Originally Posted by
JimCanuck
In addition to that, due to the manufacturing of the tires and the fenders, your more then likely rubbing on more then just the rivet no matter how good of a installation you did.
Therefor, question becomes, if the tire is rubbing on a rivet, and large sections of the fender, the installer should either be fired, or not allowed to ride a bike again, as they clearly lack any ability to properly adjust and maintain a bicycle if they cannot check (or for that matter feel) a fender for rubbing after installation.
A rivet on a fender is much more likely to fail due to dynamic loadings on the bike itself (such as vibration) then it is due to a totally clueless installer/cyclist and the tire rubbing on it. No instead, since the introduction of riveting, things like mechanical fasteners, welding and adhesives have been slowly chipping away at the market for rivets, which are more prone to dynamic loading failures. Rivets tend to however, have the upper hand in thermodynamic loading resistance which is why they are preferred for ship building and planes (although with the latest generation of planes such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus 380, they are moving towards adhesives over rivets as well).
Jim
Ouch! I didn't realize that 30 years of experience riding & working on bikes could be so thoroughly trashed by so much engineering theory!
But, I assure you, the tire did wear down the rivets. Yes, I knew there was light contact, but it was unavoidable due to the tight clearances of the bike and the length of the stays, and I was of the opinion, as you so insist, that tires cannot wear down rivets. But they did. In Vancouver, in the winter, the streets are sanded due to the snow. The tire picks up the sand (in the rainwater), and the sand rubs against the aluminum rivet. The fenders were mounted a little too close, there was just enough rubbing, and it just took a good bump for everything to come together.
As far as brake pads wearing down rims, you should try commuting daily in Vancouver for about three years. That's how long it takes (for sure) to wear down a rim to the point that it cracks. Once again, sand gets on the rubber pads and wears down the rim.
With all due respect, I think it's kind of arrogant to make suppositions based on ivory-tower theory. I'm merely telling you what happens in real life! But you could be right about my being clueless, although I have been able to properly adjust and maintain bikes for a few years, enough to win races on, anyway!
Luis