New tires, perhaps?

[LeahFoy]

I am no bike mechanic, as the following photos will prove. But I do check things out and (mostly) notice when things are wrong, honest! I bought my bike in late 2012 from RBW headquarters, and I don't get to ride as much as a lot of you folks, so I thought I was doing alright with the tire tread. I have a fendered bike, and I now know that YOU MUST NOT EVALUATE YOUR BACK TIRE SOLELY BY LOOKING AT YOUR FRONT TIRE.

I was sitting cross-legged, waiting for the boys to be dismissed from school. Imagine my shock. The first photo shows the deceptive angle in which I thought all was well. The second reveals the painful truth. It would be a looonnngggg trek pushing that bike uphill loaded with school stuff. To the bike shop I go, in the morning!

[Bill Lindsay]

Yep. That rear tire is used up!  GREAT work!  

Have the shop check your chain for wear at the same time.  Promise?

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito CA

[panog]

Well, you got your fair use out of this tire! In a pinch a tire boot made out of a folded dollar bill may be enough to take you home so you avoid the walking. When you replace the tire consider cutting off a 4" long section, minus the beads, to carry in your repair pack as a tire boot for future use, just in case.

Pano Gianniotis in Wash. DC

[Sky Coulter]

y'know, compass makes some really nice tires.  Might be a fun change of pace.

Sky in new west

On Tuesday, February 14, 2017 at 4:00:48 PM UTC-8, LeahFoy wrote:

[Leah Peterson]

Bill, not only will I ask about the chain, I'm going to bring this whole reel of emails and read it to them! We'll input ALL the suggestions!

Sent from my iPhone

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[Steve Palincsar]

"Good to the very last drop"

[Bill Lindsay]

Wearing out a tire to the casing should be worn like a badge of courage.  RESPECT.  I'm proud of you, and glad it didn't fail far from home.  Most Betty Foy owners don't accomplish that.  Softies like me who have WAY too many bikes rarely accomplish that, either.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[dougP]

That one was "worn out" quite a while ago, actually.  While it's satisfying to eke out that last mile, tires worn down to the casing become very easy to flat, and depending on the situation potentially dangerous. Replacing before you've squeezed out the last mile can be done at home at your convenience.  Even spendy treads like Compass beat the cost & hassle of a visit to the ER should a tire flat at the wrong moment.

Sorry to be such a downer about this but there is a counterpoint to the "you done good" side of wearing out tires. 

dougP

On Tuesday, February 14, 2017 at 4:00:48 PM UTC-8, LeahFoy wrote:

[Ryan Fleming]

They certainly do make nice tires...but I've found the 26 X 1.5'' mclure pass not nearly as durable as the Paselas w Tourguard and kevlar bead  (3 flats last summer)... they replaced. I know you have a 650B wheel. Durability is something you may want to consider...the 650B Paselas I have on my new mixte look like they'll be good ..but there are other good durable choices as well. What were you using before?

[Patrick Moore]

Time for a new one! One recommended practice is to rotate the relatively fresh front tire to the rear, and put the new one on the front, thus ensuring that the tire whose condition is most important to safety is always at the front. 

But good for you for getting in all those miles!

On Tue, Feb 14, 2017 at 5:00 PM, LeahFoy <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

I am no bike mechanic, as the following photos will prove. But I do check things out and (mostly) notice when things are wrong, honest! I bought my bike in late 2012 from RBW headquarters, and I don't get to ride as much as a lot of you folks, so I thought I was doing alright with the tire tread. I have a fendered bike, and I now know that YOU MUST NOT EVALUATE YOUR BACK TIRE  SOLELY BY LOOKING AT YOUR FRONT TIRE.

I was sitting cross-legged, waiting for the boys to be dismissed from school. Imagine my shock. The first photo shows the deceptive angle in which I thought all was well. The second reveals the painful truth. It would be a looonnngggg trek pushing that bike uphill loaded with school stuff. To the bike shop I go, in the morning!

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[Eric Norris]

The great Sheldon Brown recommends rotating tires when the rear tire is replaced:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-rotation.html 

--Eric N
campyo...@me.com
www.CampyOnly.com
Campyonlyguy.blogspot.com
@Campyonlyguy

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[Steve Palincsar]

Sheldon recommends exactly what Patrick Moore described.

Well-meaning cyclists, even some mechanics who don't know any better, sometimes try to deal with this by swapping tires, putting the less worn front tire on the back wheel, and moving the worn-but-usable rear tire to the front. The idea is to equalize the wear on the two tires, but this is a serious mistake, don't do it!

The only time tire rotation is appropriate on a bicycle is when you are replacing the rear tire. If you feel like taking the trouble, and use the same type of tire front and rear, you should move the front tire to the rear wheel, and install the new tire in front.

The reason for this is that the front tire is much more critical for safety than the rear, so you should have the more reliable tire on the front.

If you have a blowout, if it is on the rear tire, you have a very good chance of bringing the bike to a controlled stop. If your front tire blows, you can lose steering control, and a crash is a real possibility.

[LeahFoy]

I don't know whether to feel proud or embarrassed about that tire! On the one hand, I wrung out every last drop. On the other hand, geez, I'd rather pay for new tires than hospital bills! I was doing my make-up this morning and imagining how I might look missing half my teeth. That tire never did fail me. I nervously rode it the 2 mile uphill journey home, laden with all the stuff, and still, all was well. If you knew what I ninny I am about injury, you'd know I would never have made this decision on purpose - it's just that the side view of the tire made it look fine under that fender. But since that view was rather obscured, I looked at the front one and since it was ok, I figured so was the rear. How wrong I was! I'm a registered nurse, formerly working in the Emergency Department, and I am risk-adverse to say the least. This morning I immediately loaded up TBBITW, TSBBITW ("The Second Best Bike in the World" Jonas' Clem) and the 24 inch Specialized Hotrock to take them for tune-ups.

Bill, I made sure to stress that they evaluate my chain. I'm having my front fender trimmed back so it doesn't drag on grass nor bump the curb anymore. I told them to address the faulty washers/missing washers in my Silver friction shifters, and had them look at the brakes. I don't know what tires they're putting on there, but the mechanic seemed to want to replace them with the same tires again.

My husband's Clem was making a rubbing noise at a hub and they're going to fix that. Also, I asked them how much $ for index shifting? It's just painful to listen to him shift, you guys. I don't know why this is so hard. The guy is extremely high functioning but he can't shift his bike without major theatrics. But he's darling, so whatever.

Ah, now the Hotrock. (I feel like making a Kids Bikes That Have Stood the Test of Time thread so we can all chime in about great kiddo bikes and how we've used and abused them. It's not Riv content, but since Riv doesn't offer kid bikes I feel like we could bend the rules *wink.*) That bike, can you believe this, has lasted from Easter of 1st grade to present day 5th grade. We bought it too big, but E grew into it and has put countless miles on it ever since. He also needed new tires (I felt sheepish when they noticed this just as we were wheeling it in), needed his water bottle bosses fixed (frame defect that made them loosen, fall out and can't be put back on without "rivets."), and - horror - his rear brake cable was ready to snap. $148 for his bike alone. I hesitated, but only for a second, because I think that bike will claim vintage status in the family someday. My parents saved my little brother's rad little white steel Schwinn and it was my boys' all-time favorite to ride whenever we went back home during the summer.

So, all in all, a good day. I didn't smash my face in on a crash down the Hill from Hades, and my son's brakes held up, and everyone gets a new and improved bike in a few days' time, and the LBS gets some money. Thanks for all your advice here! I used it all at the LBS!

[Patrick Moore]

Decent children's bikes last forever. The problem is that the dimestore bikes (my current contemptuous name for the big box store ersatz bicycle things) have gotten cheaper and cheaper and are junk. 

My father bought me a JC Higgins with cantilever frame, coaster brake, white rims, and 24" wheels for my 7th birthday. The bike was passed down, but I was still thrashing it at age 15 or 16, doing impromptu cyclocross on the muddy paths in our large front yard (made slippery-er by the layer of rotting blossoms left on the ground by the row of jacaranda trees). No one ever did any maintenance to it in the 8 or 10 years we owned the bike. (I rattlecanned it with matt metallic gold spray paint meant for craft projects -- the paint lasted.)

On Wed, Feb 15, 2017 at 2:14 PM, LeahFoy <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

[...]

Ah, now the Hotrock. [...] That bike, can you believe this, has lasted from Easter of 1st grade to present day 5th grade. We bought it too big, but E grew into it and has put countless miles on it ever since. 

[Tim Gavin]

Regarding index shifting for the Clem, Microshift makes thumb shifters, or he could use Shimano MTB trigger shifters.

--

[Bill Lindsay]

The reason Saint Sheldon recommends that is that a flat rear tire almost never is dangerous.  If we took a poll and counted up the total number of rear flats we have cumulatively experienced, it would be a big number.  Let's put that in the denominator.  Now, of those rear flats, let's take another poll and count up the total number of ER visits that occurred as a direct result of those rear flats.  I will go out on a limb that's a small number.  Put that in the numerator.  

That ratio:  (ER visits because of a rear flat)/(total rear flats) is the risk that LeahFoy took by riding that tire to utter exhaustion.  It was a tiny tiny risk.  It's not even fabric that is showing.  It's just a different color rubber showing in her photo.  

Time to replace?  Absolutely.  

Would I have replaced sooner?  Yes.  

Should Leah replace her next rear tire sooner?  Yes.

Was Leah putting herself in extreme risk?  Very very slight risk.  

Is Leah lucky to be alive?  We are all lucky to be alive.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

On Wednesday, February 15, 2017 at 12:39:24 PM UTC-8, Steve Palincsar wrote:

Sheldon recommends exactly what Patrick Moore described.

Well-meaning cyclists, even some mechanics who don't know any better, sometimes try to deal with this by swapping tires, putting the less worn front tire on the back wheel, and moving the worn-but-usable rear tire to the front. The idea is to equalize the wear on the two tires, but this is a serious mistake, don't do it!

The only time tire rotation is appropriate on a bicycle is when you are replacing the rear tire. If you feel like taking the trouble, and use the same type of tire front and rear, you should move the front tire to the rear wheel, and install the new tire in front.

The reason for this is that the front tire is much more critical for safety than the rear, so you should have the more reliable tire on the front.

If you have a blowout, if it is on the rear tire, you have a very good chance of bringing the bike to a controlled stop. If your front tire blows, you can lose steering control, and a crash is a real possibility.

On 02/15/2017 01:31 PM, Eric Norris wrote:

The great Sheldon Brown recommends rotating tires when the rear tire is replaced:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-rotation.html 

--Eric N
campyo...@me.com
www.CampyOnly.com
Campyonlyguy.blogspot.com
@Campyonlyguy

On Feb 15, 2017, at 8:59 AM, Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

Time for a new one! One recommended practice is to rotate the relatively fresh front tire to the rear, and put the new one on the front, thus ensuring that the tire whose condition is most important to safety is always at the front. 

But good for you for getting in all those miles!

On Tue, Feb 14, 2017 at 5:00 PM, LeahFoy <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

I am no bike mechanic, as the following photos will prove. But I do check things out and (mostly) notice when things are wrong, honest! I bought my bike in late 2012 from RBW headquarters, and I don't get to ride as much as a lot of you folks, so I thought I was doing alright with the tire tread. I have a fendered bike, and I now know that YOU MUST NOT EVALUATE YOUR BACK TIRE  SOLELY BY LOOKING AT YOUR FRONT TIRE.

I was sitting cross-legged, waiting for the boys to be dismissed from school. Imagine my shock. The first photo shows the deceptive angle in which I thought all was well. The second reveals the painful truth. It would be a looonnngggg trek pushing that bike uphill loaded with school stuff. To the bike shop I go, in the morning!

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[LeahFoy]

But Bill, it was so much more thrilling when I was on the brink of disaster. Can't we say it was at least a medium risk?

[Bill Lindsay]

You are enjoying BORROWED TIME.  You are a DAREDEVIL, laughing in the face of DANGER!  HA!  

[Steve Palincsar]

On 02/15/2017 04:52 PM, Bill Lindsay wrote:
> The reason Saint Sheldon recommends that is that a flat rear tire
> almost never is dangerous.

Whereas a front flat can easily cause a crash, and can auger you right
into the ground. It happened to me once. And I've had several HOLY
MOLY!! moments when I made a 90 degree turn not realizing my front tire
had lost half its pressure due to a small pinhole puncture - that "WHAT
JUST HAPPENED???" feeling when the tire rolls under itself because it
got too soft. Usually the worst that happens when the back goes flat
is a thump-bump thing that we all recognize. (Although, to tell the
truth, I once saw a rider struggling along riding with a flat rear tire
who asked me what was wrong with her bike and didn't recognize that she
had a flat tire -- but she was in such a state of exhaustion and
dehydration at the time I doubt she could have told you what her name was.)

[Patrick Moore]

Try that with a 19-20 mm tire pumped to 120 psi and an almost instantaneous blowout. Good times!

I was lucky; I had slowed enough that I was able to catch it.

On Wed, Feb 15, 2017 at 3:14 PM, Steve Palincsar <pali...@his.com> wrote:

... I've had several HOLY MOLY!! moments when I made a 90 degree turn not realizing my front tire had lost half its pressure due to a small pinhole puncture - 

[Ian A]

You were likely still some way from a blow out - you can get the tire down to the puncture strip (often blue in color) and run on that for some time - it works like a boot. When that wears out, the resultant flatting of the tire is not always too dramatic, as the hole that forms in the tire is often small enough to abrade only a small hole in the tube, causing only a normal flat. This happened to me on occasion on a long tour (tires were hard to get), but I was only prepared to risk it on the rear.  I would NOT recommend it though and you did the right thing changing the tire.

IanA.

[LeahFoy]

Well, the shop called and said good news(!) your chain's got life left and we trimmed your fender and reattached your mudflap. Bad news(!) the spokes are pulling away from the rim (or something) and the rear wheel should be replaced. Fine, whatever, just restore her to her former glory, I said. "Oh good, we'll get that ordered," he said. And then my heart sunk into the bottom of my chest and all my joy drained out of me at the prospect of being bikeless for several more days. Maybe I'll just go buy another BBITW to inoculate myself from future cruel tragedies. A Cheviot done up in red and cream, I think.

[Surlyprof]

Wow, you wore out the entire rear wheel. Now that's impressive! (And, dare I say, totally daredevil?) You should treat yourself to one of Rich's handbuilt wheels. Sounds like you've earned it.

Regarding replacement tires, Schwalbe's with puncture protection are great for durability. However, if you want your Betty to feel better than could ever imagine, Compass extralights. They may not be as durable (although mine are holding up well), but they are heavenly. The folks here talked me into their Barlow Pass extralights and it may have been the best bike advice I've ever received. You may want to talk to Jan to see how they'll hold up in hotter climates.

As for the kid's bike, I was at Riv tuesday and Vince had to move their Roscoe Bubbe kid's bike out of the way for my bike. I think it was Hunquapillar green and very cool.

John

[Patrick Moore]

Leah: what make and model of tire did you wear out?

On Fri, Feb 17, 2017 at 8:30 AM, Surlyprof <jmcc...@gmail.com> wrote:

Wow, you wore out the entire rear wheel.  Now that's impressive! (And, dare I say, totally daredevil?)  You should treat yourself to one of Rich's handbuilt wheels.  Sounds like you've earned it.

Yes, if you've ridden enough miles to fully wear out an urban-type tire, you've saved a great deal of money on auto expenses, so treat yourself to some hand built wheels. IME, good handbuilt wheels last indefinitely, even carrying loads, with (IME) no need for truing unless you hit something.

 

Regarding replacement tires, Schwalbe's with puncture protection are great for durability.  However, if you want your Betty to feel better than could ever imagine, Compass extralights.  They may not be as durable (although mine are holding up well), but they are heavenly.  The folks here talked me into their Barlow Pass extralights and it may have been the best bike advice I've ever received.  You may want to talk to Jan to see how they'll hold up in hotter climates.

 Compass tires will hold up fine in SW US climates, but they'll flat at the very thought of a thorn. You can fix this, 95/100, with Orange Seal in the tubes -- the sealant will work almost immediately, and you don't have to stop -- but there will be that 5%, which may happen on the way to school on a rainy morning. That 5% can 99/100 be fixed by getting off, pumping, and spinning the tire. (I speak of thorn and other very small punctures; I get flats from larger things -- glass, nails -- only, say, once every 2 years). 

I read of someone who put Mr Tuffy liners in his Compass ELs, but man! That's like putting a B66 and seatpost rack on your Cervelo S5 Dura Ace Di2.

A middle way is some of the fatter Schwalbe road tires. The Big Apple (at least those made when I used them) rolled very well for such heavy and protected tires, and mine shrugged off even most goatheads. The Kojak had enough protection to be used here in goathead land, on pavement, without sealant and without more than the usual (a few a week) flats, and it rolled even better (when I briefly ran 1.35 Kojaks tubeless, they felt almost as good as Elk Passes, (EL) with tubes.

But the Parigi Roubaix, Compass-light tires, got -- literally -- a flat every couple of miles -- before I put Stan's in the tubes.

Brief moral from longwinded windup: Yes, by all means Compass, but beware of the downsides if you live with goatheads.

[Ryan Fleming]

What is BBITW? Must be a new bike....these kids with their texting...I am not sure a person can have too many  Rivendells..lol

[Deacon Patrick]

This. Yes. This is why I have two bikes. I varied them on the Riv spectrum, so a road centric Quickbeam joined my all-road but trail centric Hunqapillar. I highly recommend this "spread" of focus in a second best bike in the world -- which isn't nearly as antithetical as it seems. Grin.

With abandon,

Patrick

[LeahFoy]

Patrick, the bike was purchased late 2012, and that wheel and tire were whatever Riv built the bike with. The tire was "Continental" because there were no Schwalbe tires in stock.

John, I covet that baby Roscoe! You are correct: I totally deserve a Rich wheel, this is what we would tell my husband. But alas, I'm committed to whatever the shop puts on there, I guess. I wish I lived closer to Rivendell HQ and could have them revitalize TBBITW.

Ryan: TBBITW = The Best Bike in the World which is my Betty, of course. Another BBITW is Best Bike in the World = a new Rivendell mixte!

Deacon Patrick, yes, I should totally emulate you!!!!!

[Ray Varella]

Leah,
Not to be devils advocate, but if you are using your bike for everyday transportation and or recreation, it makes good sense to have a second bike.
I've ever been reliant on a shop for my repairs and maintenance but there have been many occasions where I was leaving for work and either had a flat or something that I forgot to deal with the previous day and was able to just grab another bike.

Set them up a bit differently.
I'm setting up my Roscoe to be a bit more of a workhorse than other bikes.

Like a good attorney, you will slowly develop your case so that it becomes so logical and makes such perfect sense that anyone would see how obvious it is that you need another bike.

Ray
Vallejo CA

[Steve Palincsar]

On 02/17/2017 11:23 PM, Ray Varella wrote:
> Leah,
> Not to be devils advocate, but if you are using your bike for everyday transportation and or recreation, it makes good sense to have a second bike.
> I've ever been reliant on a shop for my repairs and maintenance but there have been many occasions where I was leaving for work and either had a flat or something that I forgot to deal with the previous day and was able to just grab another bike.
>
> Set them up a bit differently.

Absolutely. Agree 100%. Even with a shop that has a policy of
prioritizing repairs to commuter bikes there will still be times when a
second bike will be a huge convenience. How often have you discovered
you had a slow leak by finding one of your tires flat as you were
getting ready to ride to work? And how many of us leave that much spare
time in the morning before heading to work that we can take the time to
fix a flat without feeling rushed and harried? I've been there often
enough over the years to really appreciate having a back-up.

[Leah Peterson]

You guys are so bad for me. Enablers! Do you know, just yesterday I hired a painter to repaint the inside of our house, and now I wish I had plunked down that money for the dream Riv instead. Maybe I could live with the muddy brown paint put on every wall but the bedrooms (ugh). Or maybe I could have spent the next year of my life, paintbrush in hand and have figured out how to do those huge walls over the spiral staircase (asking for a broken neck here). Maybe I could do the Inconvenient & Hard Things because there would be the dream Riv mixte in the garage!

I even know what I would choose. Think: overkill. I would ask for the Cheviot frame with the Glorius lugs. It would be that luscious Rivendell red - with sparkles, is it tacky if it has sparkles?, with cream accents. Oh, and can my name be painted in some lovely place like we saw on that recent orange work of art on the Blug? It would have dynamo lighting (because oooh you fancy!) and a double kickstand and the prettiest Nitto racks they make. Ooooh, cream tires. And pixie dust. Lots of pixie dust.

And now I must get control of myself and go back to choosing gray paint for the walls. Barf.

Sent from my iPad

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[Leah Peterson]

Also, just a thought, and maybe a dumb one, but has anyone ever asked for a Clementine frame with more and Glorius lugs?

Sent from my iPad

[Patrick Moore]

What about a pseudo or crypto or ersatz or faux or simulated or imitation Riv? What an opportunity for a beater-build! Then you could compare how a close copy really fares next to the real thing.

You could use leftover house paint for the beater.

On Sat, Feb 18, 2017 at 10:35 AM, Leah Peterson <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

...

[Mark in Beacon]

I believe, possibly due to a spec misunderstanding (?), the original Clem(entines) have a tubeset too oversize for lugs. I think I read the newer ones will be the standard Riv OS. In any case, would need a new lug design to handle the swooptie-tube (first cousin of the lift-a-tube and equally as effective).

I justified my Clementine purchase because with the swooptie-doo it was different enough from my Pseud Riv Mixte Le Tour, and because without lugs it was (barely) within my budget.

Here, once again, is my Le Tour, which I road to work today because my Clementine is on injured reserve (irrepairably damaged rear rim--boo hoo)

[LeahFoy]

Mark! Not your new Clementine! How soon before it is road-worthy once more?!

[LeahFoy]

Also, swooptie-tube and swooptie-do = guffawing at the screen😂😂😂

[Allingham II, Thomas J. (Retired Partner)]

I don't think the Glorious lugs would work on the C-tine frame design. Angles wouldn't work.

Sent from my iPhone

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[Steve Palincsar]

On 02/18/2017 12:35 PM, Leah Peterson wrote:
> You guys are so bad for me. Enablers! Do you know, just yesterday I hired a painter to repaint the inside of our house, and now I wish I had plunked down that money for the dream Riv instead. Maybe I could live with the muddy brown paint put on every wall but the bedrooms (ugh). Or maybe I could have spent the next year of my life, paintbrush in hand and have figured out how to do those huge walls over the spiral staircase (asking for a broken neck here). Maybe I could do the Inconvenient & Hard Things because there would be the dream Riv mixte in the garage!

Or you could just have replaced the bulb by that spiral staircase with
one with a lot less wattage: what the eye does not see the heart does
not grieve, and when all candles be out, all cats be grey.

> I even know what I would choose. Think: overkill. I would ask for the Cheviot frame with the Glorius lugs. It would be that luscious Rivendell red - with sparkles, is it tacky if it has sparkles?, with cream accents. Oh, and can my name be painted in some lovely place like we saw on that recent orange work of art on the Blug? It would have dynamo lighting (because oooh you fancy!) and a double kickstand and the prettiest Nitto racks they make. Ooooh, cream tires. And pixie dust. Lots of pixie dust.
>
> And now I must get control of myself and go back to choosing gray paint for the walls. Barf.
>
>

Or, just go unscrew the bulb.

[Garth]

Leah if you are doing a custom just tell Grant what you envision and he'll work with you. I bet he would come up with something even better than the what you may have considered ☺☺

He *could* say no to certain details but he cannot eat you ! Ahahahahahahahaa


As for wall colors , hmmmm..... just pretend you are color blind. Have an artist paint the walls as murals of your favorite places/scenes. Flat colors can be just so.... flat. I think it would be would to cool to have real wood walls, or put wood flooring on them ! Endless alternatives to mere paint. Seems lots choose paint because lots choose paint but no one really likes blank walls no matter the color.

[Mark in Beacon]

Yes. And worse--my new Clementine's new wheel. I had been off the bike for a bit after some eye surgery. The first night coming home from work after my layoff, I hit a pothole that had a pothole in it. It was still rideable but after getting home and taking a look, it was clear the rim needed to be replaced. This is an Atlas rim with a 2" Big Ben tire. I can only imagine what might have happened if I had been on some skinny 32mm rubber...
I am waiting for the 36h silver to come back in stock at Bikemania in NJ, which sells it for $30 less than Velocity. They tell me next month. Not many carry it. But don't worry, I have several alternatives that will see me through, including a bike that has a healthy dose of Rivendell DNA!

As for wall color, in my last house, I did a wall between the dining room and kitchen in rusted Coreten steel. First I rebuilt the wall and sheathed it in plywood, then I cut the 1/4" plate into random large rectangles, which I then bolted to the plywood.

[panog]

@Mark in Beacon

Sometimes a pinched rim could be repaired using one of these http://t.harborfreight.com/6-inch-jaw-straight-sheet-metal-seamer-98728.html?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F and a sanding block afterwards. Do not try it with regular pliers; they got to have long straight jaws so they are guided by the undamaged rim flange. Done it with Velocity DV after a similar encounter with a pothole like the one you described. Both of the flanges were severely creased from the impact.

[Deacon Patrick]

Mark,

I've experienced a vast difference between hand build wheels and "stock" (Velocity, in my case). I destroyed my rear rim at 30mph on a curvy descent, snapping several spokes. Since then, on hand built (including Rich's) I've hit worse with more weight or lighter rims (on the QB) and nothing even out of true. There really is something to the craft of a handmade wheel yielding far more wear.

With abandon,

Patrick

[LeahFoy]

Hey guys, remember how we were talking about a dream custom Clementine (don't make me call it a Clem!) with more lugs? Did you see the photos of the blue custom mixte on Grant's Blahg today? It looks like someone almost made one! There's swoopy stays in back, and even though there's no swooptie-tube, that sloping tube looks lower than the standover my Bets has!

I called the two shops that have our bikes. The Hotrock isn't yet done as they're missing a tool needed to put rivets in the bottle cage holes, and my wheel didn't come in! If I can get the Hotrock tomorrow I'll take the Husband Clem for our Wednesday ride to school. It's tricky, but with my Back-a-Bike bags on his rear rack, I can probably make it work. I mean, it's not likely I'll crash my way down the hill, right? I can totally handle that dangerous top tube, would you say? I don't *think* I'll get killed. Say a prayer.

Anyway, the weather was nasty over the weekend, but when the sun emerged every person who owns a bike was riding. I nearly veered into a curb admiring a rider and his setup on my way to Home Depot. My birthday's days away and my husband asked for a hint (presents are my love language!) and I said "Rivendollars." He asked me to explain and I just said someday I want a really, really nice Rivendell. And this will be like money towards that bike someday. He thinks he's getting off easy 😏

[Ryan Fleming]

Ummm..that was version 1.0 of my custom. Head tube was a  tad shorter basis what I wanted. I wanted to allow for level bars and saddle for now with the option of raising the bars if I needed to later. I do feel bad that they had to discount this bike but I sure respect their attention to detail....it's a beauty...but some lucky customer got a deal and hopefully specced most of the parts from Rivendell. Version 2.0 is in my living room minus pedals...and is absolutely splendid and glorious and for mixte lovers, I'd say, if you're going to really float the  boat out there a Rivendell mixte custom  is the way to go.  You have to be patient , but the end result is so worth it.

[Leah Peterson]

Ryan! Have we gotten to see photos of your bike all built up? How dreamy - don't deny us this pleasure for long. Do let's hear all about it when you get riding. You said it's glorious and splendid - would love to hear more about what makes it so. Meanwhile, I'm going to let this idea of a second mixte percolate in my mind.

Also, I wonder who got version 1.0? Lucky duck.

Sent from my iPhone

--

[Edwin W]

Didn't you say you were near Las Vegas?

For $100 you can have a spare bike:

https://lasvegas.craigslist.org/bik/6010365904.html

Edwin

[LeahFoy]

This bike is pribably 10 minutes from me! How tempting.

[Ryan Fleming]

I promise I will...we're still in weird Feb semi-winter with freezing/melting salt, slush, etc. Can hardly wait for spring. I know I love looking at the bike. And I'm sure I'll love riding the bike

[Jim Bronson]

It looks like a really nice day.  The last time I wore a tire down to the casing, I got a flat and I was on a 200K far from anywhere with weather in the mid-30s and drizzle.  I had a spare LoupLoup Pass tire in my bag, but still, having to take off my lobster gloves to change it in the cold drizzle was pretty miserable.

The moral of this story is to check your tires frequently.  It's not always going to be a nice day when it fails.

On Tue, Feb 14, 2017 at 6:00 PM, LeahFoy <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

I am no bike mechanic, as the following photos will prove. But I do check things out and (mostly) notice when things are wrong, honest! I bought my bike in late 2012 from RBW headquarters, and I don't get to ride as much as a lot of you folks, so I thought I was doing alright with the tire tread. I have a fendered bike, and I now know that YOU MUST NOT EVALUATE YOUR BACK TIRE  SOLELY BY LOOKING AT YOUR FRONT TIRE.

I was sitting cross-legged, waiting for the boys to be dismissed from school. Imagine my shock. The first photo shows the deceptive angle in which I thought all was well. The second reveals the painful truth. It would be a looonnngggg trek pushing that bike uphill loaded with school stuff. To the bike shop I go, in the morning!

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[Jim Bronson]

+albatross bars

+decent saddle

+decent tires

Still, way cheaper than a new bike.

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[Ryan Fleming]

Jim makes a good point...custom dreams aside. That bike  in Vegas looks to be in pretty decent shape for $100. It does not look like it was ridden much. If it fits and you don't have to put too much into it it might not be a bad buy if BBITW is temporarily out of action. The Schwinn may be less attractive to thieves, too. I would not want to hear that the Bets got stolen. A good second/beater bike is a nice option to have for escorting your boys to school, running errands, etc.

On Tuesday, February 21, 2017 at 1:14:40 PM UTC-6, Jim Bronson wrote:

+albatross bars

+decent saddle

+decent tires

Still, way cheaper than a new bike.

On Tue, Feb 21, 2017 at 12:06 PM, Edwin W <dween...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Didn't you say you were near Las Vegas?

For $100 you can have a spare bike:

https://lasvegas.craigslist.org/bik/6010365904.html

Edwin

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[Jim Bronson]

Good point Ryan.  I don't ever take my Rivendells places and lock them up.  I only use my beater bike for that, an 80s gas-pipe Nishiki.

-Jim

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[Ryan Fleming]

nope  afraid I don't either

[Leah Peterson]

I know, I know. The good news is I got the Husband Clem today so I'm back in business, I hope. 

The other good news is the shop that worked on the Hotrock made it look new. Wow. He's been hard on that bike - four years' worth of abuse. "Here it is," they said, "Bells and all!" I don't think they understand about my bells, but you will when you see.  I took a photo and put a Rivelo dog in it for Riv content. 

The bad news is my bike is having a wheel built and still not ready. 

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[Joe Bernard]

Dats alotta bells!

[Bill Lindsay]

I gotta get me a Rivelo bandanna.  

[Ray Varella]

That is a lot of bells. Perhaps you should consider adding a HonkaHoota to the mix.
It would really add to his one man band handlebar.

Ray
Vallejo CA

[Leah Peterson]

I took back the Bets! I don't know about these new tires, though. They seem to spit sand everywhere. I test rode it up and down the street and there was all this racket - rocks/sand spitting all over under the fenders. Weird. I don't know anything about these tires, but the shop owner thinks they're terrific, and says they have some flat protection. I miss my old tires.

I attached some pics of the bike and the tires and one of the old wheel so you can see the cracks around the spokes. There were many that were cracked. Also, check out the pic of the invoice and what the mechanic says about my rims. Haha!

I met a roadie while I was waiting there. He rides no fewer than 300 miles per week, and 12000+ miles per year though he's currently sidelined with a saddle sore. I mentioned the Brooks and he said he can't possibly because it's waaayyy too heavy but acknowledges they're really comfortable. So, saddle sores it is. He gets new tires every other month at $150 a pop, and buys gels and goops by the armfuls "because it's too hard for me to eat on the bike." He bemoans how expensive cycling is but calls it his therapy. He thinks I need a road bike. I think he needs Just Ride.

Anyway, everyone at school has been so worried about me "Hey, don't you ride the bike?" so it will be good to sail onto campus on TBBITW next week.

Thanks for all your help and advice and funny comments. You light up my bike life!

[franklyn]

What rim/wheel did the bike shop order to replace your rear wheel? I am just curious about what's the "garden variety" rim brake 650b rim for LBS nowadays.

Franklyn

[Garth]

Get the tires you want Leah ! While the shop owner may think what he put on is swell, but since you're the one that actually rides your bike(along with furry friend), that's about all there is to that. Reminds me of a back seat driver 😰😰😰 I once had some Dunlop new auto tires that were supposedly wonderful..... on the way home I going down my usual steep hill I was frightened for my life for the first time in my life driving an auto, it felt like the tires were going to come off the rims and I'd be on a sleigh ride down the hillside. Right back to the shop and returned them and have ridden my preferred Michelin tires ever since. You like what you like...

The Conti tires you had have changed name to the Ride Tour and come in the size you need so have them get some or from some-one.

[Patrick Moore]

I'm curious what those cracking rear rims were. You got quite a few years and quite a few K miles out of the old tires, so you won WRT tires and lost WRT rims.

Flat protection: There are (as they say, though where this idiom came from, I don't know) "many ways to skin a cat." If your criteria for flat protection are as follows -- I assume you don't want solid tires -- 

1. It works;

2. It's cheap;

3. It doesn't require me to do much;

Then I'd suggest this approach:

1. Use a sturdy tire, preferably one with a protective "belt". I found Schwalbe Kojaks very good -- they roll well and don't require sealant in goathead-land; and Schwalbe Big Apples are more flat resistant and roll well, though not as well as Kojaks.

2. Add a "thorn proof" tube: these are about1/4" thick on the bottom. They will make your tire roll like shit, but if you are 6 or 13 years old, you won't know the difference.

3. If your tire doesn't have a protective "belt" or liner, as the Schwalbe tires named, add a Mr Tuffy or, as Stevie of Stevie's Happy Bikes does, an old standard tube split lengthwise and used as a liner.

4. Add 4 oz of Slime. Use Slime, not the much more modern and (truth to tell) effective Orange Seal or Stan's; Slime does work if you have enough of it, and it's a heckofalot cheaper than modern sealants.

(Note: Slime is sold in auto parts stores and places selling lawn tractors; it is used for car, tractor, and appliance tires.)

Patrick Moore, who learned the flat fixing art at the feet of sidewalk cycle wallahs in New Delhi, India, long ago in the middle 1960s.

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Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews.

By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching.

Other professional writing services.

http://www.resumespecialties.com/

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nouvelle Mexique,  Vereinigte Staaten

****************************************************************************************

The point which is the pivot of the norm is the motionless center of a circumference on the contours of which all conditions, distinctions, and individualities revolve. Chuang Tzu

Stat crux dum volvitur orbis. (The cross stands motionless while the world revolves.) Carthusian motto

It is we who change; He remains the same. Eckhart

Kinei hos eromenon. (It moves [all things] as the beloved.) Aristotle

[Ray Varella]

The tires might not pick up as much detritus once they get a little scuffed. Hopefully.

Your encounter with the fellow at the bike shop made for an interesting juxtaposition. Even when I rode 300 miles a week, I never thought it was expensive
I must have been doing it wrong.

Cycling is a big tent and there are no wrong ways to enjoy it.
Attempting to instill our personal dogma on others...that gets a little crunchy.

Good for you for knowing what works for you.

Ray
Vallejo CA

[Steve Palincsar]

On 02/24/2017 06:40 PM, Leah Peterson wrote:
> I took back the Bets! I don't know about these new tires, though. They seem to spit sand everywhere. I test rode it up and down the street and there was all this racket - rocks/sand spitting all over under the fenders. Weird. I don't know anything about these tires, but the shop owner thinks they're terrific, and says they have some flat protection. I miss my old tires.
>
>

I had that happen with a pair of new Paselas a few years ago. It went
away after about 20 miles.

[Mark in Beacon]

It appears from the mechanic's notations that Leah posted that the rim was a 36-hole Velocity Synergy.

[Leah Peterson]

Garth, I laughed out loud at the visual created with "sleigh ride down the hillside." Can't tell you why, it was just an apt description and I could feel it.

I'll stick it out with these tires for awhile. I've got hope after reading that some others had the same and it improved with mileage.

I'm just so happy to have my bike back. My birthday is this weekend and guess what -mama found a new paved bike trail! This means the rest of my family must not complain about however many miles I decide we should go.

Patrick - cool photo. A keepsake. All your ideas were good so, naturally I've implemented zero because, well, I don't know anything about that stuff. Including how to fix a flat. *Ducks for cover here.* 😜

Sent from my iPhone

> On Feb 24, 2017, at 5:13 PM, Garth <gart...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Get the tires you want Leah ! While the shop owner may think what he put on is swell, but since you're the one that actually rides your bike(along with furry friend), that's about all there is to that. Reminds me of a back seat driver 😰😰😰 I once had some Dunlop new auto tires that were supposedly wonderful..... on the way home I going down my usual steep hill I was frightened for my life for the first time in my life driving an auto, it felt like the tires were going to come off the rims and I'd be on a sleigh ride down the hillside. Right back to the shop and returned them and have ridden my preferred Michelin tires ever since. You like what you like...
>
> The Conti tires you had have changed name to the Ride Tour and come in the size you need so have them get some or from some-one.
>

[Garth]

😃😃 Seems like you may be "sticking" with them for awhile indeed! Curiously, the Racer X tires is marketed as a bmx ties (😀Betty BMXers😊). The extra grippiness is part of the design and the rubber has been "chemically etched" just in case enouh needs a little more help.

http://www.tiogausa.com/bmx_race/products/tires/fastr-x/

But you know..... thinking is alright and all, you know....comparing, measuring wondering 'bout this and that and how it could be another this and that as if one is really any different than the other. Nothing beats just merrily riding along completely "unattached and unconditioned" from/by all that seemed to weigh you down. I can find no other words for what I am referring to of course but we all know what I mean since it's the most natural thing in all the world😊😊😊

[Jon Dukeman,central Colorado]

Leah,

I wonder if your new tires have a taller profile than the old ones and that might be causing all the scraping of pebbles and noise from sand and gravel scraping the fenders.

My Sam and Cheviot have the same tires. The Sam has P45 fenders and I hear pebbles, & sand scraping the fender all the time.The Cheviot has P50 fenders with more clearance and I rarely hear any scraping of pebbles or leaves.

Just a thought.

It might be the stickiness of the rubber throwing sand like others have said.

Enjoy your new ride.

Jon

[Leah Peterson]

Hi All,

It was nice enough for a family bike ride yesterday, so we took a new trails ways from home. I was hoping the sand spray would stop with some miles on the bike. I do think it's better, but still happens now and again. I was dismayed to find out these are BMX race tires? (See Garth's link.) Ever since, I've rather unfairly set my opinion against them. Out of curiosity, I went to Rivendell's site and noticed these beautiful tires : https://www.rivbike.com/collections/tires/products/soma-new-xpress-650b-x-38-34-71-express-terracotta-tread

Should I have gotten these instead? Who has these? What say you? And would that color just be drop dead gorgeous with TBBITW or what? 

If I DID decide to buy them, I'm thinking I will find another LBS to install them - not sure I can face the other one. I'd feel so embarrassed. What to do with the BMX tires? They can't be returned, I'm sure.

Sent from my iPad

[WETH]

Leah,
Glad you had a good family ride.
I agree those Somas would look nice on your Betty. I have the black tread version on my Romulus: (https://www.rivbike.com/collections/tires/products/soma-new-xpress-650b-x-38-34-71-express-black-tread)
I like how they ride, but I have gotten 3 flats in 1500 miles of riding. That is more than I get with Schwalbe and Compass tires over similar distances and routes. Still the Somas are nice tires and ride well.
Best wishes,
Erl

[Ian A]

Your new tires just need a few more miles on them. I find tires need 100 miles or so before they right. Give your new tires a bit more time and the likelihood is you'll like them just fine.

IanA

[Garth]

I wouldn't let the classification "bmx" sway you Leah. Yes, it seems a very odd since bmx bikes that I know of don't have 27.5" wheels !    I did finally find a website where they are listed and that is Tioga's Japanese website, gee why didn't I think to look there first ?! Ahahahaah !   It's the only place I could find any record of them existing in 27.5.  http://tiogajpn.com/products/tire/tir28800.html  

Could you speak to the shop first and see if they can offer you a solution to your satisfaction? Nobody wants to ride tires they don't like and everyone understands that.

You know, I like to listen to christmas music all the time .... I only mention this because everything always works out no matter how I may want to argue about it :)

[Jon Dukeman,central Colorado]

Leah,
Remember if you don't ask you will never know. Ask the bike shop for an exchange. Worst case they say no.You walk away unhappy and they lose a customer.They can put the exchanged tires on another bike or sell them at a reduced price.The bike shop I worked at did that all the time.The same with saddles. We wanted the customer to be happy.
If flat protection is a priority

over comfort go with the Schwalbe tires.
Like others I question putting bmx tires on your bike.I'd ask them why they chose those tires???Almost like they were taking advantage of you.
Good luck.
Jon

[Leah Peterson]

Flat protection is TOTALLY priority for me. I *ducks head here* don't know how to change flats and don't really want to learn. I just want tires that do exactly what my last Continental tires did - give me zero trouble. I rode those tires thousands of miles and never a flat.

So, tell me what Schwalbes I should get. My tires are 38, I think. You know what I want, just tell me what to order. As far as the bike shop, I don't think I want to ask them to help me with an exchange. I know how hard it is for businesses to make money, and the mechanics were really nice, and I didn't specify what tires to put on the bike, so it's mostly my fault. I did ask what they thought to put on there when I initially dropped off the bike and the mechanic said, "How about the same tires you have on already?" so I thought they were going with that. But I didn't TELL them, and I ought to have. The issue likely came when the owner got involved. When I came for the bike, I asked about the tires and the owner was all excited about these tires he had chosen for my bike and he said so. He's a genuine roadie and all the stereotypical stuff that goes with that, so our preferences are polar opposites. Lesson learned! Know what you want and politely ask for it.

Sent from my iPad

[Jon Dukeman]

Leah,

If you liked those Continentals go with them.

If you want a change try Schwalbe touring tires.Not sure they have flat protection tire in your size.

Did you say yours  was 650b???

You might give Rivendell a call tell them you want best flat protection tire.

Or ride the tires you got and see if they improve.

I'm not much help am I  ??LOL

Jon

"FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS RIDE JUNK "....

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[Jeffrey B]

The little big bens are great tires in a 38mm width. I've got 5000+ miles on mine in lots of conditions off road and on, and they still have a ton of life left. Good luck!

PS: I agree with the other posters about the sand spray dying down after a few more miles.

[dougP]

BMX tires in a 650B size?  Are these for adult BMX bikes? 

Since the mechanic suggested "why not go with what you have?" & you agreed, I think you have a basis to return the BMX tires & get the ones you thought you were getting.  In good faith, the owner should have at least called you to let you know he'd made a change.  Probably really busy, didn't have time, etc., but since you're not 100% satisfied AND you brought it in with something you liked, I'd suggest giving it a try.  You said the mechanic was nice, that's worth something.  If everything else came right, I'd push for the change as you want to build a relationship with a LBS, and relationships are a 2 way street.  It's really not the owner's place to decide what the customer needs unless asked.  My 2 cents, anyway.

dougP

[Leah Peterson]

You know what? I just realized it said right on my invoice "need to order Conti Tour Ride tires"!!! So they did make the change without my permission!

Sent from my iPad

[Garth]

Leah as I mentioned above you can get your exact same tire you had before, the Conti Tour Ride 42-584 27.5 x 1.5
While this is just one retailer, they do at least have them in stock. This, assuming a self install.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0035Y3HP8/ref=twister_dp_update?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[Steve Palincsar]

And you also need to contact Velocity regarding that cracking rear rim.  I'm not sure what they're replacing them with now, since the Synergy is no longer available, but they replaced several, completely rebuilding the wheel at no charge, for me in the past.

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[Daniel D.]

I dont know, seems like a nitpicky reason to return a tire...

[Ryan Fleming]

I think Leah mentioned that the photo was of the old rim....which is a consumable in my opinion. They can crack at the spokes and the braking surface can erode. Not Velocity's fault here

[Wayne Naha]

I thought it unusual that the rim was cracking. Not saying that the rim is defective, but perhaps has been overloaded with all the school supplies. A heavier duty rim may be in order here. Rims are consumable, but the cracking would be a concern for me. I have decades old rims with no such cracking.

[Leah Peterson]

I would like to point out here that I am 5’ 6”, and a buck 35. Because if my rim is shot and this is unusual, I’m sure you’re imagining plausible reasons why! Lots of self-deprecating jokes are swirling through my head right now…

I don’t carry that much stuff in the rear. The worst of it is in the front basket, supported by my Nitto Big Front Rack. Maybe it was that one that cracked - I guess they didn’t specify.

> On Feb 28, 2017, at 9:06 AM, Wayne Naha <w.r....@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I thought it unusual that the rim was cracking. Not saying that the rim is defective, but perhaps has been overloaded with all the school supplies. A heavier duty rim may be in order here. Rims are consumable, but the cracking would be a concern for me. I have decades old rims with no such cracking.
>

[Garth]

Ryan, rims cracking like that is not "normal" by any means.  Add to this the fact the Velocity acknowledges the Synergies cracking and offers replacements and why the are no longer made.

[Ryan Fleming]

Garth, it's not beyond the pale of possibility either. I did have cracks on a 26"  pair of Araya RM14's I think  which was a bit disconcerting , but that's the only rim I can recall having an issue with.They were very light, probably too light for me and pounding around are city with its some of its 3rd world road surfaces. I'm a little over 5'6" and was  well north of  Leah's buck 35 when this happened

However, good on Velocity if they offer replacements; I think that's awesome.  I have some Velocity 650B on my new bike; Aeroheats, I think they're called.

[Ray Varella]

If you go back and look at the original pics that Leah posted, you can see brake wear at the spokes and see the eyelets pulling away from the rim.
I don't know how much wear that rim has but if the sidewalls are worn enough to cause the sidewalls to bulge at the spoke holes then it's a pretty well worn rim.

If the spokes bulging and the eyelets pulling are an indication of too much tension or a defective rim then a message to the manufacturer might be in order.

Rims are consumable and it's possible it lived a useful life. Several years of hard braking on downhills seems pretty reasonable.
If it was a new wheel and this happened in the first year of use then that would seem premature.

Using a bike for everyday transportation assumes some level of maintenance and replacement of consumables.

Ray
Vallejo CA

[Wayne Naha]

If Velocity is acknowledging a problem with the Synergy rims cracking, then it seems settled that this is not normal or expected wear.  Too bad Leah did not kn ow about this before paying for a new wheel.  Otherwise, I think a free replacement rim, including new spokes, and the labor for lacing it up to the old hub would have been the decent thing for Velocity to offer.

[Steve Palincsar]

On 02/28/2017 01:49 PM, Wayne Naha wrote:

If Velocity is acknowledging a problem with the Synergy rims cracking, then it seems settled that this is not normal or expected wear.  Too bad Leah did not kn ow about this before paying for a new wheel.  Otherwise, I think a free replacement rim, including new spokes, and the labor for lacing it up to the old hub would have been the decent thing for Velocity to offer.

It has been the case for years, and they've done exactly that: free replacement rim, shipping both ways, free spokes, free labor.  They've done mine at least 3 times.  I thought this was common knowledge.

On Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at 12:21:11 PM UTC-5, Garth wrote:

Ryan, rims cracking like that is not "normal" by any means.  Add to this the fact the Velocity acknowledges the Synergies cracking and offers replacements and why the are no longer made.



On Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at 11:30:06 AM UTC-5, Ryan Fleming wrote:

I think Leah mentioned that the photo was of the old rim....which is a consumable in my opinion. They can crack at the spokes and the braking surface can erode. Not Velocity's fault here

Very much to the contrary.  There was a problem.  They covered it, and the latest replacements (post their move to the US) have been free of the issue.

[Steve Palincsar]

I've already mentioned the Velocity Synergies that cracked at the spoke holes.  Here's what they look like:

But that's not the only rim I've had that's cracked.  Back in the day I had MA40s on my Spectrum.  They cracked and the shop gave me a big song and dance that I was the only person in the entire universe who ever had one of those rims crack blah blah and surprise, when the internet came along I searched and found MA40 rim cracking was a very popular subject of discussion, general consensus being it was the hard anodizing that was at fault because the rim without it, MA2, was generally considered at the time to be the most perfect rim ever created by the hand of Man or God.  And I also had a MA3 crack the same way, probably for the same reason.  None of these cracked rims was seriously worn.

[Steve Palincsar]

On 02/28/2017 12:06 PM, Wayne Naha wrote:
> I thought it unusual that the rim was cracking. Not saying that the rim is defective, but perhaps has been overloaded with all the school supplies. A heavier duty rim may be in order here. Rims are consumable, but the cracking would be a concern for me. I have decades old rims with no such cracking.
>

I'll bet Leah plus bike with a porteur rack loaded with concrete paving
slabs weighs less than many of us do butt naked stepping straight out of
the shower.

[LeahFoy]

This is all very fascinating. Interesting that Steve has also had the Velocity wheels go bad on him. I honestly had no idea Velocity has a history of problems with the rims or I might have contacted them. I noticed today the front wheel is still the Velocity I had prior; no cracks, but I'll be watching.

Maybe I'm harder on stuff than you guys are. I remember you all being confused that I had bent a Wald basket, but it is indeed good and bent. And then there's the shifter I also seem to have worn out. Oh, and maybe I had it coming with the broken wheel. I get a kick out of crashing over bumps without rising out of the saddle. There's something amusing about it. You should try it. But maybe not on Velocity rims.

[Steve Palincsar]

On 02/28/2017 04:07 PM, LeahFoy wrote:
> This is all very fascinating. Interesting that Steve has also had the Velocity wheels go bad on him. I honestly had no idea Velocity has a history of problems with the rims or I might have contacted them. I noticed today the front wheel is still the Velocity I had prior; no cracks, but I'll be watching.

The front wheels never crack. It was the OC rims for rear wheels that
cracked. I posted an album of photos of rim cracks of Velocity Synergy
OC photos back in May 2011.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/97916047@N00/albums/72157626786487504

>
> Maybe I'm harder on stuff than you guys are. I remember you all being confused that I had bent a Wald basket, but it is indeed good and bent. And then there's the shifter I also seem to have worn out. Oh, and maybe I had it coming with the broken wheel. I get a kick out of crashing over bumps without rising out of the saddle. There's something amusing about it. You should try it. But maybe not on Velocity rims.
>

I don't do any of those things like crashing into bumps, etc. I do my
utmost to "ride light." I do ride big miles, though. Even so, rims
last me a long time as a rule: I've worn out the brake track on one rim,
and it took me around 24 years to do it. The issue with Velocity
Synergy OC rims is related to metallurgy, I believe, and they fixed it
before they discontinued the rims.

[dougP]

" I get a kick out of crashing over bumps without rising out of the saddle. There's something amusing about it. You should try it. But maybe not on Velocity rims."

A girl's gotta fun, right?  Just opt up for a heavy duty touring rim.  I have no experience with the manufacturer in question, but "crashing over bumps" is at the extreme end of the technical envelope. 

Data point:  Two of my touring buds have identical, purpose built trekking bikes.  One is at least 10 yrs old, and is on the original wheels.  He weighs 175, and is not particularly easy on things.  The other guy is on his 3rd rear wheel, and opted for a heavy duty, tandem rim with a high spoke count (40 or 48?).  He weighs 235, and does a lot of bashing over stuff. 

dougP

[Fullylugged]

I have a pair of the Soma Express on my Riv Road and like them a lot. Stated size is 38mm, but they run more like 36. Very smooth. No sand slinging.

[Fullylugged]

velocity replaced mine under warranty. (I sent the old wheel and they laced a new rim onto my hub)

[Mark in Beacon]

It is my opinion that a decent bike shop should have known about this problem and gotten a rim replacement/wheel rebuild for you from Velocity as a matter of course. Whoever wrote your original repair ticket obviously knew something, with the comment "(not sure they even make that rim any more.") He/she should have looked into it further. In this age of e-commerce and cutthroat pricing, that would be the kind of knowledge and customer service to set apart a local shop from the Wiggles of the world. If they have not thrown away the rim yet, it is still not too late to get that done. (And even if they have tossed it, send Velocity a link to this thread.) Seriously. The only explanation for that rim going bad is (99%) as Steve has pointed out, the manufacturing defect/design flaw that these rims suffered from.

[Jim Bronson]

That's what mine looked like too.  When I told Velocity what I was doing with it, they replaced it with an Atlas.

260-270 lb rider, Randonneuring and urban riding with a big Carradice with lots of stuff in it.

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[Jim Bronson]

Mine cracked and it was the non-OC.

Just a data point.

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[Jim Bronson]

When I was in college I was about 300 give or take, (no judgement please had a good reason) I had a Cannondale M500 mountain bike and I used to ride it off curbs every day, at least 6-7 times a day, maybe more.  When I left the sports training facility I would ride down all the stairs also, down to the sidewalk, there was about 15 steps.  I had Ritchey Matrix rims I think, never cracked one I don't think.  I still have the bike, I should check.  I bought it new in the fall of 1993, it was a leftover 1992 model.

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[RichS]

I better inspect my Synergies now!

Regards,
Richard

[Leah Peterson]

As I type this, I am walking my bike. Why, you ask? Because I have a rear flat. All worries of offending the LBS have currently gone out the window. I will be swinging by there today asking for new tires.

Sent from my iPhone

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