What is all the Bontrager Hate from. A 5 year warrantee is good as gold if you ride lots of miles and the wheels take allot of pounding. I have had my Bontragers for 3 years now, and had a hairline crack by one of the spokes, LBS gave me a loaner and I had the brand new wheel a week later. Now I have a new rear wheel and the warrantee starts new on that wheel. Whats bad about that? They always stay true and strong.

That being said, I would not ride on a cracked rim, all it would take is a wheel coming apart on a down hill to make that one enjoyable ride.