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    How bad is this hole in my rim? (And yes, I have rim brakes)

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    24 Comments

    2. Red007MasterUnban on

      You better ignore everything that I say as it may compromise your safety, but:
      I believe your wheel will not just “die”, I think you can ignore it as it is “in one piece”, I think spoke’s connection will deteriorate, and you will have spoke failure and this is the moment you must stop.

      But if you have money to spare you should buy new one.

    3. dizzymiggy on

      Start saving for a new wheel. They aren’t that expensive usually. That one is a ticking timer.

    5. Conscious_Yak_7303 on

      There might be a hole right there, but your entire rim is too thin assuming it’s wearing evenly. If you have other means of transportation I would use those until you can get a new wheel.

    6. Feralest_Baby on

      Wheels on rim brake bikes are consumable. Yours has been consumed and should be replaced ASAP.

    7. Appropriate-Draw4949 on

      That rim might be worn out. Place something flat on the rim and if it’s concave it’s not safe to ride. With rim brake wheels the rim wears out and it gets weaker, it can fail catastrophically.

    9. Ol-Bearface on

      Stop riding immediately. That wheel needs to be rebuilt or replaced. That has the potential to fail catastrophically.

    13. flug32 on

      With rim brakes, rims will gradually thin until they suddenly and catastrophically fail (ask me how I know). Unless you monitor the wear and replace them in time of course.

      My worry here is not just the hole, but the probability that the whole rim is paper thin and is ready to fail at any moment. If the rim is not very, very thin & weak it is hard to explain how a hole like that was created.

      And: It’s hard to tell from this vantage point, but -completely aside from the hole – the entire rim looks very thinned out as well.

      You could tell for sure by checking the profile (the portion out nearest the tire doesn’t have any wear – how does the thickness there compare with the area where the brake pad rides?) and by deflating the tire and wiggling the rim back & forth. If it feels weak, it is.

    15. Darth19Vader77 on

      Time for a new wheel, or at least to replace the rim and respoke if you want to keep the hub.

    17. bentnotbroken96 on

      Whether or not that catastrophically fails isn’t an if, it’s a when. Do you really want to redesign your face freestyle?

      New wheels are way cheaper than reconstructive surgery.

    18. LongSpoke on

      You are very lucky to still have all your teeth intact after a month on that.  At some point soon that wheel is going to buckle and fold up when you hit a bump. 

    19. tiabgood on

      The last time I saw something like that on one of my rims it tacoed under me. Thankfully I was not near traffic, but I did get really banged up.

      Time for a new wheel – yesterday.

    20. JDCarnin on

      Rim brake wheels usually have a line on the brake surface as a wear indicator. Yours is gone. Beyond gone. If you even remotely value your life, don’t ride it until you replaced the wheels. Both of them, if you managed to put a hole in one of them, the other one is probably worn out as well.

    23. Single_Restaurant_10 on

      Best/fastest option is to get a whole new wheel; longer/budget option is a ceramic coated rim & relacing. Id probably go option 1 as you can get a whole new wheel on clearance sale pretty cheap. It depends if you have an expensive hub/spokes/rim combo to start with or its just a wheel for commuting.

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