thoughts on a new wheel

[Paul Richardson]

howdy folks

i've been riding the stock wheel that came on my 67 homer back in 2011.  i haven't been the best about maintenance, to say the least, and what i thought was just a bit out of true turned very rapidly into a significant wobble.  basically i think i'm due for a new rear wheel and am curious to hear if anyone has general thoughts or some pointers toward where to narrow down the options and make a solid decision.  currently it's a rich built, velocity rimmed, 36-spoke, deore x7 nine-speed.  and like i said it's been great since '11.  looking for something similarly reliable.  i'm a pretty lean guy but have a large saddle bag that i sometimes weigh down pretty well, but no loaded touring or anything so far (and, sadly, nothing planned for the near future).

i get that this is all very personal but with the number of combinations of everything i get a bit overwhelmed and would love input from folks who think more deeply about these things than i.

thanks a ton!

paul

takoma park, md.

[Joe Bernard]

Unless the brake track is worn out I'd start with having the wheel trued. Rich-builts last a stonking long time.

[Paul Richardson]

that was my first step, and the wobble improved briefly.  now it's worse than it was.  maybe i gotta try another bike shop.

[Ian A]

What Joe says, but also check the hub itself. Loose cones can cause a wobble. A cracked hub flange will also cause wobble.

Even a worn out rim will hold true if there are no cracks in the rim itself. There is also a possibility the thread on one or more spokes/nipples has for some reason stripped. This is a simple matter of replacing the affected spoke and/or nipple.

Definitely try another bike shop or just return to the first one and ask them to take a closer look. A component that's failing (like one with a stripping thread) might hold adjustment in the truing stand, but fail under stress. The shop will probably appreciate a second try at it. Just make sure the mechanic actually has some proper experience with building wheels (not just truing them).

IanA

[Garth]

 

    Yes, check the hub first of all .  A wheel built by Rich should not "just start to wobble" due to the build itself, regardless of time and "normal-intended" use. If in doubt, I'd call or email Rich before taking it any shop.

[Hunter Ellis]

In my experience, a well built 32h wheel is just fine for everything...Mountian Bikes have 32 holes these days.

You can get a new XT deore rim brake hub for $42, which should last as long as anything else.

The Velocity Quill is a great road rim if you're running wider tires than 35's, the A23 if not. Sapim/DT Swiss double butted spokes and brass nipples. Boom. THe Velo Orange PBP rim worked well for me on tires up to 35mm wide, and is a much cheaper option (on sale for $43 right now!). But it doesn't have machined sidewalls, which means its easy for your brakes to squeal. And I"d trust the Velocities over the VO's to last another 10 years.

I probably recommended things on the lighter side than a lot of Riv folks, but...If you're lean, and don't ride on singletrack with a heavy load, I'd be surprised if a well-built wheel broke. Most important thing, I think, is who builds it. So get a trusted bike mechanic to lace it up, and it should last a while.

My posts are usually delayed for a few days, so by the time you see this, 100 pther people might have better ideas ;-)

-Hunter

Sebastopol, CA

[Paul Richardson]

thanks all for the responses so far.  and shame on me for posting hastily upon arriving at work before actually having a look at the wheel.  because the source of the issue is, well...pretty obvious.  is it possible that this was caused by an under (or un-) skilled mechanic doing a terrible truing job?!?  ayiyi...

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[Garth]

   Not necessarily, if the rims happen to be the offset Synergy's they were known for cracking like the photo. Velocity's warranty covered exactly what , I don't know.

[Hunter Ellis]

Overtightening a spoke usually causes the nipple or spoke to fail, not the rim. Seems like a rim failure that, well, maybe is expected after 10 years of braking on that surface, or maybe its a flaw, fault of the rim itself. The rim should be the last thing to give, not the first

-Hunter

On Wednesday, July 10, 2019 at 12:20:21 PM UTC-7, Paul Richardson wrote:

thanks all for the responses so far.  and shame on me for posting hastily upon arriving at work before actually having a look at the wheel.  because the source of the issue is, well...pretty obvious.  is it possible that this was caused by an under (or un-) skilled mechanic doing a terrible truing job?!?  ayiyi...

On Wed, Jul 10, 2019 at 2:14 PM Hunter Ellis <hunterf...@gmail.com> wrote:

In my experience, a well built 32h wheel is just fine for everything...Mountian Bikes have 32 holes these days.

You can get a new XT deore rim brake hub for $42, which should last as long as anything else.

The Velocity Quill is a great road rim if you're running wider tires than 35's, the A23 if not. Sapim/DT Swiss double butted spokes and brass nipples. Boom. THe Velo Orange PBP rim worked well for me on tires up to 35mm wide, and is a much cheaper option (on sale for $43 right now!). But it doesn't have machined sidewalls, which means its easy for your brakes to squeal. And I"d trust the Velocities over the VO's to last another 10 years.

I probably recommended things on the lighter side than a lot of Riv folks, but...If you're lean, and don't ride on singletrack with a heavy load, I'd be surprised if a well-built wheel broke. Most important thing, I think, is who builds it. So get a trusted bike mechanic to lace it up, and it should last a while.

My posts are usually delayed for a few days, so by the time you see this, 100 pther people might have better ideas ;-)

-Hunter

Sebastopol, CA

On Wednesday, July 10, 2019 at 6:17:53 AM UTC-7, Paul Richardson wrote:

howdy folks

i've been riding the stock wheel that came on my 67 homer back in 2011.  i haven't been the best about maintenance, to say the least, and what i thought was just a bit out of true turned very rapidly into a significant wobble.  basically i think i'm due for a new rear wheel and am curious to hear if anyone has general thoughts or some pointers toward where to narrow down the options and make a solid decision.  currently it's a rich built, velocity rimmed, 36-spoke, deore x7 nine-speed.  and like i said it's been great since '11.  looking for something similarly reliable.  i'm a pretty lean guy but have a large saddle bag that i sometimes weigh down pretty well, but no loaded touring or anything so far (and, sadly, nothing planned for the near future).

i get that this is all very personal but with the number of combinations of everything i get a bit overwhelmed and would love input from folks who think more deeply about these things than i.

thanks a ton!

paul

takoma park, md.

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[Ian A]

You'd have to have that spoke under massive load to break the rim like that unless the rim was already knackered.

Check your front rim for wear on the brake track. It might be time for two new rims.

FWIW, if you have the right size spoke wrench, you could do the rim swap yourself and just take the laced up wheel to a shop for truing. Just make sure you're using an experienced wheel mechanic. I've replaced a few worn out rims just by taping the new rim to the old and "moving the spokes over". I build my own wheels, but the rim swap method is fast and allows one to reuse the spokes and nipples.

IanA
The process is described in this YouTube video. I haven't watched it through, just wanted to illustrate my meaning
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=%23&ved=2ahUKEwiaiYyPwKvjAhVSoFsKHRkIArsQwqsBMAF6BAgIEAg&usg=AOvVaw0VTJzWxrN8ZFOD4xbU2nov

[Joe Bernard]

Or - since you asked about a new wheel and may need both - Riv has nice silver sets at various price levels that will work great on your bike.

[Hetchins52]

Is it an offset Synergy rim?

That does not look like a braking wear issue (although the rim looks well worn). The fracture is below the brake track.

David Lipsky

Berkeley, CA

On Wednesday, July 10, 2019 at 12:20:21 PM UTC-7, Paul Richardson wrote:

[Paul Richardson]

it is an offset synergy rim, yes.  maybe i'm lucky to have gotten as much life out of it as i did if they were known to have this issue.

TBD if i try to build something myself or purchase a complete.  just totally overwhelmed by the options!

thanks all for the input.