madpogue 

This is for a '90 Schwinn CrossCut that was rode hard and put away wet. Has a pretty nice (well, it was) Wolber GTX hard anodized 32-spoke double-wall presta rim:


Two issues. One, several of the eyelets are coming apart:

No idea how this happens. I wonder if just using washers on the outside, under the shoulders of the spoke nipples, will suffice to restore function.

Two, there's a discernable flat spot:

I've undone, or at least remediated, flat spots before, but this one's a doozy.

One slightly OCD reason that favors attempting to fix this rim is that it's original, and matches the original front rim, which is in much better shape. So is it worth the trouble to take a stab at that flat spot? And any other ideas about replacing those eyelets?

Mad Honk 

madpogue,
I would say this one is toast. You can shop around for another one of the Mavics. I have this 32* clincher rim that would please the War Department if it leaves. She says I have too many toys here. I suspect it would be kinda close if you removed the stickers and washed the Fir label off. Not a perfect match but close. PM me, MH

Homebrew01

Being non-OCD, I'd just swap with another rim of same ERD.

The Golden Boy 

That's Hot.





That's not.

CliffordK

Look carefully at the sidewall wear around your flat spot. It looks to me as if the underlying aluminum could be damaged.

Even if you are able to fix the eyelets and the flat spot, you will also have to deal with uneven anodizing wear.

ThermionicScott 

I actually enjoy "cold-setting" bent rims back into shape, but I've got nuthin' when it comes to replacing eyelets.

madpogue 

Well, I'm not looking to restore it to like-new; both rims show some age. My OCD reference was more about having two rims that look glaringly different. Mad Honk 's rim option looks viable.

But am I getting the right sense, that washers are not a good idea to fix the eyelet issue?

One other factor that favors relacing is that (did I mention "rode hard and put away wet"?) is that the wheel experienced an overshift at some time, so pretty-much all the outward drive-side spokes are done.

alcjphil

So, many spokes are done, the rim has a flat spot, and there are eyelets that are damaged. It is a bicycle rim, not a museum piece. Time to move on

Miele Man

It also looks like the sidewall near the spoke at the right side of that flat spot, is cracked.

Cheers

CliffordK

Or, perhaps one could just learn to live with it.

I put up with a Wobbling Wolber for a few years before I decided enough was enough. I may look at it again, but it will probably need to be completely unbuilt to be straightened. Then I had better be very happy with the repair to spend the time to rebuild the wheel.

T-Mar

If all that had happened was the separation of the ferrule, then I'd just use a rim washer under the nipple head to do the job of load distribution. However, when ferrules separate there are often other problems such as cracks in the aluminum radiating from the spoke holes, especially in hard anodized rims. In this case, it's hard to gauge the flat spot without seeing it in person. There's also the question of how sensitive you are to non-round rims. However, you'll never know if it will classify as an official zombie wheel until you try. I've resurrected rims that looked like a Pringle's potato chip, while I failed miserably with rims that looked not anywhere near as severe. Most of time, the critical succeed/fail criteria is the abruptness of the transition from round and/or true.

CliffordK

If you have the original eyelets it may be possible to repair them. Or, perhaps replace with new eyelets/grommets. I'm not quite sure the size. Perhaps about 4mm, but definitely measure what you have as well as the nipples first.

You'll probably need to buy at least $50 worth of tools and supplies to repair your $5 rim

Lascauxcaveman 

That flat spot is a doozy. With me, that would be the end of the conversation.

madpogue 

Epilogue -- to this episode, anyway... So that nice FIR rim arrived from Mad Honk Thurs. And thanks to a purchase of a slew of bulk spokes from deux jambes last spring, I had the eight 297mm spokes I needed to replaced the ones trashed by the overshift event. Built it up Thurs and finished it last night. I'm no expert wheelbuilder (maybe call me Jobst Can't?), but it came out quite nice. Original build had the drive-side spokes laced "the wrong way", with the leading spokes inboard (I read somewhere that that's a sign of a machine-laced wheel), so I corrected that as well. Adjusted the RD limiters to avoid the overshift, slapped on some Bontrager street tread 700x38s, test ride was perfect.

End of episode 1. Episode 2 is a stuck _adjustable_ cup on the BB. Fixed cup was barely more than finger tight, so at least I can get inside. But I'll reserve that for another thread, if I can't think/grunt my way out of this one.

dabac

While I’ve done that too w/o anything noticeable happening from it, it is somewhat debated and frowned upon. While perhaps not as bad as changing direction of the spokes, changing sides does add more gouges to the hub flanges. And with that, more places for cracks to start.
The most common recommendation is not to change the pattern when relacing a wheel.