raybo

I have Mavic 521 rims on my touring bike. They are the original rims and I've had the bike for about 5 years.

I know that rims fail eventually but have never experienced a rim failure.

1) How long do quality rims like the 521s usually?

2) What kinds of things can I look for to determine how worn the rims are?

Thanks,

Ray

jonsam

Here's something on the topic. https://bike-works.blogspot.com/2009/...-wear-out.html

There's really no way to say how long a particular rim will last because it's so dependent on conditions and amount of use. If there's a wear indicator groove cut into the rim that is one way to tell. When the rim wears down to the groove you should replace the rim. Other than that I would suggest cleaning off and visually inspecting the rims. Look at the braking surface and see if it seems badly worn. Maybe someone else will have some advice. Why are you concerned about it?

raybo

I've never had to replace a rim and was wondering how long they last. In addition, my next tour will include some remote areas and I'd like to make sure that all my bike's parts are in full working order. It seems like 5 years is a good amount of time for something like a rim to last.

Ray

crocodilefundy

aside from the obvious cracking around the spoke holes the rim material will wear down over time. you can feel a concave shape on the braking surface. if there is no rim wear indicator then its pretty much impossible to tell for sure. clearly the thickness of the rim will alter the strength. I'd take it to your LBS and get them to check it out.

Chiricocycle

You could try measuring the wall thickness with a micrometer and contacting the company.

thebulls

I think those rims have "double ferrules". If so, take off the rim strip and check that none of the inner ferrules fall out. I've had that happen both with some tandem rims and with two Mavic Open Pro rims. The inner ferrules look a bit like a thimble. They're supposed to reinforce the rim, so after they fail, it's usually just a matter of time before the ferrule that the spoke beds against cracks through the rim. At least, that's what happened with the Open Pro rims. The tandem rim is still OK, but is on the "watch" list.

rhm

Rear rims wear out faster then front rims, and they wear out faster if you use your rear brake a lot, and faster still if you ride in bad weather; and smaller rims wear out faster than big ones. The rear wheel on my folding bike wore out in under 5000 miles, way under two years; but that's a tiny wheel (16") and it gets a lot of use (I ride it 80 miles/week, rain or shine).

Hold a straight edge up to the braking surface of your rim, and look how deep the grooves are (if there are any); this will give you some idea of the condition of your rim.

raybo

Thanks for the information.

I'll do a more complete visual inspection and ask my LBS to check the rim's innards.

Ray

Vernon Huffman

Signs of a worn-out rim:
1. Dished braking surface;
2. Inability to hold true with even spoke tension;
3. Nipples pulling through;
4. Part of an old wheel with everything else wearing out.

Freewheeler

Worth adding that I've got some old Araya RM-17 rims that I thought were shot because the braking surface is concaved, only to discover that they were manufactured like this, concaved when new. Wonder if any other rims were/are produced like this.

avatarworf

Our Mavics (might have been 521s, don't remember) lasted a really long time. The first one to do was mine in Syria, when we'd done about 15,000km (maybe more! don't know without looking it up). And the only reason that one failed was because my brakes weren't adjusted right for a while and the rim wore down unevenly. We replaced the Mavic with a cheap-as-chips single-walled rim from a shop in Syria (very basic) and that went all the way through to Yazd in Iran (so another 5,000km or so) before we replaced it.

At that point, we replaced all the rims, and they all had small cracks starting to show on the inside. So, I guess if you've done a lot of KMs and are curious, just take your tyres and tape off and have a look to see what's happening in there...