When it comes to cycling, every component of your bike matters. One element that has gained increasing attention in recent years is the material used for spokes. While traditional steel has long been the standard, carbon spokes have emerged as a popular alternative. But are they the right choice for you? Let's weigh the pros and cons.

Advantages of Carbon Spokes

1. Lightweight: One of the primary benefits of carbon spokes is their light weight. In a sport where every gram counts, reducing the weight of your wheelset can lead to significant speed gains, particularly on uphill climbs.

2. Strength: Despite their lightness, carbon spokes are exceptionally strong. They can handle high levels of stress and tension, making them an appealing option for riders who push their bikes to the limit.

3. Stiffness: Another advantage of carbon spokes is their ability to increase wheel stiffness. This can improve your bike's handling and responsiveness, giving you greater control over your ride.

4. Vibration Damping: Carbon has excellent vibration damping properties. By absorbing road vibrations, carbon spokes can offer a smoother ride, reducing fatigue and increasing comfort.

Disadvantages of Carbon Spokes

However, carbon spokes aren't without their downsides.

1. Cost: Carbon spokes tend to be more expensive than their steel counterparts. This may put them out of reach for cyclists on a budget.

2. Durability: While carbon spokes are strong, they can be prone to cracking under impact. This can make carbon spokes less durable than metal ones in certain situations.

3. Maintenance and Repairs: If a carbon spoke gets damaged, it can be more difficult and costly to replace. This can lead to higher maintenance costs over time.

4. Limited Availability: Not all hubs or rims are compatible with carbon spokes, and they may not be readily available at all bike shops. This can make repairs and replacements challenging, particularly for those who travel frequently with their bikes.

5. Lack of Flexibility: The stiffness of carbon spokes may not be suitable for all types of cycling. Off-road disciplines, for example, may benefit from a bit more wheel flex, which carbon spokes don't provide.

Conclusion

After careful consideration, we've decided to hold off on using carbon spokes for the time being. While there are certainly benefits to this material, there are also significant drawbacks that we believe outweigh the advantages.

Most importantly, we want our riders to have easy access to replacement spokes wherever they are. With carbon spokes being less prevalent in local bike shops, this isn't currently feasible. Additionally, we would have to compromise on the quality of the hubs we use (currently DT Swiss) to enable compatibility with carbon spokes, which is not a sacrifice we're willing to make.

Therefore, while we continue to explore innovative ways to improve our wheels, we believe sticking with tried-and-true materials and components is the best way forward for now. We'll keep monitoring developments in carbon spoke technology, but until the downsides are addressed, we'll stick with what we know works best for our riders.