Rims Again - Failure Imminent ?

[MockCyclist]

I just noticed these cracks appearing in my rear rim.

Just over 2 years old and 4600 miles, of which around 1300 touring miles with loaded panniers, less than 15kg total. I'm 80kg. Tyres at max. pressure.



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So - should I be concerned ? Is this a reasonable life ? At what point do I get a new rim ?

 

[dodgy]

Change the rims now, they'll go soon enough. Where the cracks are on the rim, are those spokes leading to the drive or non drive side of the hub? If all the cracks are leading to the same part of the hub, I'd say it's possible the wheel was built very tight, some people actually like that, but there's a risk of premature failure.

Dave.

 

[Steve Austin]

You replace your rims NOW!

very reasonable life imo.
thats not rim wear though, thats the rim splitting from a variety of causes.

Rim wear is a funny thing. some rims wear really quick, some blocks make this happen quicker. not cleaning makes it happen faster as the black sludge stuff acts like an abrasive paste. Any splits need replacing ASAP!!

 

[andrew_s]

Those cracks are due to the spoke tension being too high for the rim.

It's not a problem to ride it in the short term, but if they get worse and the eyelets start to pull through the rim, the wheel will go out of true and there won't be much you can do about truing it up.

 

[fossyant]

I wouldn't ride with them - get rid - just not worth having any failure at speed !

Good job you have spotted it !

 

[andrew_s]

It's not going to fail.

All that will happen is that a spoke or three start to go slack, and you can't tension them back up to true the wheel. If it was a 20-spoke wheel it may go far enough out of true that the wheel becomes unrideable, but a 32 or 36 spoke wheel won't go so far out that you can't ride home.
I wouldn't go on holiday with it, and it may be advisable to have a spare wheel available or to replace the rim at some time when it's convenient, on account of Murphy's law.

The life of a rim will depend on the conditions you ride in, and what sort of brake pads you use. These determine how fast the sides of the rim get worn away.
Carrying extra weight doesn't have any effect on rim life, apart from not needing quite such a big pothole to write it off on. It also isn't going to affect whether you get cracking like that shown in the photo.
If a rim was worn out after 4600 miles, that would normally be cause for concern, and you'd want to start looking at what brakes you used.

 

[fossyant]

Well mate - I wouldn't trust them at 50 MPH.

OK these might not be going that fast as they are MTB rims, and it looks like it's on a commuter - i.e no knobblies...... but..........

Time to start looking for new ones......!

Mavic rims shouldn't do that - as mentioned the spokes are over tightened/poorly built for that to happen.

Something will happen soon - a broken spoke at that tension might make riding the bike back home difficult - very inconvenient ... for me my bikes, especially the commuter MTB has to be 100% reliable - no chance of stuff failing - if it needs replacing, then that happens.

Makes you trust the bike as well !

 

[MockCyclist]

I think I caught this early as only a few of the spokes are like this. Of those few, both side spokes are affected.

My inclination is not to take a chance - but I'm a bit disappointed with the life. The blocks are original Shimano and the wheels are on a tourer from a maker with a fine reputation for build quality (if not aesthetics !). It only gets ridden in fine weather and I do keep the rims clean.

Ho hum. Thanks for replies.

 

[Tim Bennet.]

Mavic rims shouldn't do that -

Unfortunately Mavic rims did go through a time recently where this was an issue. Reputable touring wheel builders switched to using other brands where possible. I think in the last couple of years, Mavics have got their act back together again.

 

[bonj2]

new entire wheel.

 

[vernon]

Unfortunately Mavic rims did go through a time recently where this was an issue. Reputable touring wheel builders switched to using other brands where possible. I think in the last couple of years, Mavics have got their act back together again.

I've had two Mavic rims fail in an identical manner. One was definitely due to over tensioned spokes when a helpful Shrewsbury bike dealer retrued my wheel as a favour when I did my first LEJOG. The rims gave way when I was near Dumfries and a new wheel was purchased from a bike dealer there for a speedy 'repair'


History repeated itself in France last year when I had to make do with a 35 Euro rear wheel from Decathlon in Macon.

You could have a new rime laced onto your hub and existing spokes. A totally new wheel is hardly necessary as your spokes and hub are unlikely to be damaged. A new rim fitted will cost around 10 - 15 quid more than the rim alone - spending money on news spokes and a new hub is wasteful if you can cope without the bike for a few days.

 

[Bonj Hovi]

new entire wheel.

Total b@ll@cks!!

 

[snorri]

I had a problem like that on a Trek hybrid after a tour 16 spoke holes on the drive side had small cracks. I have kept an eye on them and 6,000 miles later, but no touring, the cracks have not got bigger and no new one has appeared. The manufacturer had not put his name on the rim!

 

[domtyler]

It's not going to fail.

Isn't that what they said about the Titanic?

 

[vernon]

Isn't that what they said about the Titanic?

I think that Andrew_s meant
It's not going to fail catastrophically.

I've had three rims on rear wheels fail by cracking around the spoke holes in the rims. One was a Mavic one was some other well known branded rim and the last one to fail was a single walled budget wheel from Decathlon. None of the three collapsed, they just signalled their intent to do so by making strange creaking noises, and becoming a tad more flexible than they ought to be.

I'd not be that worried about riding the bike briskly. On two occasions my bike was fully laden with camping gear when I discovered the failures. I didn't even have to increase the gap between the brake pads to accommodate any out of true wobbles as they were minimal.