I've worn out a wheel

[Colin McKenzie]

Standard machine-made alloy front wheel, circa £30, after
about 12K London miles.

The rim is bending out near the tyre bead, which suggests
extreme thinness.

The question is, if I spend more, could I get a longer-
lived wheel, or will spending extra just buy lightness and
build quality?

If a more expensive wheel works out cheaper per mile, I'll
go for it.

TIA

Colin McKenzie

[Pete Biggs]

Colin McKenzie wrote:
> Standard machine-made alloy front wheel, circa £30, after
> about 12K London miles.

12k is not such a bad innings, considering how much braking
is necessary in London.

> The rim is bending out near the tyre bead, which suggests
> extreme thinness.
>
> The question is, if I spend more, could I get a longer-
> lived wheel, or will spending extra just buy lightness and
> build quality?

Won't necessarily get a longer lasting rim by spending more,
in fact many expensive ones have thin walls to save weight.
Quite a portion of the price of price of expensive wheels
goes on the hubs (although fronts are cheaper than rears).
What is the current make/model of the rim? What about
replacing rim* instead of whole wheel? ...And that's always
a factor to bear in mind with new wheels - cost of rim
replacements.

Next rim /might/ last longer with Kool Stop Salmon
brake pads.

* Spokes can be reused if new rim has same "effective rim
diameter". Lacing job is made easy by taping new rim
besides wheel and swapping spokes over one at a time (very
little skill required for this initial job). Wheel then
needs tensioning and truing properly afterwards (by bike
shop wheel builder if necessary). Worth doing if existing
hub and spokes are any good, although it's probably worth
getting a new wheel this time for sake of better spokes
(double butted stainless) and hub, but it's the best
option for keeping costs down in the future.

~PB

[Just Zis Guy]

"Colin McKenzie" <news@proof-read.co.uk> wrote in message
news:gjHac.29069$Y%6.3386105@wards.force9.net...

> Standard machine-made alloy front wheel, circa £30, after
> about 12K London miles.

Not bad, I'd say.

> The rim is bending out near the tyre bead, which suggests
> extreme thinness.

Or extreme wear from the pads - consider Kool-Stops, as
suggested by Pete.

> The question is, if I spend more, could I get a longer-
> lived wheel, or will spending extra just buy lightness and
> build quality?

It deep ends. Is this an MTB? The Alesa XPlorer rim seems
pretty tough to
me. Or Sun Rhyno. Some rims are just built for
punishment ;-)

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk (http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/)

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
Washington University

[Colin McKenzie]

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

> "Colin McKenzie" <news@proof-read.co.uk> wrote in message
>>Standard machine-made alloy front wheel, circa £30, after
>>about 12K London miles.
>
> Not bad, I'd say.
>
>>The rim is bending out near the tyre bead, which suggests
>>extreme thinness.
>
> Or extreme wear from the pads - consider Kool-Stops, as
> suggested by Pete.
>
>>The question is, if I spend more, could I get a longer-
>>lived wheel, or will spending extra just buy lightness and
>>build quality?
>
> It deep ends. Is this an MTB? The Alesa XPlorer rim seems
> pretty tough to
> me. Or Sun Rhyno. Some rims are just built for punishment
> ;-)
>
Thanks for both replies so far.

It's a hybrid. Not sure what the existing rim is, but I
have to buy a new wheel because I can't be off the road
long enough to learn how to build one. I'll keep the old
hub for possible wheel-building later, and investigate the
kool-stops.

Colin McKenzie

[James]

Colin McKenzie <news@proof-read.co.uk> wrote in message news:<gjHac.29069$Y%6.3386105@wards.force9.net>...
> Standard machine-made alloy front wheel, circa £30, after
> about 12K London miles.
>
> The rim is bending out near the tyre bead, which suggests
> extreme thinness.
>
> The question is, if I spend more, could I get a longer-
> lived wheel, or will spending extra just buy lightness and
> build quality?

yikes, best replace it quick if that is really what it is
doing. I have just worn out[1] a Vuelta Airline 2 rim after
six and a half thousand miles (I commute throughout the
winter[2] and ride with a rather bursty style[3]). I am
planning to use the opportunity to get a nexus dynahub. Does
the panel have any opinions on how much life a tiagra hub
should give (ie should I keep it for next time I need a new
wheel)? Also any reccomendations for getting the new wheel
built? Last time I bought one for my mum I got it from sjsc.

as for answering your question I guess touring rims might
well be harder wearing (as well as more expensive). Sun do
quite a few heavy duty rims

best wishes james

[Frobnitz]

"Colin McKenzie" <news@proof-read.co.uk> wrote in message
news:gjHac.29069$Y%6.3386105@wards.force9.net...
> Standard machine-made alloy front wheel, circa £30, after
> about 12K London miles.

About the same on my MTB - 3 years and 14k miles, and the
rims are about to give (and I use Koolstop pads). Still, not
one broken spoke on either wheel in that time, which I'm
impressed with - although I did have the wheels trued and
tensioned professionally annually, and I manually destressed
them every month or so.

> The question is, if I spend more, could I get a longer-
> lived wheel, or will spending extra just buy lightness and
> build quality?
>
> If a more expensive wheel works out cheaper per mile, I'll
> go for it.

Don't know if this will be suitable for you, but it's what
I'm considering for replacements <url:http://www.chainreact-
ioncycles.com/viewproduct.asp?category=Wheels&Mode lID=2393>

They seem reasonable - I'm not yet ready to get the bits and
build as I'm not mechanically minded, it took me about 2
hours on monday to change and re-index the rear mechs on my
bikes, so I dread to think what a wheel I built would look
like - probably a Hengist Pod special :-)

E

[Pete Biggs]

james wrote:
> I am planning to use the opportunity to get a nexus
> dynahub. Does the panel have any opinions on how much life
> a tiagra hub should give (ie should I keep it for next
> time I need a new wheel)?

Tiagra type of hub can last tens of thousands of miles if
regularly serviced properly, but bearing surfaces wear
quickly if bearings are adjusted too tight (which is often
the case, unfortunately). Cones should be only _just_ past
the point of play when quick release is closed. Should
last ages if has been/will be kept like that, and clean
and greased.

~PB

[Chris French]

In message
<bdd9f589.0404010136.394c36cb@posting.google.com>, james
<mt99999@hotmail.com> writes
>Colin McKenzie <news@proof-read.co.uk> wrote in message
>news:<gjHac.29069$Y%6.3386105@wards.force9.net>...
>> Standard machine-made alloy front wheel, circa £30, after
>> about 12K London miles.
>>
>> The rim is bending out near the tyre bead, which suggests
>> extreme thinness.
>>
>> The question is, if I spend more, could I get a longer-
>> lived wheel, or will spending extra just buy lightness
>> and build quality?
>
>yikes, best replace it quick if that is really what
>it is doing

Indeed, if it bulging it could go with a bang (literally)
ant any moment.

> Also any reccomendations for getting the new wheel built?
> Last time I bought one for my mum I got it from sjsc.
>
I got my last set of wheels built by Spa Cycles in
Harrogate (they actually use a local chap for their wheels)
- nicely built.

>as for answering your question I guess touring rims might
>well be harder wearing (as well as more expensive). Sun do
>quite a few heavy duty rims
>
Sun are very much overpriced IMO.

I'd recommend Alesa Endeavour rims, but I think they have
may have stopped those, though they are still around (See
Spa) ISTR that they were bought up by Rigida? . As well as
bring tough rims they are pretty cheap and have a built in
wear indicator line
--
Chris French, Leeds

[Chris Gerhard]

Colin McKenzie wrote:
> Standard machine-made alloy front wheel, circa £30, after
> about 12K London miles.
>

Look at your brake blocks. I got through a set of rims
(mavic open pro) in 5000 miles with shimano XT blocks. I
had to replace the wheels and blocks, so the blocks are now
salmons and 10000 miles later there is almost no wear.
Ditto for my summer bike which has nice soft campag blocks.
17500 miles later the blocks are gone but the rims are
great. Soft brake blocks are cheaper than cheap rims, and
they brake better.

> The rim is bending out near the tyre bead, which suggests
> extreme thinness.
>
> The question is, if I spend more, could I get a longer-
> lived wheel, or will spending extra just buy lightness and
> build quality?
>
> If a more expensive wheel works out cheaper per mile, I'll
> go for it.
>

Spend your money on soft brake blocks, well new rims then
soft brake blocks.

--chris

[Peter B]

"james" <mt99999@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bdd9f589.0404010136.394c36cb@posting.google.com...

> yikes, best replace it quick if that is really what it
> is doing.

Dead right! A friend recently had one go, luckily at low
speed outside his house. I saw the burst rim and it's
sobering to think of the potential for disaster had it
occurred at speed.

I've never worn through a road rim but pre-disc rims were
considered a consumable on my mtbs.
--
Regards, Pete