Carbon spokes are appearing more and more often in race-level wheelsets — not only in flagship models, but also in wheels available to ambitious amateur riders. But are they really “better” than standard steel spokes? In which conditions do they offer a real advantage, and when does their use simply make no sense?
This guide was created to help you consciously decide whether carbon spokes are a real upgrade for your riding style, or just a feature whose benefits you won’t actually feel on the road.
What’s the difference between carbon and steel spokes?
The key advantages of carbon spokes are:
- lower weight (around 1–2 g saved per spoke),
- higher stiffness with the same lacing pattern.
An Evanlite carbon spoke weighs 3.5 g, while:
- Sapim CX-Ray or DT Aerolite → approx. 4.4 g
- Sapim D-Light → 4.9 g
- DT Aerocomp → 5.6 g
What does this mean in real riding?
Higher wheel stiffness translates into better power transfer during sprints and sharp accelerations — especially at very high power outputs. In everyday training rides (200–300 W), the difference will be subtle.
An additional benefit is lower total wheel weight: in practice, around 50–100 g less compared to wheels built with steel spokes. When compared to top-tier steel models such as DT Aerolite or Sapim CX-Ray, the real saving is about 50 g per wheelset — roughly 25 g per wheel.
When is a carbon spoke not the best choice?
Carbon spokes are not suitable for every application. There are scenarios where steel still wins — and where excessive stiffness becomes a drawback:
- Gravel / MTB → rock strikes, drops, impacts — steel handles random loads better and absorbs vibrations more effectively, which genuinely improves efficiency off-road. Using carbon spokes in wheels regularly ridden in rough terrain will sooner or later lead to cracking or accelerated material fatigue.
- Comfort → carbon is stiffer, so if maximum comfort is your priority, you should expect a wheel built with carbon spokes to feel noticeably harsher.
Many manufacturers don’t say this out loud — we do: carbon spokes are not a universal solution. They are a deliberate choice, mainly for high-performance road wheels, where maximum responsiveness and stiffness can be a real advantage.
Who do we recommend carbon spokes for?
✔ for road cyclists focused on performance
✔ for riders who ride dynamically, race, and generate high power
If you’re fighting for watts and immediate wheel response matters to you — carbon spokes deliver a real advantage during explosive accelerations, attacks, and sprint finishes.
If, on the other hand, you mainly ride for training, on gravel or MTB, or you value comfort and low maintenance — high-end steel spokes (Sapim, DT Swiss) will be the better choice. They offer optimal stiffness while effectively damping vibrations and delivering predictable wheel behavior in changing conditions — which, in these scenarios, is far more valuable than extreme stiffness.
Carbon spokes in Evanlite wheels
Carbon spokes can be selected as an option in the configurator for the road models New Disc 45 and New Champion. We introduced them where their advantage truly makes sense — in performance-oriented road cycling focused on fast, dynamic riding.
