Rear rim wear

[lenfield]

Do the rear rims wear faster on bikes with rim brakes?
The rear rims on mine are down to the marker line but the front ones are way above it.

 

[All uphill]

That depends on how you brake.

It's normal to do most of your braking on the front wheel, in which case the front rim wears thin first.

 

[HLaB]

I've never worn out a rear rim and worn out several front rims. It depends on how you brake and your weight balance.

 

[Drago]

Too much unnecessary comfort braking causes that.

 

[Ian H]

The late, great Nev Chanin: [foghorn voice]"Brakes are for emergencies only".

 

[Big John]

If you do go through a rim with the brake blocks make sure you're only going slow, as I was many years ago commuting to work 😉. I dread to think of the damage you could do to yourself going downhill at intrafrastic speed and hitting the brakes. Inspect the rim as if your life depended on it. If necessary take the tyre and tube off and see if you can see daylight through the rim. If the rim appears slightly concave to the touch then it's on its way out.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I chew my way through front rims with regularity. Rear, not so much. Regular inspection is the thing.

While it's a shame to waste energy that could be used for going forward by heating up brake blocks, I do prefer to keep my stopping distance short and have a large mass. So most downhills of any significance are done with smoke issuing from brakes.

 

[ianrauk]

Another one who seems to wear out front rims first. But as others have said, it all depends on your braking style.

 

[matticus]

Rears tend to be dirtier - so if you're a wet-n-skog rider, that can bigly increase the wear at the rear, even if you're not using them more than the fronts.

 

[fossyant]

Rear on the commuter always goes first due to the delightful Manchester traffic.

 

[ColinJ]

The late, great Nev Chanin: [foghorn voice]"Brakes are for emergencies only".

I did notice that you descend rather quickly! I descend faster than many riders and you pulled away from me...

 

[simongt]

Only had one rim; back, fail due to wear and that was about 25 years ago.
Having ridden other bikes as far or further since, I can only assume either the failed rim was substandard or my braking style has changed since without me obviously realising.

 

[oldandslow]

I also had a rear rim fail. I had bought the wheels second-hand not long before, so not sure whether braking style explains why it was the rear one. Both the seller and I thought the wear was not serious. We were both wrong...

I agree that you'd expect the front to go more quickly in general.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Have just 'retiring' a rear rim. I was getting a vibration when rear braking and there was wear but a careful examination of the rim - by feel, visually nothing - revealed a slight bump. Stripping off tyre I could see that there was half inch split in the middle of the braking track. I feel I dodged a bullet as I had a few fast descents the day before on the Isle of Purbeck/Portland.
If there's a sound or vibration: be inquisitive.
Edit to add: Nearly new (Mavic Open Pro, 32) rim relaced, trued and rolling.

 

[presta]

Rims on my Horizon from new:

Rear 1: 6133m, fatigue fractures on spoke holes
Front 1: 10478m, pringled in a crash
Rear 2: 21366m, braking surface worn out
Front 2: 28801m, braking surface worn out
Rear 3: 18245m, not out
Front 3: 6465m, not out