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Is this normal?

by tonyleatham
Tue, May 27, 2014 15:22
7

Hi

Just got a new Ribble R872 and it came fitted with RS31's. The rear wheel has a very small gap in the rim which I can hear grating when I brake. The front wheel has no such gap, and neither do any of the other pairs of wheels I own.

I've attached a photo of what I mean. I guess there maybe two problems here: the brake pads will get shredded quickly as the gap is very rough to the touch and b) the wheel is actually faulty and will collapse at some point.

So my question is: is it normal to have a gap in a rim like this?

Many thanks

Tony

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7 comments

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mbell | 9 years ago
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If it was mine I'd sent it back to Ribble. I wouldn't fettle it either as then you will likely invalidate any warranty.

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notfastenough | 9 years ago
0 likes

I'm certainly no authority on such things, but wouldn't the 'bump' of the pad adjusting to the different distance to the surface affect the wheel stability at speed? I'm not sure I'd fancy braking from 40mph with that.

In addition, wouldn't it act like a plane to shave off the pad surface (assuming the second surface is closer than the first)?

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MKultra | 9 years ago
0 likes

If it's only slight then the step for the machined surface should let you get away with the abrasive pad or stone, if you are not too cack handed the finish should be fine.

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tonyleatham | 9 years ago
0 likes

The wheel seems to run true even when I'm riding it (i.e. it's under load) and the gap is very much smaller than 0.5mm. I'm more than happy to "fettle" it a bit, though I suspect doing so will remove some of the powder coating.

I think the problem is perhaps less the gap and more the step between the two ends of the hoop. It's not much, but enough to feel and for the brake pads to rub on.

I emailed Ribble about it first thing this morning but so far they've not replied (they often take a day or so)

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ronin replied to tonyleatham | 9 years ago
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tonyleatham wrote:

The wheel seems to run true even when I'm riding it (i.e. it's under load) and the gap is very much smaller than 0.5mm. I'm more than happy to "fettle" it a bit, though I suspect doing so will remove some of the powder coating.

I think the problem is perhaps less the gap and more the step between the two ends of the hoop. It's not much, but enough to feel and for the brake pads to rub on.

I emailed Ribble about it first thing this morning but so far they've not replied (they often take a day or so)

I was just downstairs in the garage messing with break pads as I could hear something wasn't quite right with my Dura Ace 9000 C35s - noise from the back wheel when breaking. I think I better go and take a closer look. Perhaps the same guy made your wheels made mine too 2

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MKultra | 9 years ago
0 likes

It's normal in so far as rims often have this fault where the pinned joint completing the hoop is not quite true. Is it an actual gap or a small step between the two sections of about half a mm or so?

You have the choice of returning it or possibly taking an abrasive stone to it, it depends how out of true it is or if it's an actual gap.

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glynr36 | 9 years ago
0 likes

It's the joint, and I'd question it if it's that bad to rub the pads.
Throw it back to Ribble and see what they say.

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