Carbon Wheels Through Winter

Just buy a disc braked bike for the winter. I've had mine for 10yrs now. I have upgraded to Shimano 105 hydraulic disc (from SRAM Apex with BB5 mechanical disc, where the brake calipers had corroded to seizure).

I also put my old (four year old) carbon summer wheels on it when I upgraded to centrelock Freeza rotors with wider rims on my summer bike. They've done 3 winters now and are still like new.

Just make sure to keep them away from any parrots

As the roads are purpetually wet and dirty in the winter months in Suffolk/Norfolk, I always change to alloy rims, purely to aid braking efficiency. Thats the priorty for me over wear!

Not that I necessarily believe this, but I read somewhere that carbon rims wear better than alloy. I think it probably depends as much on what brake pads you use and how often you pick out the shards of rim material (the metal splinters you can clearly see in the case of alloy rims) that get embedded in the pads.

The braking on more recent carbon rims is fine in the wet.

Aside from braking performance, riding through the winter does tend to lead to rims being worn away pretty fast. I would therefore advise against using expensive wheels, as you'll only end up needing to replace them soon! Ideally buy some wheels built with off the shelf parts, so when the rims inevitably become worn out, the wheel can simply be re-built with a replacement rim. 

Not all carbon wheels are created equal when it comes to braking in wet weather....so it depends. It also kind of depends where you live. For example I'd consider using mine in Norfolk where it's relatively flat and roads are reasonably straight, but would avoid using them on the Sussex - Kent borders where it's hilly and there are bends where emergency braking might be needed.

If you're in doubt I'd avoid it.  You can get some decent sub 1450g wide rimmed alloy wheels for GPB 300 - 350 from a wheelbuilder that weigh less than most carbon wheels if that's an issue...though good carbon wheels have many advantages over good alloy wheels. 

Getting caught in the rain while on my summer carbon-wheeled rim brake bike and having to brake sharply was enough to put me off ever riding carbon wheels in anything other than guaranteed dry weather.

Seeing the mucky paste I cleaned off them just compounded that and started the search for a disc brake bike.

In summary, IMO it's not worth it financially or more importantly not worth it from a safety aspect. As an accidental one-off yes, but not as a first choice. 

How is your wet braking? I wouldn't do it on my rim brake carbon wheels for that reason.

Then again I will ride a disc braked bike this winter.