Originally Posted by
busted knuckles
I am going to have to replace my rear rim on my LHT, it will be the second in the course of a year. Right around 6000 miles since I bought the bike. The winter time seems to be rough on them, lots of rain and sand on the roads. Does this sound normal? They are the alex rims that came on the bike. Canti brakes.
Winter riding is tough on rims. However, the choice of braking pad plays a huge role when it comes to rim wear. Some brake pads are simply rim eaters, especially the kind that collects alu flakes on the brake surface.
There are probably several good brake pads on the market, but I have settled for Kool Stop salmon colored (or dual compound for my v-brakes); They work very well in the wet and are very gentle on the rims (they do have a tendency to squeal though).
I learned it the hard way one winter. I ran out of Kool Stop pads, and just used a noname brake pad for my rear brake. After a couple of months the rear rim sidewalls where worn concave, while the front rim, using Kool Stop pads, was like new.
Another thing I like about Kool Stop Salmon colored pads is, that they haven't changed or "improved" them for many years. That means I can just buy them year after year knowing that they work like they have always done. Otherwise I would have to inspect rims and brake pads with regular intervals to make sure I hadn't gotten a "rim eater".
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Regards