Opinions on Touring on Low Mileage 16 Year Old Wheels
03-16-16, 10:05 PM
#1
tcarl
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Opinions on Touring on Low Mileage 16 Year Old Wheels
I have a Cannondale Touring Bike (model T2000) I bought in 2000. I'm considering doing a 1500 mile loaded tour on it. The front wheel is the original 36 spoke, 3 cross 15(!) gauge spokes. The rear is the same 36 hole, 3 cross, but replaced with DT 14 gauge straight gauge spokes in 2001. So, the wheels are 15/16 years old, but due to the bike being "overkill" for routine riding, I probably don't have much over 2000 total miles on them. So, the question I'm wondering about is are the wheels (spokes/spoke breakage) up to a lengthy loaded tour - they're 15/16 years old, but don't have all that many miles on them - i.e. leave them alone, or respoke them?
03-16-16, 10:16 PM
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Yes, they're fine. If you're worried, have a shop go over them before your trip.
03-16-16, 10:22 PM
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Wheels don't age in years, they only age in miles of use and abuse.
If they've never given you trouble, and are in good shape now, there's no reason to worry that the next 1,500 miles will be any different.
In any case, they're serviceable enough, so find a place to pack 3-4 spokes of the right length along with nipples, and you'll be covered just in case.
IME, wheel problems on tours tend to be event (ie. crash or deep pothole) related, more than age and fatigue. A brand new wheel won't do any better than these if something sudden happens.
If they've never given you trouble, and are in good shape now, there's no reason to worry that the next 1,500 miles will be any different.
In any case, they're serviceable enough, so find a place to pack 3-4 spokes of the right length along with nipples, and you'll be covered just in case.
IME, wheel problems on tours tend to be event (ie. crash or deep pothole) related, more than age and fatigue. A brand new wheel won't do any better than these if something sudden happens.
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03-16-16, 10:56 PM
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Got a paiir of Topolino wheels with over 30,000 miles on them!
03-17-16, 03:28 AM
#6
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tcarl, Short answer, I wouldn't hesitate to use them.
I bought a very high mileage '96 T700 for a beater bike that still has it's original wheel set. The rear wheel does have a couple of 2.0 mm spoke replacements and other than brake track wear, they're good for many, many more miles. The bike does have evidence of front and rear rack installation causing me to guess it was run fairly well loaded.
Brad
I bought a very high mileage '96 T700 for a beater bike that still has it's original wheel set. The rear wheel does have a couple of 2.0 mm spoke replacements and other than brake track wear, they're good for many, many more miles. The bike does have evidence of front and rear rack installation causing me to guess it was run fairly well loaded.
Brad
03-17-16, 04:54 AM
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Check that spoke tension is good. That can lead to spoke failure eventually as mileage increases.
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03-17-16, 06:19 AM
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Over time, grease can harden/dry and there can be corrosion of bearings. Nipples can seize on the spokes making it very difficult or impossible to true the wheel. Rubber rim strips can deteriorate or the adhesive on rim tape can harden and fail These all can be investigated and, if necessary, corrected.
03-17-16, 08:08 AM
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Over time, grease can harden/dry and there can be corrosion of bearings. Nipples can seize on the spokes making it very difficult or impossible to true the wheel. Rubber rim strips can deteriorate or the adhesive on rim tape can harden and fail These all can be investigated and, if necessary, corrected.
Before trusting older wheels on a long trip I would want to check spoke tensions all around, repack bearings and adjust cones, and remove tires to inspect tubes and rim strips and rims.
03-17-16, 08:25 AM
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And as with any tour wheel problems can happen that don't include fatigue spoke breakage. So the OP should carry spare spokes and have the ability to replace a spoke on the road. Andy.
03-17-16, 09:37 AM
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tcarl
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I only use this bike for heavy hauling. In the first year I kept breaking rear wheel spokes, so I loosened and retrued/tensioned them, and still kept breaking spokes. The wheels never did "look right" and I finally determined that they were built with 15 gauge spokes. I don't know why Cannondale did that on a heavy duty touring bike, but they did. I rebuilt the rear wheel with 14g. spokes and have never had any trouble since. And previous posters - thank you for the various good bits of advice.
03-17-16, 09:42 AM
#12
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Brad
03-17-16, 08:25 PM
#13
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https://velo-orange.blogspot.com/2012...e-*******.html You might want to get a cassette ******* just in case you break a rear spoke.
03-18-16, 08:41 AM
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On wheels that old I highly recommend repacking/relubing the hubs. As noted, grease can dry out over the years and riding them like that will ruin the hub bearings rather quickly.
