Racing in the rain and I have water sloshing around in my wheels. I don’t really notice while I’m racing but it’s definitely adding some weight as I’m draining out the wheel afterwards and leaving puddles on my floor. Is this normal for 50mm wheels?
Racing in the rain and I have water sloshing around in my wheels. I don’t really notice while I’m racing but it’s definitely adding some weight as I’m draining out the wheel afterwards and leaving puddles on my floor. Is this normal for 50mm wheels?
It depends on the wheel. Many wheels these days that have a hollow interior chamber (most carbon wheels these days) will have a hole somewhere to prevent that chamber from pressurizing in the event of a tubeless setup leaking at the valve stem or spoke hole.
So look around your wheel to see if you can find that hole. It may be where water is both getting in and getting out.
Water typically enters the rim via the spoke holes (water on the spokes is driven towards the rim by centrifugal force), and by the valve hole. You can seal the valve hole with some electrical tape (see below). As the PP mentioned, most rims have small drainage holes just below the tire-pressurized area so that the centrifugal force can “salad spinner” the water out of the rim. This will prevent any significant water buildup in the rim. The rim can/will take on water while sitting in transition, so it’s possible that much of the water you are seeing is accumulating post-ride.
Drain holes:
Hmmm…all Makes sense based on what has been written. In my case the last race it poured and delayed the start of the race and then dried out as the race went on. End of the race wheels were full of water, so they didn’t empty out while riding.
What wheels are you running, and what its the setup (tubes? tubeless?)?
Back in the '90s they didn’t add drain holes, and getting the water out meant removing the tire and rim strip. Many of us remember that pain.
Is that similar to getting mud in your tires…Guess the movie…
The wheels are some older Bontragers that take tubes and do have the “drainage†holes. But I found I need to remove the tire and tube and the best way to get the water out is through the valve hole. Find a load of water in the tire and then have to dump the rest out of the wheel.
Not sure what the issue is. The drain holes should get the water out of the rim body fairly effectively. There shouldn’t be much water in the rim bead area as the rim strip should provide some sealing and the inflated tube should fill the rim bed and tire area.
Appreciate the feedback - just going to have to avoid the rain…ðŸ˜
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I found I need to remove the tire and tube and the best way to get the water out is through the valve hole. Find a load of water in the tire and then have to dump the rest out of the wheel.
Roll a small piece of paper towel up into a cylinder, stick it in the drain hole. Make sure it’s extending into the rim far enough to make contact with the lowest point of the rim cavity. Rotate the wheel so the drain hole is at the bottom, let it sit overnight. Paper towel will wick the water out of the wheel.
Thanks for the tip - I guess the one big question for me, is this water in the wheels slowing me down during the race. I assume it does.
It would take a lot of water to make any meaningful difference. Having said that, I have finished races up here in the PNW with a metric crap ton of water in the rims. I actually measured the amount once and it was startling, but I can’t remember how much it was. I posted it on here at some point, I believe.
A bigger issue is probably exacerbating galvanic corrosion of aluminum nipples.
Got it - empty wheels without too much delay ðŸ‘
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