carbon wheels

[Motor Sport Visions Photography]

On the subject of composites...in my cycling days (which if you saw me
today you would think was never...but at one time prior to it
aggravating my lower back I was an avid cyclist) I managed to crack the
one and only carbon frame I ever owned, an early Kestrel 4000 road
frame. They repaired it, and added an EMS fork (it was so old it had a
Tange aluminum fork) but I replaced it with a good old Italian steel
frame and gave it to my wife. Fact is, carbon fiber composites don't
bend much, when they fail they break. If composite wheels were really
the way to go, why are they not used in F1, etc.? (Could be a banned
material...I do not know.) Works good for brakes, but recall back to the
fail mode of early carbon on carbon brakes in race cars (hint, they
exploded and shunted cars). Composites are amazing materials, but
composite engineers are still learning about longevity I have a feeling.

Mike Veglia
Motor Sport Visions Photography
http://www.motorsportvisions.com