mactagger

I'm new to cycling and during my ride today I hit a storm drain pretty hard. I didn't notice anything immediately, but after breaking I could feel that the break pads were hitting something ever so slightly. After a closer look I found some damage to the rim (see pics). The rims are Axis 1.0.



Should I worry about this, and is there anything I can do short of buying a new rim? Maybe take the tire off and sand off the small nick to make it smooth to prevent the breaks from wearing (this might be a bad idea, like I said this is new to me)?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

FBinNY 

No, don't worry & Yes, pull the tire and sand or file only the raised burr down to the line of the undamaged rim, then mount the tire, pump it, then have yourself a beer.

mactagger

Excellent, then I was on the right track, just forgot the last step... the beer . Thanks!

spdracr39

And in the future bump up the air pressure to help prevent that from happening.

berner

I recommend Newcastle Brown Ale. Also check that the rims are still true - preferably before the ale.

Homebrew01

very fine sand paper wrapped around a popsicle stick.

Wilfred Laurier

I had the same thing happen once and it was not related to air pressure - the wheel slipped down into the (improperly oriented) storm drain slats and the rim got a scrape on the side. Tire pressure only protects the rim from radial hits, not lateral ones.

FBinNY 

To the OP --

I didn't mention, but if you have decent hand skills you don't need to remove the tire. Just deflate it and push it away for the area you're filing. And again file only the raised burrs to the original height of the rim. Don't file deeper trying to reach the bottoms of the dings.

79pmooney

That popsicle stick part is important, Not that it is a popsicle stick but that you have a hard, flat surface to your sandpaper or file. You want to make sure you only take off the raised bits. Going any deeper will leave hollows that will also grab your brakes and won't get better with time. I like to use a larger block of wood, like a 3" x 1" piece of say plywood. Then you can hold the block and paper like an old-fashioned chalk eraser. (I never toss rectangular scraps. Too useful.

Ben

gsa103

Depends on what your objective is. With that large chunk missing, I suspect your brakes will always be somewhat grabby. The Axis 1.0 aren't great wheels, so you may want to just buy a new wheel and be done with it.

You can make it serviceable, but you'll likely never make it perfect. Depends on what your tolerance is.

GamblerGORD53

Looks like garbage to me. That divot goes right to the tire seat and will likely be detrimental to the sidewall wear.
Lumpy braking will not be fun, even dangerous if the pad happens to dig the back of the divot. JMO

Leebo

A finer type metal file works well too.

FBinNY 

IMO - the two prior posts are unnecessarily negative and GREATLY exaggerate the effects of these divots. Brake performance is unlikely to be affected except, maybe, for an audible click as the pad skims over the ding. There's no danger of grabbing because the gap is too short and transient to affect anything.

In any case, cleaning up the burrs involves minimal cost and effort, so is the place to start.

IF the OP then finds issues with brake performance or anything else, he can reconsider his options.

jhazel

I agree that filing/sanding should be tried first. It is free, where replacing the wheel is likely to be much more expensive: You have to replace both wheels because everyone knows they should match. Since you are getting new wheels, you might as well upgrade and the wheels you really want will probably require a new cassette and you might as well change the cables and housings while you have things taken apart.
Try the file first!

Homebrew01

With the massive damage, and replacements you are suggesting, I think it simpler to just throw the bike away and get a new one.

Or break out the credit card and buy a popsicle and a sheet of sandpaper.

FBinNY 

Based on the post you referenced, I suspect that your irony sensor needs recalibration.

Homebrew01

??
I was just extrapolating from the dual wheel replacement humor.

JohnDThompson 

Besides, "grabbing" is more likely to occur when the pads hit a raised area, not a depression as in the OP's rim.

FBinNY 

OK, guess I'll send mine out for recalibration on Monday.

Moe Zhoost

I'd opt for the file too. Much better control + if you use the draw-filing technique your result will be smooth

jhazel

While getting a new bike is always a possible and desirable side effect of a procedure, I don't think throwing a bike away is ever a good idea so I'm going to stand by my original advice to try sanding first. That way you at least have a beater with odd braking as well as the new bike.