Bicycle Mechanics - Building with Kinlin rims... ISSUES

Having heard good words abound for the kinlin lineup of rims I though I would give them a try for a lightweight commuter wheelset instead of my normal Mavic rims.

Novatec 4series hubs, Dbl butted spokes, and Kinlin xr-200 rims.

Being commuter wheels they were tested in wet, grimy, city streets and after only 40 miles I had small shavings of aluminum coming off the brake surface and grinding deeper into the rim.

Brake pads were stock campagnolo pads from 08 (NOS) but they had no issue on another wheelset which i swapped in to test a lower gear range.
Did I get a bad pair or what?
I havent read any reviews of kinlins having shaving issues and maybe trying to save 40 grams wasnt worth straying from Open 4 CDs.

Input appreciated. Is this why kinlin rims are so affordable?

try some koolstop salmon pads and see if the issue goes away.

Your old rubber pads are accumulating the surface aluminum and road grit,
the maintainence is to remove that from the brake shoes, pick it out, physically,
and clean your wheels.
soap and water and a bucket ..

Rubber ages, dries out and gets harder over time. Doesn't matter whether you used your old shoes or not, they're probably hard by now. Replace the shoes or inserts and you should be OK.

If the rim surface feels rough or has bits of material half off, you might want to hold a bit of fine to medium grit sandpaoer again the rims while spinning the wheels to "lathe" the rims smooth again. Don't get carried away chasing any gouge to the bottom, just get the loose or high spots off.

Kool Stop Salmon brake pads are far superior to old Campagnolo brake pads (or any other old/hard brake pad). When I come across a rim that has markings on the braking surface caused by various objects in the brake pad I use a double sided foam filled sanding block. These blocks can be bought at any hardware store or Walmart and several other stores. Submerg the block into either just water or a mild soapy solution -- using a side to side motion -- apply pressure with the sanding block to the braking surface. It will take only a few strokes to clean the rim (some deep gouges may still be there but all but the worst markings will be gone). Then move over to another section until rim is clean. Both sides will take only a few minutes to clean. Braking will be quite and efficient.

+1 for KS salmon, I run them exclusively. They were awesome when I lived in PDX, and being car free, I rode in all conditions.

And for something more superior to koolstops - swissstops.

Consensus seems to dictate that the problem is in the brake pads, which were no problem on my araya rims.

I clean the bike thoroughly (remove BB, calipers, RD) about once a week and when I notice metal shavings I remove the wheel roadside and use a tiny screwdriver to pick the shards out of my brake pads. Only once have I sanded down the rims with 220, only on the little protrusions.

But everyone agrees that kinlins arent made to work with campagnolo pads?

"But everyone agrees that kinlins arent made to work with campagnolo pads?"

So KinLin purposely goes out to make rims aimed at destroying Campagnolo brake pads? Did you even think before posting that?

What's next, "Sun-Ringle makes rims aimed at ejecting Schwalbe wire tire beads?"

=8-)

Consensus seems to dictate that the problem is in the brake pads,

But everyone agrees that kinlins arent made to work with campagnolo pads?

I don't think it's a question of the brand of the pads, as much as their age and condition.

Consensus seems to dictate that the problem is in the brake pads, which were no problem on my araya rims.

I clean the bike thoroughly (remove BB, calipers, RD) about once a week and when I notice metal shavings I remove the wheel roadside and use a tiny screwdriver to pick the shards out of my brake pads. Only once have I sanded down the rims with 220, only on the little protrusions.

But everyone agrees that kinlins arent made to work with campagnolo pads?

I'm not a metallurgist, but different aluminum alloys do have variations in physical properties.
It could be the niobium in the alloy makes it a bit more fracture prone. (pure speculation)
or it's just a bad batch. (again, pure speculation)

I have read several very good reviews about Kinlin rims. Since you already have the wheels built -- it is cheaper to change brake pads than rims. Nobody is going to say negative things about Campagnolo (except maybe Syncro shifters). I like their brake pads alot. I like them better than Shimano although I think Shimano pads are softer and help stop you faster. My rims stay cleaner (less brake pad marking on rim braking area) when using Campagfnolo pads. If you do not like the brake pads already suggested then get some new Campagnolo pads. Throw away the NOS pads.

Kinlin's often have a lot of metal shavings when new. Pick the bits out of your pads and see if you're still picking up new bits. I don't think that it was a pad problem, but it might now be a pad problem if you can't get all the shavings out of the pads. It's like washing your hair the first time after a haircut, once all the shavings are out you should be ok.

Pads from '08 (whether they're new or not) might not have the best performance, but they shouldn't cause a gross change to the amount of shaving coming off your rim.

I have read several very good reviews about Kinlin rims..

They are a cheap AL clincher with average quality. Weight is sacrificed for quality. This is precisely the kind of product the roadie internet market loves.

Low cost, crap.

Kinlin rims are less expensive than some of the other overpriced brand names but I have not seen any official bike reviews or recalls (mags. , reports , BBB) saying that Kinlin rims suck. I have been the difference of the wear & tear on a rim when I use different brake pads on the same rim. Road/weather conditions also have alot to do with the wear issues between rim and brake pads.

Kinlin rims are less expensive than some of the other overpriced brand names but I have not seen any official bike reviews or recalls (mags. , reports , BBB) saying that Kinlin rims suck. I have been the difference of the wear & tear on a rim when I use different brake pads on the same rim. Road/weather conditions also have alot to do with the wear issues between rim and brake pads.

+1. I have converted my brake pads to swiss stop, and I did notice that my rims look less for wear when I clean them.

"...
What's next, "Sun-Ringle makes rims aimed at ejecting Schwalbe wire tire beads?"

=8-)

Uh oh, this will be my set up when the spokes arrive. Thanks for letting me know :/

I import KinLin rims.

They have two lines - entry to midrange and high-end with separate catalogs for each.

Entry level are solid...but not exciting. For my inventory wheels I distribute through bike shops - they do just fine.

I sell alot of their MX2Gs which is a great DeepV substitute, alot of their RT-6N single-wall TRUE mtb rims with 3mm wall thickness unlike the Weinmann crap, and alot of their single-wall Weinmann/Araya copy 27 x 1 1/4 5ALM. (A true 27" - not a 700 x 35c passed off as one.)

I don't do their high-end rims - most of my customers want the OpenPros, the CXP-33s and such. So I don't bother. However they are very good lightweight rims BUT I really wish they'd go double eyelet on their OpenPro competing rim and others in both catalogs that could certainly use 'em. Their only double-eyelet rim is a downhill MTB rim...

KinLin's power-coat work is superbe - anondizing is right up there with the rest of the field.

=8-)

I probably have over 3000 miles on my Kinlin XR-300 rims. I've used Koolstop salmon pads, and never had any metal shavings. The braking surfaces still look great. I don't ride in wet, gritty conditions very often, but I never noticed any problems after those rides. I did wipe down the rims and pads when they got dirty.