Rim joint gap assessment
 

Shimano ultegra wheels WH 6500
I have these wheels since 2001, and have been doing all my training klms on these wheels.
The hubs run smoothly with very little resistance, and I have never had to re-pack the brgs. I have seldom trued them since the wheel stands well.
Recently, the upper part of the joint on the rim opened up slightly, and was "catching" slightly on the brake pad while braking.
I could grind down the un-eveness of the gap so the brake pad will not catch.
However, I would like an recommendation whether it is safe to continue using the rim in such a condition. In other words, do I risk rim failure going downhill?


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a102610925.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0871eb0939.jpg

Definitely time for a new rim ASAP.

I wouldn't worry about the joint itself. It looks better than many new rims I've had and the bump felt in the brakes went away quickly on their own as the pads wore them in.

Did you perhaps hit a big bump recently? Maybe re-adjust the pad postion? Check and make sure there aren't some really loose spokes that might be letting the rim joint begin to move too much.

However on a rim that is from 2001, then you might have nearly worn out the braking surface. A shop with a good wheel person can tell you more about it.

The defects in the rim aren't much to worry about, but I would replace almost any wheel after 10 years or so.

Is the braking effected?
It doesn't look bad and the tyre and spokes are all holding the rim in place. So if it failed in that spot it doesn't mean the wheel would disintegrate. You would have plenty of notice.
Keep an eye on it.

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You can monitor the brake track thickness with an Iwanson dental gauge such as this one: https://www.net32.com/ec/jsp-iwanson...-tips-d-151620

+1. I'm just giving an educated guess but the joint may be starting to distort due to the brake track being worn down too thin. Measure to be sure.

It has probably always been like that...just that due to pad adjust, you wore down the 80% below it so that it's now more pronounced.

=8-|

It looks to me like the left side has bulged out a little bit and this is "catching" your brake pad. Is the other side off the same amount but in the other direction? I've seen this before where the two rim edges have twisted a little bit relative to each other. I've quickly fixed it with two adjustable wrenches on either side to bring the faces into the same plane before. (With the tire off.) I've also had just one side bend out a little bit. Again, an adjustable wrench has been able to "finesse" the rim flange back flat with its mate on the other side.

It appears some external force caused this. It may be VERY easy to resolve. Or not. Is the insert connecting your rim ends failing? Who knows?

Given your wheels are now 19 years old (my daughter's age!), you should check everything for wear, damage, or any dangerous condition. Rim wear from braking? Any other potential problems. 20 years out of a pair of wheels is impressive. Probably don't want to embark on a cross-country tour on them!

Rims are a wear item. The current market view of the wheel as somehow a magical component that won't be subject to age, fatigue or wear (because modern wheels are so costly) is so miss led. The wear on the brake track of these rims is pretty significant. At some point the bead portion of the rim will bow out enough to crack/peal off the rest of the rim. You won't likely to be able to tell just before that's it about to happen... Andy

Check the thickness of the rim. It's probably worn and has deformed because the metal that is left doesn't have the required strength.

When you have rim brakes, the rim is a wear item.

No opinion on the rim, but that tire looks pretty dodgy.

I've also read that a straight edge set perpendicular to the rim across the braking surface with the tire removed will give you a quick visual indication of how worn the rim is. IIRC, if the lowest point is close to 2 mm or greater from the high points, the rims need to be replaced. Looking at your pictures, I can see that your braking surface is concave; I agree that there's not much life left in them and you're risking injury (or walking at the least) if you continue heavy use. Consider buying some wheels, and run these while they're shipped.

If the hubs are in good condition (I recommend looking at just how worn the cups and cones are) you can rebuild with new rims. If not, mount the entire wheel as a trophy of your endurance. You are harder than hardened steel and tougher than anodized aluminum!

Thanks everyone for responding, and I appreciate the recommendations.
The braking surface is concave so there must not be much material left.
I'm looking at a new wheel set to replace these rims. Its not worth the risk.
I've been totally satisfied with these wheels, and have definitely got my moneys worth out of them.