Cyclist0108

Congratulations.

Even if these wheels last, having a second wheelset (which you can promote to default wheelset) is often a good idea.

If it were me: https://novemberbicycles.com

I bought aluminum ones from them a few years ago, but their carbon offerings, which are newer, would be my first choice now.

Psimet2001 

Trek has done more to help my wheel business than I can ever really thank them for. Bontrager wheels will fail via cracking rim. It happens so often, for so long across so many different models that I am seriously amazed there hasn't been a class action lawsuit against them.

DomaneS5

I have 2K miles on my Trek Domane S5. Wheels are still in good shape. I know the frame is covered by the warranty through LBS, but I don't know about the wheels.

Psimet2001 

Most Trek stores will be able to cover it under warranty. Sometimes that means mismatched wheels when the original wheel is no longer available. Most of the customers that have come to me have gotten them warrantied multiple times and are just tired of it happening over and over again.

FWIW - those that have the stance of "well it's never happened to me" and you have a lot of miles on them - actually go out, clean the wheels and look at the spoke holes for cracks. You might be surprised. It's not like the cracks immediately cause the rim to fold in half. Most of the owners have just started to notice that the wheel keeps going out of true or all of a sudden went out of true. Many present to me with "hey I noticed my wheel is a little out of true can to straighten that up quickly" - and then I find the crack(s).

Dan333SP

When I got my Madone, it came with bottom of the barrel Bontrager wheels that also developed tiny spoke hole rim cracks fairly quickly. I replaced them with a pair of $250 Vueltas that were, shockingly, a huge upgrade. Those too developed cracks in the rear rim, but after ~25,000 miles. Now I'm on a pair of HED Ardennes, they seem extremely robust. Would recommend that OP consider a pair of these.

nycphotography

When you get the replacement, have the lbs loosen all the spokes, then hand true and tension the wheel. You probably won't have problems again.

drewguy

They should be covered by warranty for 2 years (maybe longer when on new bike). As noted by others, you don't notice it until you do. The first wheel got out of true on a ride (was feeling it rub the brake). I looked at it and noticed the spokes were breaking through the rim a bit - enough the tension wasn't enough to keep it true. The second, one, which I looked at more closely fearing the same, didn't reveal itself that way - instead a spoke broke (at the hub). Was able to ride home, and then brought it in for new spoke - shop guy said rim was starting to crack.

Anyway, glad Trek stands by the wheel, but I'd really rather they saved us both the hassle by putting wheels on that lasted a bit longer. 25000km? Okay. 2500km? Not really.

DomaneS5

Thanks for info. Most of the roads/pavement I ride on are in fair to good shape... not many potholes. I'll keep an eye on the rims. My LBS has been reliable with free tuneups, service, etc... since it is a Trek bike. For the Domane, I haven't had to pay anything yet just for basic maintenance/service and I've had the bike since August of '16. Of course, most of my "road" rides are short... anywhere from 8-16 miles before work in the morning. I don't do many rides over 40 miles... but when I do, it's on my gravel bike which is not a Trek.

drewguy

Added bonus . . . Trek "upgraded" the warranty replacement to a Paradigm wheel (the next level up), which is nice.

We got to joking about when I'd need to come in to get the front wheel replaced. Mechanic at the shop, who dealt with Trek on the warranty claim, mentioned that every wheel that's come up broken (other than crashes) has been a rear wheel. Should tell them something . . .

noodle soup

why do you say that?

nycphotography

Because properly tensioning (and retensioning) a wheel is 90% of durability. Average parts properly built will (usually) last longer than premium parts poorly built.

noodle soup

I'd check the spoke tension, before doing a complete retensioning.

A spoke hole cracking issue like this is likely caused by low quality rims, not a tension issue..

nycphotography

Fair enough.

colnago62

drewguy

Resurrecting my old thread because I came across it while poking around . . . anyway first Paradigm wheel lasted ~6000 miles, and during service at Trek Bike Shop they saw cracking and replaced it (was a bit over 2 years). That one is now cracking too and working on yet another warranty replacement!

So the count:
2x TLRs, with ~2500 miles each
2x Paradigms with ~4500-6000 miles each.

Good times!

Ghazmh

I had a TLR crack on my 2013 Madone. Probably less than 1500 miles.

63rickert

I have bikes in use with rims as old as I am. Have taken many rims to 20,000 miles. The causes for cracks are simple. Spoke is too tight or spokes are unevenly tensioned and some spokes are working way harder than others. Extreme rider weight. Extreme tire pressure. Garbage rims. Sounds like garbage rims this time.

terrymorse 

Aluminum rims will crack, eventually. Even on wheels tensioned by a high priest of wheel building.

The cause is simple: aluminum has no fatigue limit.

jackb

My wife and I both have 2018 Domanes, hers with Paradigm wheels mine with TLR. All this talk about cracked wheel sent me out to the garage to check the wheels on our bikes. Happy to report no cracks and we have been riding these bikes regularly for four years.

biker128pedal

Aeolus Pro 3 or 5 rim brake wheels with lifetime warranty. But even at 95kg I’ve not touched them in 5 or so years.

cxwrench

You mean aluminum has a defined fatigue life.

terrymorse 

Well, yes. But that's not what I mean by no fatigue limit.

Fatigue limit is the amount of stress over an infinite number of cycles required to induce fatigue failure. For aluminum, there is no such limit. With enough cycles, any amount of stress will fatigue aluminum.

cxwrench

From Merriam-Webster:

Definition of fatigue limit

: the highest stress that a material can withstand for an infinite number of cycles without breaking— called also endurance limit

I think we're both thinking the same thing here really.

terrymorse 

Agreed, just confusing semantics. Aluminum's fatigue limit is essentially zero.

wheelreason

In my best Claude Rains voice, Bontrager rims cracking? I'm shocked, shocked to find that going on here!...