Can I continue to ride on this wheel?

[Bob Ross]

I have a lovely set of handbuilt wheels from the esteemed Joe Young: DT Swiss 240s hubs, RR1.1 rims, SuperComp spokes, 28 hole 2-cross. I've put about 2,000 miles on them this Spring. Like them very much. Would like them on all my bikes. (Heck, would like to get more bikes just so I'd have more opportunities to use these Joe Young/DT wheels! But I digress...)

Saturday I'm descending some bat**** crazy mountain in Orange County directly behind a wonderfully brave & frighteningly fast rider, when suddenly we encounter one of those 12" x entire width of the road trenches that highway repairman seem to leave in their wake (presumably just prior to or post pipe and/or cable-laying). BANG! I nearly went airborne. At the next stop I noticed both my wheels were conspicuously out-of-true. Gee, no surpise there...

Sunday I brought both wheels to the LBS. Wrench trued the front wheel just fine. But he showed me a section of the rear rim that was slightly flattened by the impact; said there's no way he can compensate for that bent rim via spoke tightening. And the spoke directly adjacent to that flattened portion is very slack right now.

Eventually I guess I'll have to either have that rim straightened, or replaced. More urgently, I am leaving tomorrow for a 5-day cycling trip, and wondering if this rim is safe to ride on. I completed Saturday's ride and did a short ride Sunday on it, and I can certainly feel something's off, but it didn't seem to impede my ability to ride. I'm mostly concerned with whether or not it's wise to do a lot of riding on this out-of-round rim with one loose spoke.

I really would rather not use my backup wheels for this week (they're a whole nother can o'worms, but at least they're true...-ish), but I also don't want to endanger my self or do further damage to my good wheel.

Any ideas? Thanks.

[Ken Robb]

I could not enjoy a ride when I was wondering if my damaged rim was going to ruin my day. I would get a new rim laced up ASAP.

[Gothard]

That rim is toast, so you won't damage it more than it already is.
If it is not obviously cracked, it is rideable, assuming there is no thump every revolutin from the flat section.
As it is not a french made carbon spoked wheel, further failure should be of the non catastrophic type.
Caveat: listen to your shop mechanic, he has seen the wheel, not us.

[Tom]

Yeah no problem if two days into a five day ride the wheel craps out on you, catastrophic or not.

[Gothard]

Correct, forgot that part.
Get another wheel.

[caleb]

Get the wheel rebuilt as soon as possible. If you have another wheel, use it instead for the coming trip.

[Pete Serotta]

get the local wheel builder to build you a new one or loan you one for your trip. Even borrow one from a buddy........


Have a nice trip. PETE

[nahtnoj]

Can you get a loaner from the LBS if you don't trust your backup set? Bring the wrench back some beer or wine from wherever you are headed.

I went into my former LBS a few times with damaged wheels. Owner would ask "when do you need this back?" and I would look at him with a forlorn expression. "Yesterday?" he would say, and I would nod, and he would go in the back a bring out a loaner wheel. It helped that he built all my wheels, of course. He was a Mennonite, so beer was out of the question, but doughnuts were gladly accepted.

[Tobias]

I really would rather not use my backup wheels for this week (they're a whole nother can o'worms, but at least they're true...-ish), but I also don't want to endanger my self or do further damage to my good wheel.

Any ideas? Thanks.Can you take both sets of wheels with you (or as a minimum both back wheels) just in case?

I tend to agree with Gothard that the wheel as is is already shot, so riding it further is not going to cause the wheel further damage (unless it could cause the hub damage and that's highly unlikely IMO). The main issue for me would be if it could cause an accident, and if there are no cracks and you have already ridden it then I would take the chance. I have under similar circumstances -- actually rode the wheel for months until I got tired of it making noise.

By the way, when replacing the rim I'd replace spokes too.

[Bob Ross]

Just to clarify: it's not a 5-day unsupported bike tour, it's just a vacation, 5 days in a row of cycling, all within an hour at most of a major metropolis with plenty of decent bike shops should an emergency arise.

Further clarification: the only thing really wrong with my backup wheelset is that I hate them. :) Three-year-old Mavic Ksyrium Elites. They've been frought with problems, but were working more-or-less fine when I replaced them with the JoeYoung-builts this past winter.


By the way, when replacing the rim I'd replace spokes too.

Yes, I figured my choices were either repair the rim or replace it, and I couldn't imagine either would allow me to keep the spokes. And I'm hesitant to bother with the "repair it" option since the local wrench said that would probably involve a hammer!

[RPS]

Yes, I figured my choices were either repair the rim or replace it, and I couldn't imagine either would allow me to keep the spokes. And I'm hesitant to bother with the "repair it" option since the local wrench said that would probably involve a hammer!Based on what you described I don't see how the rim can be "repaired". If it can't be trued presently it means the material yielded, and that can't be reversed with a hammer. IMO your choices are ride it as is or replace it, and I'd replace it if concerned about safety.

[Peter P.]

Unless the tire won't stay seated on the rim-

Unless the brake grabs severely when the flat section passes through the pads and drives you nuts with the lurching-

Unless you can feel the flat spot with every rotation of the wheel-

It'll be fine to ride for your five day trip. The wheel will not catastrophically self destruct.