[wtjs]

I only noticed this yesterday on my Vitus gravel bike- must be some rubbish alloy (pictures coming next). I’ve never had this happen before, and I have wheels over 40 years old . Unsurprisingly, there is nothing definitive to indicate the rim manufacturer

Topic

[John Stevenson]

IanMSpencer wrote:

IanMSpencer wrote:

Though I’ve never understood exactly why, on my wheel building course, we were told never to reuse spokes

Extreme caution I suspect. 

If the wheel was properly built and stress-relieved in the first place, and the spokes are stainless steel, then reusing them will be fine (provided, as you say, you can get the exact same rim). But you can usually only be sure of that if you built the wheel yourself, or know who built it and what process they used. Otherwise, playing safe and discarding the spokes reduces the chance that you’ll end up with a dud wheel.

[IanMSpencer]

Though I’ve never understood
Though I’ve never understood exactly why, on my wheel building course, we were told never to reuse spokes… which then makes rebuilindg wheels really expensive.

Of course, the other problem is whwthe you can get a replacement rim of the exact dimensions of the original, because if you don’t, you’ll need different spokes anyway… and the saving on the hub Vs factory built wheel doesn’t add up.

[TheBillder]

A chum of mine had a similar
A chum of mine had a similar problem last week; turns out he also had WTB rims on a gravel bike, and noticed cracks when giving it the annual clean. My guess is that from strong, light cheap, WTB went with the latter two.

He’s shrugged and bought some DT Swiss replacements.

[Chris Hayes]

I’ve worn out a couple of

I’ve worn out a couple of sets of rims: a set of HED Belgium + and a set of Mavic Open Pros (originals)….it happens….the rims weaken and fold out under the tyre pressure…though both had a few years at 12,000kms + in them – in all weather conditions.

I’ve even (stupidly) bent a rim trying to get a tyre on (Mavic Open Pro USTs – through not seating the tyre in the V…), but I haven’t had spoke pull through yet.  That’s a new one.  I usually buy (inexpensive) handbuilt wheels with replaceable components, using brass nipples where possible and a minimum of 32 spokes.  If there’s one thing I think I know about UK roads it is that they are going to get a lot worse before they get any better…

[wtjs]

Thanks MtB. Hunt is my top

Thanks MtB. Hunt is my top choice at the moment if the re-rimming of the wheel isn’t possible or doesn’t work.

[mike the bike]

Sorry to hear of your

Sorry to hear of your troubles wtjs, perhaps I can help with the tale of my damaged rim.

I bought a pair of Hunt’s alloy wheels from the cheaper end of their range and the spokes started pulling through the rim of the front wheel after 6 months.  One email, with photos, was all it took to get Hunt moving.  They didn’t need to see the rim and put a new one in the post within hours.  They also paid the bill for my LBS to re-lace it, and sent a couple of spare spokes, just in case.  Then they emailed me to make sure I was happy and to apologise again.  

I know the rim shouldn’t have failed, particularly after a short time of easy use, but the high level of customer care was certainly some compensation.  I shall use them again.  You might use them too, perhaps? 

[wtjs]

I can’t be bothered with the

I can’t be bothered with the aggravation of contacting Chain Reaction only to be told I’ve ruined it by cycling on rough roads. This ultra-crap replacement (no doubt Chain Reaction were elated at having taught me a lesson- they have) has only 28 spokes, whereas the crap original had 32. I’m told there is difficulty obtaining 28 hole rims, or ones with eyelets, but I’m awaiting news. In view of the apparently good hub, I’m going to have a decent rim put on if I can. Front wheel still OK, so it’s worth putting off having to buy a supposedly ‘good’ pair. All the wheels reviewed on here seem to be made with non-eyelet rims.

[brooksby]

John Stevenson wrote:

Rims made, clearly, from finest 100% pure cheddaranium.

They’re the wrong rims, Grommit!

[John Stevenson]

Rims made, clearly, from

Rims made, clearly, from finest 100% pure cheddaranium.

If were you I’d buy new ones built from quality components by someone who knows what they’re doing. Meanwhile, throw these back at Chain Reaction (again!) and when they replace them sell the replacements on eBay/Gumtree/Facebook Marketplace etc.

[hawkinspeter]

Drive side spokes should be

Drive side spokes should be higher tension as they’re at a steeper angle to allow for the cassette (and thus they have less truing effect on the rim). That rim is either not strong enough and/or they over-tensioned the wheel.

Meanwhile on my old Prime RR50 disc brake front wheel, I had a spoke nipple break suddenly as I was braking (for a red light of all things). The carbon fibre rim was more than strong enough and the nipple seemed quite corroded, but easily replaced and the wheel trued again (now consigned to being a spare wheel).

[wtjs]

I doubt this wheel will last

I doubt this wheel will last even the 18 months of its predecessor

I was right. Rim now knackered in the same way. You wonder why it’s worth building wheels as badly- all those decades of cycling and nothing like this! There are several cracks appearing at drive side spoke holes- clearly El-Cheapo wheel building machines just winch up tension on drive side spokes where the increased tension has less true-ing effect. Hub seems good, so I’ll see if anybody makes decent replacement rims these days

[wtjs]

No broken spokes on these

No broken spokes on these wheels, and I haven’t experienced any broken spokes for 20 years. The tension in the new wheel, to my untutored feel, seems a little higher on the drive side (which may well be normal and necessary) but no excessive tension

[wtjs]

The saga drags on- the

The saga drags on- the replacement wheel duly arrived today, but the bike is still not back on the road! I anticipated trouble with the wheel coming back without a disc- somebody would just throw it in a skip and not bother to consider the disc. I therefore cleverly removed the 160 TRP 6-bolt disc- however, the returns people cunningly thwarted my advance planning- they sent a centre-lock wheel with no disc, and no comment or documentation. The wheel bearings seem good and it’s now Vitus-branded, the rim is true and unbranded. Did I hear that Wiggle owns Vitus but Wiggle is now owned by some German company? However, the original was 36 spoke and this is 28. I may be old-fashioned but that doesn’t seem enough for a rear designed for rough roads. There are also no ‘proper’ eyelets, so I doubt this wheel will last even the 18 months of its predecessor. They also didn’t pay the £11 postage for sending the wheel back to them. It’s all a bit of a pain

[Hirsute]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wtjs]

Yes, I already had 2 QR’s wih

Yes, I already had 2 QR’s wih BOB fittings, so I just took the fittings and put them on a Robert Axle Project 12mm through axle which has worked very well. The gravel disc brake bike was off the road (replacement wheel due today, so back to the joys of discs) so I took my touring bike wih the trailer up to Coniston. The next day I came over Wrynose and had just got to the bottom when the front rim exploded with a load bang from the inner. This is a good Hewitt wheel but is 20 years old – that’s rim braking for you, it wears through the rim. It was OK when I set out but the extra brake force requiired with the trailer finished it off. I was lucky not to fall at speed, and even luckier that friends were able to rescue me from Little Langdale back to the club hut and eventually deliver me, the bike and the trailer back to Garstang. 

[Author]

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