I’m about to put a new rim on my old rim brake back wheel – the outgoing 517 is scarily concave! I’m intending to buy a standard XC717 but I’ve seen that Evans have the ceramic 717s for £49.99, not much more than the standard version. Are the ceramic rims worth having?

Cheers

A mate of mine used to have ceramic 121s (iirc) on his trials mtb. They’ll improve braking power, but what you’ll gain on decreased rim wear, you’ll lose on increased pad wear, particularly in the wet. Hope that helps.

Yes, they’re great.

if you can find some ceramic-use brake pads then you’ll be laughing!

I wouldnt want to ride on them! have you seen the mess it makes when you drop a ceramic mug?

if you can find some ceramic-use brake pads then you’ll be laughing!

+1. Fewer and fewer places are stocking them anymore.

they do make a marked difference to brake performance, but i echo what others have said they do increase pad wear. Merlin have some nice DT’s in too

Thanks for your opinions everyone. Its tempting but i think I’ll stick with the standard rims though.. I’ve never felt short of power when using xtr v brakes and they’ve lasted through several winters. Plus I have some new pads in the spares box, seems daft to buy ceramic specific ones, especially if they are getting harder to source. Thanks 🙂

I’ve had ceramics on the P20 for 12yrs (2 sets) They are better braking, especially in the wet. If you get ceramic pads they last a long time too. However if you a prone to ding rims, best avoid as it will chip the coating. Years ago my mate was getting 6-8 months out of normal 717, but 2yrs out of ceramics

Id go for them as it does increase rim life by quite a margin. Brake pads aren’t that much if you stock up!

Id go for them as it does increase rim life by quite a margin. Brake pads aren’t that much if you stock up!

Dammit, maybe I should.. hmm.. can I use normal pads with them as well? Is the key difference the life span of the block or do standard blocks not grip as well?

My 717’s are 5 years old and still good with 5 winters of commuting 3 of them off road. Some of the coating has come off but only small amounts.
I had avid ceramic specific pads on the back but recently switched to Shimano ceramic specific and they seem a lot better although I put new cables on at the same time which would have also contributed to the dramatic improvement.

I run ceramic 517s with Vs. You can happily use standard pads but they do wear quicker.

I think the ceramic coating is more abrasive, so normal pads tend to get munched quicker. Get the right pads and you’ll be laughing.

From my experience the avid pads lasted longer, but the shimano ceramics were better performance. I wouldn’t use any other pad now.

Got ceramics on the road bike, but it’s mostly worn off now.
Normal pads work fine.

Still got mine 14 years and still going fine with only one bit flaked off where its been dinged. No sign of rim wear otherwise.

Decision made for me in the end – Evans only had one rim in stock and I’d have wanted one for the front as well. As it happens, Chain Reaction have the standard 717s back in stock now so the one i ordered last week should get shipped today. Friday might be a quiet night in with a spoke key and a beer.. Ok, that sounds like a bad combo 😀