Originally Posted by
tntyz
I have a 2008 Madone 4.5 with the original Bontrager Race wheels on it. Approaching 8,000 miles on the bike. About how long can I expect the wheels to last?
Hundreds of thousands of miles.
Rims wear out sooner. They can make it 40,000 miles when they start out beefy and don't see much rain or might be gone in less than 1/4 that time if you live someplace like Seattle and still rely on rim brakes.
Bearings wear out too.Cup and cone bearings go longer with periodic service (you tighten them when they get loose instead of replacing them) than cartridge bearings.
Obviously using wheels built around commodity components (like an ubiquitous Mavic or Velocity rim and Shimano or Campagnolo hub) makes replacing those worn out bits more practical. When you do that you spend a lot less than you would on new wheels. Even with inflation and over-priced French rims I'm paying less than $70 a wheel for rim replacement after I wear out brake tracks or crash one.
Some rims have holes which serve as wear indicators - once the braking surface wears down enough for the hole to disappear you need a new rim. Otherwise you just wait for them to become too concave.