"Hey everyone,
So, I was out riding my gravel bike in the woods today and instead of just getting a regular puncture like a normal person—you know, plugging it, pumping it up, and moving on—I managed to pull a total 'pro move.' I ran over a 5cm long nail that went straight through my tire and punctured the actual rim bed (where the tubeless tape sits).
The hole is about 4mm wide, so it’s smaller than a standard spoke hole. I’ve already lightly cleaned it up with a Dremel to stop any carbon fibers from fraying. How big of a problem is this? Is it still safe to ride? I know rim beds have factory-drilled holes for nipples, but those are engineered, not jagged punctures from a nail. My plan is to fill the hole with some two-component epoxy, sand it flush, and re-tape it for tubeless.
Is this a solid fix, or is the rim structurally compromised? Thanks for any advice!"
by VinnieShang
9 Comments
Looks quite small and sufficiently far from the side that I would ride it. I’d think some things CA would be sufficient, no epoxy needed.
Tape over it.
It’s always nice to fill it with epoxy instead of doing nothing.
Kinda impossible to gauge the full extent of what that nail coulda done to the interior of the rim surface, or even just the bed. My guess is that it’s compromised, and there are some cracks that aren’t visible.
If this is your front wheel I’d compare the price of a new wheel to the potential cost for dental surgery. If it’s your rear wheel, I mean, don’t ride out into the sticks without a plan to hike home.
Post some pics if you try the repair tho
jb weld maybe?
I would not ride that. I don’t know if it would fail, but if it does, just know that carbon fiber has a tendency to fail catastrophically.
Bicycle components are not tested to be ridden in a compromised state. Is the rim structurally compromised? Yes. Is it safe to ride? No one knows, again, rims are not tested to be ridden in a compromised state.
No bicycle expert, or carbon repair expert, would *ever* tell you this was safe to ride, and I hope no one here tells you as much.
Would I ride this? Yes, but I’d also get a replacement rim on order to replace this as soon as possible.
Buy a new one and keep this as a backup, but that’s just me
I don’t mess around with front wheels. I had a front tire blow out on me once and nearly lost control. It was right before a fast descent, so the timing was fortunate.
I might risk it on a rear wheel, but on the front I’d be shopping for a replacement.