Rims worn through

[Haku]

The rims on my 2 year old Urban Mover UM36 have finally worn through, front rim is very worn but ok whereas the back rim has worn through to the point where it's slightly buckled and the tyre has at one point pushed the metal out so far it was scraping against the brake. Had to unhook the brake to get home and discovered just how bad it was, the metal bent so much there's a small hole.

So, any reccomendations on some really tough, thick MTB rims? I'm not concerned about the weight, it's an ebike so it's already heavier than an ordinary bike, I just want something that'll last me more than 2 years!

 

[flecc]

If you want a really permanent but unconventional solution Haku, and you normally use your front brake most, just fit a steel rim front wheel. They aren't very heavy and used to be universal. Their snag is that braking is very poor in the wet.

However, if you front wheel brake when it's not raining which is most of the time, but just take it easy in the wet and use the rear brake then, it is a near zero wear solution, and cheaper than an alloy rim and wheel build:

Steel wheels at Fishers

For the rear wheel, my preference is for Mavic rims (alloy) which I've found ok, I'm not heavy on the brakes though.
.

 

[Fecn]

Had to unhook the brake to get home and discovered just how bad it was, the metal bent so much there's a small hole.

That small hole is possibly what is known as an 'internal wear indicator' - The idea is that once the outer surface of the rim has worn away sufficiently, the small hole shows up and makes braking uneven/odd enough for you to notice and replace the rim before it becomes dangerous to use.

 

[Haku]

Nice price on the steel rims but poor wet weather breaking doesn't impress me at all, I ride whatever the weather so I need good breaking in wet weather too. If I lived in a flat area I think my rims would have lasted another year or so, I travel up/down a lot of hills and often carry quite a bit in the panniers.

This is the first time ever that my rims have worn out, usually the bike is toast (or stolen) before the rims wear out and the cost of replacing all the bits is more than a similar, new bike.

Looking at some rims online I see that many have ceramic side walls, found this interesting thread Serotta Competition Bicycle Forums - Ceramic rims... and am almost sold on getting some.

 

[flecc]

Ceramic rims are good but expensive, and you'll need to replace the pads much more often since it's the pads that take the wear instead.
.

 

[torrent99]

Nice price on the steel rims but poor wet weather breaking doesn't impress me at all, I ride whatever the weather so I need good breaking in wet weather too. If I lived in a flat area I think my rims would have lasted another year or so, I travel up/down a lot of hills and often carry quite a bit in the panniers.

This is the first time ever that my rims have worn out, usually the bike is toast (or stolen) before the rims wear out and the cost of replacing all the bits is more than a similar, new bike.

Looking at some rims online I see that many have ceramic side walls, found this interesting thread Serotta Competition Bicycle Forums - Ceramic rims... and am almost sold on getting some.

Any chance of fitting a disc brake?

Then you only have to replace the discs+pads rather than a wheel re-build every time.

 

[JohnInStockie]

Ceramic rims are good but expensive, and you'll need to replace the pads much more often since it's the pads that take the wear instead.
.

Must admit I was sold on the steel rims, but are ceramic rims be a lasting alternative?

John

 

[Haku]

If I can get my bike retrofitted with disc brakes I would because the one bike I did have a disc brake on the front the pads lasted until the bike practically fell apart, and then was stolen but it only cost me £22 from a car boot sale was more pissed at the 1 month old £150 bike that was stolen at the same time which was my gap bike until I got my ebike.

I don't mind the balance of wear leaning towards the brake pads because I can replace the pads myself in minutes, whereas replacement rims means having to be without my bike for days whilst someone else rebuilds the wheels, along with the hassle involved.
Someone on that forum I linked to mentioned brake pads designed for ceramic rims which don't grind down as quick as normal pads but.

 

[Straylight]

I'd seccond Flecc on the Mavic rims, had a pair on my marin non-e-bike for about the last 8 years, and they're still going strong. The braking surface on them is very smooth and consistent, I'm considering a pair for my Wisper.

I'd suggest learning to true your own wheels also, as it's really not that difficult an art, this way you can ensure that no part of your wheel is being worn unevenly.

 

[flecc]

Must admit I was sold on the steel rims, but are ceramic rims be a lasting alternative?

John

Yes, thay are very long lasting John, almost to steel rim standards.

Steel rims may not be available for your 28" wheel anyway, I've only seen them in 26" sizes in recent years, and a Chinese steel rim manufacturer's site I looked at only offered 26".

Maybe there's a Continental source since 28" wheels on utility bikes are much more popular in Europe.
.

 

[Haku]

Well so much for trying to support my local bike store/repair place, they've had my ebike for a week now and all they've managed to do was find a source for spokes large enough to fit the motor, and that was apparently only because someone with a motorbike came in & told them of such a place...

Saw my brother some hours later and told him of the situation and he said "oh yeah I was in there chatting with them for an hour today" and that they're not very quick at doing fix jobs. Well he could have bloody well told me before I dropped my bike off!

I'M STILL FUMING!!!

 

[Haku]

Turns out the bike shop couldn't get ceramic walled rims for my ebike, something to do with the eyelets? *shrug* I dunno, but Urban Mover have some scuffed but unused rims for about 1/10 what I was prepared to spend on ceramic ones, so I'll save a bunch of money now but will still need replacement ones in a couple of years which is what I was hoping to avoid - not having my bike really bugs me, managed to borrow a bike for now but it makes things so much more inconvenient, can't use panniers and had to fashion a temporary bike light setup (fashioned one with 60 LEDs on the front & 17 on the back so it's not all bad)