Uh-oh, cracked rim
#1
Dont fix whats not broken
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Mooresville, NC
Posts: 302
Bikes: Steelman Stage Race, Dura-Ace 9s
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 95 Post(s)
Liked 166 Times
in
93 Posts
Uh-oh, cracked rim
I'd say this one is dead...
I've not been able to ride this season due to a few factors, the biggest one being knee surgery which I am recovering from. Anyway, with the potential of being able to ride reasonably soon, I put my rear wheel in the truing stand today and found this - it's a drive side spoke.
This is a 32 hole Open Pro rim that's about 10 or so years old. Spokes are in good shape, so options are to just replace the rim with another, or take the opportunity to do a complete re-build with a more modern rim (depending on availability). This is on a 20-year old steel bike so will stick with a fairly traditional profile regardless. Glad I was bored today and decided to check it.
I've not been able to ride this season due to a few factors, the biggest one being knee surgery which I am recovering from. Anyway, with the potential of being able to ride reasonably soon, I put my rear wheel in the truing stand today and found this - it's a drive side spoke.
This is a 32 hole Open Pro rim that's about 10 or so years old. Spokes are in good shape, so options are to just replace the rim with another, or take the opportunity to do a complete re-build with a more modern rim (depending on availability). This is on a 20-year old steel bike so will stick with a fairly traditional profile regardless. Glad I was bored today and decided to check it.
Likes For mprince:
#2
working on my sandal tan
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,629
Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)
Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3871 Post(s)
Liked 2,568 Times
in
1,579 Posts
Yeah, good thing you checked!
What's the spoke gauge? If they're double-butted, I'd definitely get another Open Pro and swap it on.
What's the spoke gauge? If they're double-butted, I'd definitely get another Open Pro and swap it on.
Likes For ThermionicScott:
#3
Dont fix whats not broken
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Mooresville, NC
Posts: 302
Bikes: Steelman Stage Race, Dura-Ace 9s
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 95 Post(s)
Liked 166 Times
in
93 Posts
Last edited by mprince; 09-21-21 at 06:33 PM.
Likes For mprince:
#4
Senior Member
The Open Pro is my favorite rim, and have used them on several bikes. Never cracked one out, but have put a big flat spot in one on a night ride. Didn't see the 30 foot deep pot hole!
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Nor-Cal
Posts: 3,767
Bikes: lots
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1958 Post(s)
Liked 2,932 Times
in
1,489 Posts
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,549
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5224 Post(s)
Liked 3,581 Times
in
2,342 Posts
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Eastern Poland
Posts: 744
Bikes: Romet Jubilat x 4, Wigry x 1, Turing x 1
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 194 Post(s)
Liked 204 Times
in
151 Posts
If this were just a hacking around bike I would just reuse the spokes, but I would still leave the decision about their condition until I had them all off and could inspect the ends.
Likes For Geepig:
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Minas Ithil
Posts: 9,173
Mentioned: 66 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2432 Post(s)
Liked 638 Times
in
395 Posts
You might already know, but a rim replacement using the exact same rim is very easy. Just tape the new one against the old one and transfer the spokes over one by one. And I love Open Pro's, I've always had at least one wheelset with them since the 90's. I personally have never cracked one.
#10
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,362
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6218 Post(s)
Liked 4,217 Times
in
2,364 Posts
Not just the same rim. Any rim with the same effective rim diameter (ERD) will work (± a couple of mm). The problem is finding that a rim with the same ERD. They vary a whole lot.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#11
working on my sandal tan
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,629
Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)
Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3871 Post(s)
Liked 2,568 Times
in
1,579 Posts
If the spokes haven't given any trouble until now, I would be perfectly comfortable taping the new rim to the wheel and transferring all of the spoke ends without unlacing the wheel.
#12
Senior Member
I'd say this one is dead...
I've not been able to ride this season due to a few factors, the biggest one being knee surgery which I am recovering from. Anyway, with the potential of being able to ride reasonably soon, I put my rear wheel in the truing stand today and found this - it's a drive side spoke.
This is a 32 hole Open Pro rim that's about 10 or so years old. Spokes are in good shape, so options are to just replace the rim with another, or take the opportunity to do a complete re-build with a more modern rim (depending on availability). This is on a 20-year old steel bike so will stick with a fairly traditional profile regardless. Glad I was bored today and decided to check it.
I've not been able to ride this season due to a few factors, the biggest one being knee surgery which I am recovering from. Anyway, with the potential of being able to ride reasonably soon, I put my rear wheel in the truing stand today and found this - it's a drive side spoke.
This is a 32 hole Open Pro rim that's about 10 or so years old. Spokes are in good shape, so options are to just replace the rim with another, or take the opportunity to do a complete re-build with a more modern rim (depending on availability). This is on a 20-year old steel bike so will stick with a fairly traditional profile regardless. Glad I was bored today and decided to check it.
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Eastern Poland
Posts: 744
Bikes: Romet Jubilat x 4, Wigry x 1, Turing x 1
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 194 Post(s)
Liked 204 Times
in
151 Posts
There may be corrosion or even cracking at either end. Your wheel has given good service - until now, so there is always a chance of another issue. Anyway, it should not stop you taping the wheels, and probably everything will be OK, but the engineer in me says 'Let's just check, while we have everything apart.'
#14
Dont fix whats not broken
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Mooresville, NC
Posts: 302
Bikes: Steelman Stage Race, Dura-Ace 9s
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 95 Post(s)
Liked 166 Times
in
93 Posts
I can say definitively that the spokes and nipples are just fine, as are the hub flanges. I am also an engineer, which led me to inspect the wheel in the first place.
As soon as I can locate a rim, I'll swap it with the damaged one, I've done this several times in the past; twice on this specific wheel in it's 20 year life as I wore the brake track out on the original and dented it's replacement on an unseen rock in the road.
As soon as I can locate a rim, I'll swap it with the damaged one, I've done this several times in the past; twice on this specific wheel in it's 20 year life as I wore the brake track out on the original and dented it's replacement on an unseen rock in the road.
Last edited by mprince; 09-23-21 at 07:00 AM.
#15
Full Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 316
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 83 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 64 Times
in
48 Posts
If you ride near salt exposure & have alloy nips, replace them. They might look fine on the outside but tend to corrode internally. Not fun when they literally crumble on removal or even worse - on tightening to the new hoop. Replace with brass to minimize the issue. No problem with reusing spokes. The ones shown look like brass but hard to tell from the photo. Nipples are cheap and easy.
#16
Dont fix whats not broken
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Mooresville, NC
Posts: 302
Bikes: Steelman Stage Race, Dura-Ace 9s
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 95 Post(s)
Liked 166 Times
in
93 Posts
These are brass nips - I had a bad experience with alloy nipples many years ago, had one break on a front wheel during a standing climb and upon inspection the inside looked like swiss cheese. I went to a bike shop that same day and replaced all 64 nipples with brass in my hotel room that night before the next day's ride. I will never build another wheel with alloy nipples again.
#17
working on my sandal tan
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,629
Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)
Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3871 Post(s)
Liked 2,568 Times
in
1,579 Posts
There may be corrosion or even cracking at either end. Your wheel has given good service - until now, so there is always a chance of another issue. Anyway, it should not stop you taping the wheels, and probably everything will be OK, but the engineer in me says 'Let's just check, while we have everything apart.'
I'd say that if a spoke is cracked, a round of exuberant stress-relief should find it. If you take a wheel apart, then you have to keep track of which spokes were elbows-in/elbows-out for relacing the wheel.
Likes For ThermionicScott:
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Elevation 666m Edmonton Canada
Posts: 2,480
Bikes: 2013 Custom SA5w / Rohloff Tourster
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1236 Post(s)
Liked 319 Times
in
246 Posts
Eyelets are one of the dumbest bike inventions ever. IMO.
My latest buy came with them ....Grrrrrrrr.
My latest buy came with them ....Grrrrrrrr.
Last edited by GamblerGORD53; 09-27-21 at 12:16 AM.