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How to tell if aluminum rim is worn out
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Title pretty much says it all. Got a set of H plus Son rims that probably have 20k mi on them. They otherwise seem fine but I'm sure there has been some brake track wear etc. Any thoughts on when an aluminum rim is done, other than obvious damage etc?
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Re: How to tell if aluminum rim is worn out [jsoderman] [ In reply to ]
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Even if you can’t see it you can normally feel, with say your thumb, the brake track has worn a bit concave. Maybe put a straight edge up across the track and that might give you an idea. Like with cassette teeth comparing very new to what you have can make it obvious. Meaning comparing how it feels in the case of rims.
Some rims have wear indicators. But it would be possible to leave it too late and they are worn past. So googling the rims or looking at a new one might tell you if it should have a wear indicator. Obviously if it should and you can’t see it then that’s because it’s worn too far.
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Re: How to tell if aluminum rim is worn out [jsoderman] [ In reply to ]
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If you have a caliper you can measure the thickness of the sidewall. I don't know what the allowable limit is though.
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Re: How to tell if aluminum rim is worn out [jsoderman] [ In reply to ]
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20 k miles on a 100 dollar rim? just buy some new ones
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Re: How to tell if aluminum rim is worn out [OddSlug] [ In reply to ]
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If the rim is still true, ride it.

When the brake track gets worn, usually it won’t hold true no matter what you do the spoke tension.

If there is obvious visibility on the brake track, it’s done. Mavic’s have ridges and DT Swiss has dimples in the brake track. When the ridges can’t be seen, it’s done. When the dimple can’t be seen, it’s done.
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Re: How to tell if aluminum rim is worn out [jharris] [ In reply to ]
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The concavity mentioned earlier is the tell tale sign. It’s caused by the beadwall of the rim flexing outward due to its reduced wall thickness not being able to resist the forces of highly pressurized tire. Eventually the concavity will be so great that the bead edge of the rim can no longer hold the tire bead and the tire will blow off the rim. That’s all fine and dandy when it happens in your garage but it’s a whole different experience when you’re bombing down a hill and you get a sudden and catastrophic blow out. This is one place you may want to err on the side of being conservative.
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Re: How to tell if aluminum rim is worn out [jsoderman] [ In reply to ]
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Is this even possible? I have never known it to happen to anyone that I know.

What happens is we start to lust after other wheels and begin to believe that our current wheels/spouses are lacking.

Indoor Triathlete - I thought I was right, until I realized I was wrong.
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Re: How to tell if aluminum rim is worn out [IT] [ In reply to ]
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IT wrote:
Is this even possible?
Yes. It depends on the sort of riding you're doing and in what conditions, and on the chemistry of your area.

Over here in the PNW, the road grime is extremely abrasive to rims. Just a few thousand miles of hilly riding in drizzle can sometimes be enough to burn through a rim's safe lifespan. I know people who went to disc brakes specifically so that they could buy high-end wheels without fear of rapidly wearing them in wet weather.

Not long ago, while one guy was airing up his front tire before a shop ride, there was a sound like a gunshot. The brake track on a section of his rim had blown out, separating the rim's bead hook from the bed. The tire also blew off since there was nothing supporting it on the rim anymore, and of course the inner tube had exploded.
Since it happened while he was airing the tire up, no big deal. If it had happened on the road, there would have been a high likelihood of a serious crash.
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Re: How to tell if aluminum rim is worn out [jsoderman] [ In reply to ]
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If you like the hubs rebuild them for about 200 or plan on replacing this summer maybe
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Re: How to tell if aluminum rim is worn out [IT] [ In reply to ]
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IT wrote:
Is this even possible? I have never known it to happen to anyone that I know.

What happens is we start to lust after other wheels and begin to believe that our current wheels/spouses are lacking.

If you live in a hilly area, this happens for sure.

My typical rides involve 2 climbs with 1500m total climbing. Put 1500m descending on technical, 2 lane roads with hairpins, and no matter how skilled you are descending, even the best brake rims won't last forever. When my Fulcrum Racing Zeros' rims almost died, I switched to Racing 7s. Heavy, but replacing the whole set costs less than replacing the rims on the racing zeros.
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Re: How to tell if aluminum rim is worn out [Darren325] [ In reply to ]
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Wow. Here I am learning something new. Thank you.

Grew up in flat as pancake NW OH and now live in FL so I'm not in immediate danger. However, for the short time that I was in Colombia never heard of it - we were on tubulars. Nor living in N GA where it's hilly but not mountainous.

Now I'll look at the rims when doing maintenance.

Indoor Triathlete - I thought I was right, until I realized I was wrong.
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Re: How to tell if aluminum rim is worn out [jsoderman] [ In reply to ]
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Re: How to tell if aluminum rim is worn out [Chris B.O.B.] [ In reply to ]
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Chris B.O.B. wrote:
The concavity mentioned earlier is the tell tale sign.

I had to replace a set of wheels due to this. Plus the difficulty of the wheel holding true.
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Re: How to tell if aluminum rim is worn out [HTupolev] [ In reply to ]
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HTupolev wrote:
IT wrote:
Is this even possible?

Not long ago, while one guy was airing up his front tire before a shop ride, there was a sound like a gunshot. The brake track on a section of his rim had blown out, separating the rim's bead hook from the bed. The tire also blew off since there was nothing supporting it on the rim anymore, and of course the inner tube had exploded.
Since it happened while he was airing the tire up, no big deal. If it had happened on the road, there would have been a high likelihood of a serious crash.
A suggestion I have seen is to put on a tough old tyre and tube, using a track pump with a long hose in the comfort of your own garage inflate to 130% of normal. If the rim goes bang, better there than on the open road. If it didn't, safe to ride for awhile yet. I have seen one rider stranded by such a rim failure, thankfully in a straight line on a shallow upgrade so no injuries just a 5 mile trudge back to HQ rather than the remaining 95 miles of the intended century.
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