Ditch this rim?

[BaBaBiker]

Hello everyone.

I was taking out an older bike from parents shed for potential refurbish. Noticed that its front wheel has small cracks around 3 of the spoke holes. They look like the one in this photo, distributed evenly around the rim. Those are cracks, not scratches.

Is it safe to bike with such cracks or is it better to get new wheels?

   

[Painkiller]

(07-29-2019, 05:44 PM)BaBaBiker Wrote:  Hello everyone.

I was taking out an older bike from parents shed for potential refurbish. Noticed that its front wheel has small cracks around 3 of the spoke holes. They look like the one in this photo, distributed evenly around the rim. Those are cracks, not scratches.

Is it safe to bike with such cracks or is it better to get new wheels?

Time for new wheels, and do not buy those again.

[Joe_W]

Rims are consumables anyway. Some of us would go through overhauling the hub (at least looking at it closely) and replace the rim. Drop by at an older bike shop and check if they have a set of old used wheels for a few quid. Or invest in a new set. Only problem: the last time I looked at cheap wheels they were... crap. Not the components (ok, those as well) but the build quality was abysmal. The spoke tension was way too low and all over the place. Note that you can build a reliable wheel out of cheap components, but that costs time plus you need somebody who has at least some clue of what they are doing.

[BaBaBiker]

Thanks!

I might try to build the wheel myself just to learn and improve my skills as an aspiring bike mechanic. Some tutorials, trial and error. Have to ask dad, I have a feeling that there are old spare wheels somewhere at their shed. Will they fit? Lets see.

[Joe_W]

Good luck! If you plan to rebuild the wheel, check if the bearings are still OK. Otherwise it is a wasted effort (except for the learning outcome). Riding your first own hand built wheel makes one so proud of oneself, great feeling!

Another thing: the new rim needs to have the same ERD (effective rim diameter), otherwise you need new spokes as well. Keep the old ones as spare for the next wheel you build. Spokes are cheap, but you need an awful lot of them...