Caring For Rims

[Sandy]

I have ordered a set of handbuilt wheels from a forum member wheel builder, and will be ordering a second pair of handbuilt wheels from another forum member wheel builder. My previous two sets of wheels simply wore out- rear rims in particular. Had them for years.

Question- How do you take care of your rims? Clean them? How? Clean brake pads? How?

Thanks!


How How Sandy

[Blue Jays]

You abraded your way through the aluminum or carbon fiber rim surfaces? It might be more fun to just have a couple of bikes to share the mileage rather than piling them all upon a single piece of hardware. I ride many thousands of miles per year and avoid surprise repairs by dividing across several bikes.

[Sandy]

You abraded your way through the aluminum or carbon fiber rim surfaces? It might be more fun to just have a couple of bikes to share the mileage rather than piling them all upon a single piece of hardware. I ride many thousands of miles per year and avoid surprise repairs by dividing across several bikes.

I only have one bike. I have always had only one bike. Both sets of wheels were very light for someone my weight. One particularly so. They held up very well and I never had to replace a single spoke over thousands and thousands of miles. One rear rim actually started to crack in different places and the second was getting close.

:) Cracked but not on crack, :)

:banana: Cracker Jack Sandy :banana:

[vaxn8r]

Solutions:

Don't brake.

Don't ride in wet weather.

Clean pads and rims after every ride.

Ride your bike a lot and replace wheels when needed. The newer lighter rims aren't designed to last that long. You have to realize that going into the purchase.

[Blue Jays]

Sandy, the gritty "slurry" formed when moisture combines with road dust definitely accelerates the rim wear that riding enthusiasts experience. It is practically possible to hear the differences when forced to ride in poor weather conditions as compared to clear and dry conditions. Definitely give them a rinse with warm soapy water and a clean rinse when you've been out in the slop.

[Peter P.]

Parts wear, period. I've worn through so many sidewalls that I've lost count. Doesn't matter whether you're a fair weather rider or year 'round commuter, rims will wear, just like the discs or drums on your car. Accept it, rebuild it, and move on. Yet another reason to not buy expensive stuff.

[11.4]

Rim wear and breakage is easily addressed.

As for wear:

In any wet weather your rims will get some blackish crud on them which is partly ground up and oxidized aluminum (from the rim) and partly just dirt. I take a soft Scotchbrite (the blue color) from the grocery store and just swipe the rim surfaces quickly -- some Fantastik or just some water with vinegar does fine. You'll see how much stuff you'll clean off -- this stuff is abrasive and will grind away as long as it's there.

Take the wheels off and use an emery board (basic orange women's fingernail board) on the brake pads. You aren't trying to wear down the pads, just take off the stuff that's embedded and the same crud you just took off your rims.

Pick rims well. The ceramic Open Pro ceramic rims from Mavic do have the big advantage that they hugely prolong the life of braking surfaces. They pay for themselves in longevity. Also, pick rims with decent thick braking surfaces -- some rim extrusions are simply pieces of very thin tubing that are extruded into a rim shape, while others are extruded to modify thicknesses -- much thicker at the braking surface, thinner elsewhere. A superb clincher rim in this category is the new DT RR 1.2 high-profile rim -- it has quite thick sidewalls with a very consistent amount of extra metal. If you like to ride a 25 mm or larger tire, the DT TK touring rims are about the same weight as the RR 1.2 and are even beefier in the sidewalls. I'd steer away from rims like Mavic Reflexes because they are simply a shaped piece of thinwall tubing, which is further exacerbated because Mavic then grinds off part of the sidewall wall thickness to create a quote-unquote better braking surface. This is all baloney on their part -- they simply were having trouble extruding smoothly so they got rid of ripples by grinding them off, at the expense of extra-thin points in the braking surfaces. Velocity has the same issue with their rims, which tend to be overly heavy to start with and while crashproof do tend to have sidewall failure faster than they used to.

If you want to ride tubulars, definitely check out the Ambrosio Nemesis rims. At about $75 apiece, they are sturdy and have decent wall thicknesses (and no braking surface machining).

As for breaking:

I hear more and more about rims cracking, usually at the ferrules but sometimes elsewhere. Most rims are designed only around weight these days, not durability, and the Mavic Reflex is again an example. The wall thickness is so thin and the aluminum comes out of the extrusion so work-hardened that cracking is inevitable. I've never gotten five thousand miles out of a rear Reflex rim, though I can ride an Ambrosio Nemesis or Mavic Paris Roubaix rim for 25 thousand without a problem.

For road use, ignore the arguments about riding DT Alpine spokes or straight gauge spokes if you're a bigger rider. Instead, use a spoke like DT Revolutions (2.0 to 1.5 mm butting). They are a slight bit stretchier, which you may notice in lateral flexibility of the wheels, but that stretchiness cushions both hub and rim and makes for a much more durable wheel. Some people have trouble with them because they tend to wind up during wheelbuilding due to their thinness, but if you stress-release the wheels properly, you won't have any issues -- just get a good builder who knows how to use them.

Consider avoiding ferrules. Spoke ferrules were a solution to extra-thin-wall-section rims, but they create another problem because they require a bigger hole drilled in the rim, which encourages breakthrough and cracking. Instead, I actually favor non-ferruled rims. I've got a couple pairs of some beautiful Araya rims that are non-ferruled and actually increase the wall thickness right at the spoke holes from about 1.5 mm to about 2.5 mm. These rims just won't die, and I've done just about everything to them.

And as odd as it sounds, consider carbon. Specifically, I'd suggest you look at Reynolds wheels. They are built on DT hubs with DT spokes and some of the best and strongest carbon rims on the market. They use internal spoke nipples, which is a little more hassle if you need to true them (I never have to) but means that the spoke holes are no bigger than the spoke shaft itself. Plus, the internal nipple has a bigger bearing surface on the rim so it spreads the stress much more widely. And they are unidirectional carbon (same stuff as in Campy Record cranks and Crumpton carbon frames, for example) which is much stronger than what you get in other carbon rims. The carbon fabric weave you see was an early approach to carbon design and consumer expect it, so now it's often just a single layer applied to a rim or frame to meet consumer demand. It's unidirectional carbon that's really doing the job in a good rim. Reynolds wheels are very popular in cyclocross and rough riding particularly because they are so durable. They aren't as expensive as Zipp, they brake very well (probably better than any other carbon rim with yellow Swisstop pads) and they are a delight to ride in any case. You can get the rims and have them built up on your own hubs as well if you want more spokes (Reynolds rear wheels tend to be mostly 20 spoke, but you can get the rims up to 32). Really, this may be the best suggestion of anything I have to say here. They also don't wear like aluminum either. Check for 2007 Reynolds rims -- they aren't changing the basic 46 mm rim for 2008 but the wheels are getting cleared out at pretty good prices right now.

Last, do you get pinch flats? Some riders like to go to 25 mm or larger tires and ride lower pressures. Those can be pretty hard on rims when they bottom out. We've put lots of big strong track riders (6'4", 1800 watts, 220 lb sprinters) on larger tires and don't really think too much of the results. Big tires seem to be a fad, but we've had better luck sticking with 22-23 mm and getting the pressure right. And do consider tubulars if you aren't using them already -- not as an excuse to ride lower pressures but because they are a lot easier on the rims and on you.

[Sandy]

Who are you?? I think many years ago the Lord decided to produce a cycling enthusiast who was amazingly knowledgeable, very articulate, helpful, and ready to answer, in depth, simple questions pertaining to bicycles.

I really appreciate such an in depth, high quality answer. On a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 11.4!! :)

Thanks!


Sowly wearing out,


Serotta Sandy

[barry1021]

Who are you?? I think many years ago the Lord decided to produce a cycling enthusiast who was amazingly knowledgeable, very articulate, helpful, and ready to answer, in depth, simple questions pertaining to bicycles.

I really appreciate such an in depth, high quality answer. On a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 11.4!! :)

Thanks!


Sowly wearing out,


Serotta Sandy

It's PRINT, THREE HOLE PUNCH, FILE in notebook.

b21

[zank]

"Why not just make 10 louder?"

"This one goes to 11.4."

[ergott]

Rim wear and breakage is easily addressed.
Shortened to save space
As for wear:
...

ditto, only no where near as eloquent.

[Sandy]

I sent you an email.


Sandy

[Kevan]

in the dishwasher.

I got 6 years and well over 20k miles. I keep my bike clean, but I don't go nuts over it. A good set of rims will tell you when they've seen enough. You just best listen.

[gt6267a]

11.4 – thanks for the great info. Out of curiousity, it seems the kinlin 30mm rims are very popular these days. Have you experience with them? What do you think? They build up a semi-aero wheel that is much less expensive than with a Reynolds rim. Comparisons? Thoughts? Thanks and regards, Keith.

[jamesau]

I roll with Shimano, but I replace their stock pads with Koolstop Salmon. Braking seems better with these and dirt/metal does not embed in them as readily as with the Shimano pads. That's a happy result: better braking and longer rim life for the price of replacement pads.

[Your_Friend!]

Sandy!


Maybe The _Ceramicist_

Known As Shinomaster!

Could Make You Some

Ceramic Rims!



Love,
Your_Friend!

[Louis]

Who are you?? I think many years ago the Lord decided to produce a cycling enthusiast who was amazingly knowledgeable, very articulate, helpful, and ready to answer, in depth, simple questions pertaining to bicycles.


Sandy, don't trust him. You remember what he does to tire nubs.

Plus, 11.4 is his time in a 400m sprint, not 200m...