Building on the success of the tubular road wheel, Mad Fiber now introduces a clincher version. Compatible with tubeless or standard, tube-type tires, the clincher, while deriving many features and benefits from the tubular design, is no simple adaptation. Rather, it further takes advantage of Mad Fiber’s unique design and manufacturing capabilities to address the key challenge in carbon clincher manufacturing: brake heat management and safety.
Unlike a tubular tire, a clincher tire design, by its nature, puts outward force on the bead hooks of a rim. A rim made exclusively of carbon has difficulty resisting this high, concentrated force particularly with elevated braking temperatures. For full carbon rims, the outcome is often a large weight penalty and/or rim damage and even failure, a potentially very dangerous situation. By virtue of its three-piece rim design (2 sidewalls and tire seat), Mad Fiber is able to address this in two ways. Through the use of an aluminum tire seat, Mad Fiber introduces a material that acts as an exceptional heat sink, drawing heat from the carbon sidewalls. Further, the aluminum structurally reinforces the carbon so elevated brake heat does not make the wheel less able to hold tire pressure. Additionally, Mad Fiber specifies a carbon fiber, resin and adhesives that are stable at higher temperatures than those used by other wheel makers, further ensuring performance and safety, even in extreme conditions.
These developments enable Mad Fiber to make a deep-section carbon clincher wheelset that does not require a large weight penalty compared to its tubular sibling. It does not require an increase in brake track width to increase bead hook strength. And still, as with our tubular wheel, despite its exceptionally low weight, it comes with no rider weight restriction, and a four year crash replacement assistance program.
Why Ceramic Bearings?
If you take every opportunity to increase your speed and endurance, you should consider ceramic bearings. Ceramics decrease rolling friction, increase speed and have a longer service life relative to steel ball bearings. Our ceramic upgrade introduces ceramic in place of steel for each of the four load carrying bearings in our wheelset. (non load-carrying bearings in the freehub mechanism remain steel).
Wheels come with skewers, cork brake shoes, and valve extenders.
Four year warranty and damage replacement policy.
