cyccommute 

Even welded rims have pins to hold them together prior to being welded. The pins look a lot like this picture from Ryde.



And here is what they say about the pin joint

The pin joint often causes a bit of a flat spot at the join (directly across from the valve stem) that is difficult to get rid of during building. Tension on the rim from the spokes will keep the pin closed even if it isn’t welded. It’s not something to be concerned about even if it looks strange.

Koyote

This.

I've heard of long-distance touring cyclists who have cut rims in half in order to carry them on long trips...Then they can rebuilt a wheel out in the field. The spokes hold it all together.

KerryIrons

That may seem crazy, but it is a cheap way to join rims and has been used for MANY decades. An obvious marker of a low-end rim.

79pmooney

Sailboats have sailed the harshest waters on this planet with masts just sitting either on a pin or in a cup and nothing more than rigging tension holding it in place. And in waters like the Southern Ocean, more than one boat has been rolled over 360 and those mast never fall out. Well they do break occasionally. (Wire rigging has a lot in common with the wire spokes we use to keep the rim where it belongs.)

cyccommute 

Not an obvious marker of a low end rim at all. Even welded rims are pinned. I’ve broken down many rims for scrapping and they all have pins. It’s how the rim is held together so that it can be welded.

smd4

I don't recall seeing too many rims with the seam so off-center between the spokes.

FBinNY 

It's a cosmetic non-critical issue, related to how rims are made.

After the extrusion is formed into a hoop, it moves to the drilling station

It's the operator's job to find the seam and orient it to a reference mark in the fixture. Since it's non-critical it's done to eyeball tolerance, and I expect that a decent worker can easily keep it within few millimeters on either side.

Sometimes they get distracted and miss.

Miele Man

Please check the area of that dark/black line on the rim under MICHELIN COUNTRY. To me it looks like it could be the beginning of a rim brake track separation.

Here are a few images of such a line on a rim that failed.





Fortunately this was a rear wheel and the tire pressure held it together enough to get home on. When I deflated the tire to check the badly out of true rim the rim tacoed. I was really lucky that it didn't do that on the ride.

Also, to me it looks ike the beginning of a vertical crack between the letters M and I on the tire.

Cheers

Lombard

Not at all. Some rims are pinned or sleeved rather than welded. Welding is more expensive and you get a smoother transition that way, but there are some sleeved rims that I wouldn't hesitate to use myself. One such rim is the DT Swiss R460 which I built up a pair of and have over 10K miles on and have never had to re-true since I initially built them. Granted I did get a very slight cyclical thud, thud, thud when braking for the first 200 or so miles, but that eventually went away as the transition smoothed over.

Your rim is a different story. It was obviously in some sort of incident. I personally wouldn't ride it except maybe around the block.

JohnDThompson 

BITD, welded rims were the exception rather than the rule. Cheap pinned rims may not line up the ends of the extrusion well, causing a "thunk" when braking, every time the seam passes through the brake blocks. This can be fixed with a file, or, in the case of a front wheel, often just by turning the wheel around in the fork ends so the protruding lip trails the brake blocks rather than leading it.

Lombard

You're that old?? Did you shame Mrs. O'Leary?

Lombard

Did you say you are going to flip this bike? How much do you think you can get for it?

FBinNY 

I can't believe the amount of doom and gloom on this thread. Bicycles are not use once and discard items. They last a long time, and obviously will not stay in pristine condition forever
.....
The dark line referenced s VERY unlikely to be the beginning of a crack, since it smoothly crosses the joint. It's most likely to be a rubber scuff from the brake shoes, or some tar tracked onto the rim.

The tire concern is likewise overblown, and seems to be no more than the kind of cosmetic scratch tires are prone to.

Of course the OP might give both a closer look, but he needs to insulate himself from overblown issues.

FBinNY 

Not quite. But I would have been the idiot saying you can't blame a cow for kicking.

soyabean

I wouldn't.

The wheelset and groupset are worth more on a much prettier frame.

Pretty bikes that look newish puts noticable money in my pocket. Vintage crap does not (see a previous reply of mine on this thread.)

Soody

It's all good. I appreciate it even. I learnt about the issue and think I can get some use from the wheel, but I don't mind tempering it with some caution, it's how I think anyway.

sweeks

That "vertical crack" is the rim joint previously discussed.

RCMoeur 

About 20 years ago, I had a rear wheel on my recumbent that was making a mysterious thumping noise. Looked closer...


At Rusty Spoke a while ago, a customer brought in a 20-spoke aero road wheel where 5 of the spoke holes (25%) showed visible cracking and deformation. Became a parts donor in a hurry.

Soody

Well sort of. I wanted to use these wheels on a different, nicer build, with some new consumables, because they have good hubs. But with this flaw, even purely a cosmetic one, I will put them onto something much cheaper, aim for ~$50
If you're curious about my work/local market these are the bikes i'm currently selling:
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/search?m...isting=6820063
A New Zealand dollar is about 60 US cents.

Soody

I know about the rim cracking issue. Tonnes of bikes come in with signs of cracks appearing or that are extremely concave. I agree it's not safe. Usually cut the spokes and take them to the metal recycling place every few months for $2/KG on allum or 20c/KG on steel

These ones are fine though on that front.

soyabean

Keep it up.

One way to learn better skills is focus on volume. Start working on new finds right away and complete them. Find good sources for parts and supplies, local and mail order. Don't have them turn into "project bikes" that will just stay in pieces forever and depress you.

The more you churn out, the better you get at tackling any repair like any good shop wrench. It's an amazing feeling you get when you've done your first headset overhaul, your first bottom bracket swap, or your first true wheel.

Get your finished bikes out to market fast. They should sell in reasonable time. It's ok to have a few unicorns that can take months to sell, but majority of your flips should sell within weeks if not days. Each one that turns into cash, makes room for the next one.

Flipping bikes is fun and can be profitable if your collection is made up of what sells and what people buy. That's exactly what a used bike shop is about.

There's one flipper in my town and all he does is unicorns and vintage. He has about 150 bikes in his house and sells about half dozen bikes a year. I keep tabs on him so I can remain in constant fear to never turn into that guy.

Soody

Great advice. Thank you. I think you're right too

sweeks

This ^^
The thumping, in my experience, is more of a feeling (pulsation) in the brake lever, and is the earliest sign of impending rim separation along the brake track.


This one was thumping pretty good... also a rear wheel.



A more "radial" view.

Miele Man

Take another look at the image I posted showing that rim with the tire mounted on it. You can CLEARLY see that the vertical mark/crack between the M and the I does NOT go all the way down the rim. It's CLEARLY not the rim joint.

Can you be certain just from looking at the ops images that the dark line running along the rim near the top is NOT a crack nor the beginning of a crack? Wouldn't the OP be wise to check it to make sure?

Cheers

Cheers

Miele Man

No it isn't. The crack/line I posted about does not go all the way down the rim like the rim joint does. It's clearly a different area and possible issue.

Cheers