I got these it's because my friend own a sporting/bike shop so I can try and get material (and bike) at reasonnable price... once he has finish evaluating it.

It's true also the durability of the bike is less than a real good average bike for an average person. Although average joe won't push the mecanic to the limits... if you do let say 2000 km per year (average joe are doing less than that for sure), it's nothing compare to a pro who will do 4000 km only fun or warm up... no race.... so the durability of the bike is extended if you choose the right bike and best compoments for you....

My new bike worth around 5000$... (of course, I am paying lot less than that) which is crazy for person not doing any biking at all... I am doing between 1000 and 2000 km/ year just for the fun of it... which is also crazy (I do sometimes 300Km on the weekend) for most of the persons I know who takes their car for what they call long distance (less than 50Km for the weekend).

It's all about feeling, perception and passion...try to put a price on these....

make a wheel with two or three spokes out of magnesium, or "dow metal" alloy of aluminum and magnesium. Block the wind with a very thin sheet of mylar. carbon fiber's kind of expensive and flexible for a wheel, isn't it? Sodium, lithium and boron would be great materials if they weren't so poisonous and reactive. Has anyone ever attempted using sodium as a core material formed in a vacuum, then plated with a few mils of gold or copper so it wouldn't burst into flame instantly on contact with oxygen? The only thing lighter would be metalic hydrogen.

Magnesium and beryllium are the 2 most durable and lightweight of metals that are practical to use for a hub. Beryllium has safety problems but is super stuff if you take the proper precautions.

If you really want to make it from graphite look at Hexcel's HexMC. No matter what composite material you're looking at you're looking at expensive tooling.

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