Former Wayfarer Steve Bott modelling his burst rear rim.
Whilst braking downhill (approaching a flock of free - range chickens in the road) Steve inadvertently stopped, closely followed by a loud bang. The rim had burst, tyre become unseated and tube punctured.
Fortunately thanks to his mobile phone help was soon at hand and he was driven home by a lovely lady.
4 comments:
Beware! Free-range chickens can cook your goose! Steve did well to stay upright. Looks like a rear wheel. The rim seems concave, not surprising. But how can you tell when a rim is getting thin and before it explodes? Thin cracks, out of true? Unfortunately you can't use a micrometer. It seems a shame to throw away a wheel when it looks ok.Any ideas?
If you clean your rims regularly (*cough* as I used to *cough*), you can see cracks beginning to appear in the depths of the worn rim.
Pete, on the other hand, reckons you can tell because the rim starts causing juddering under braking.
I have 5 wheels with split rims the first was like Steve's because i did'nt know any better but the rest at the slightest hint of snagging when braking i replace the rim or save the hubs for spares
These days, many rims have wear indicators. These are either a dot like a centre punch mark, usually near the valve hole, or a machined groove on the middle of the brake track. These indentations quickly fill with brake dust and appear as a black mark or line on an otherwise shiny surface. When the black mark disappears, your rim is worn out.
Not much use if your rim hasn't got them, but worth taking a minute to look.
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