I know this is going to out me as super anal retentive, but that’s probably no surprise to anyone at this point.
I just got a set of carbon wheels, and while I was inspecting them, I couldn’t help but notice that there are scuffs on the rims, that there are places where the epoxy coating(I assume it’s epoxy) isn’t smooth, and that there are even a few small pock-marks on the wheels. There are also minor scratches on the braking surface. The only other carbon wheel I’ve ever seen up close was a Zipp 909 disc, which looked perfect in every way. I always thought that a smooth finish on fiberglass/carbon fiber was critical. I’m not really upset, because the wheels look good beyond that, and none of this should affect the functioning on the wheel(at least in my opinion.)
So my question is: Is this normal? Is there something that I can or should do to smooth the finish? Or should I not worry about it and just ride them?
Thanks for your help.
It is a misconception that finish is critical. However, please send me a photo velobunny@aol.com and I will try to explain each spot to you. Without a picture, I couldn’t say what was going on. The “pocks” are just places where the mould release was a bit clumpy or the clear coat did not completely wet out, from my experiences. But your pocks could be different.
One company’s cosmetic second is another company’s first-run, top quality wheel. It depends entirely upon the method of construction, whether it be wet-layup, pre-pre autoclave, bladder moulded, or mouldless.
You could end up doing more harm than good by trying to “finish” the wheel yourself.
I’ll take a couple of pics tonight and send them to you. I had no intention of messing around with resin or anything like that. The most I would have done would be apply some kind of sealant/wax, but only if some carbon-savvy person like yourself said that wouldn’t damage the wheel or be just plain stupid.