Hi,
I noticed some (apparently) shallow cracks near the spoke nipples on my rear wheel. They don't appear that bad, but I'm wondering if I should replace it? It's on a touring bike, so it has to support some additional load.
by maleblond
Hi,
I noticed some (apparently) shallow cracks near the spoke nipples on my rear wheel. They don't appear that bad, but I'm wondering if I should replace it? It's on a touring bike, so it has to support some additional load.
by maleblond
4 Comments
Touring? Like a long way that you carry bags or just city touring bc if its a long way touring than it should be replaced asap! Bc if the crack will get bigger during a ride that your off the city by a lot
Yes. Replace. The cracks will spread and the wheel will fail and your tour will cease.
The rim is overstressed in those areas. The only outcome is an unrepairable failure. Aluminum hardens with age/ fatigue and becomes more brittle over time. Not unusual in older rear wheels.
I’m not particularly alarmist about minor cracks in rims – generally they take longer to actually fail than you would guess. However, on a touring bike? The last thing I’d want to have happen in a rim fail in the middle of nowhere with no cell signal.