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Road Bike Wheen with Cracked Rims

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Old 11-05-23, 07:48 AM
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Road Bike Wheen with Cracked Rims

Looking for information about the value of a wheel with a cracked rim. I have a wheel with cracks in it. I have kept it to use as a mold for making reflective stickers, but this ad I saw made me wonder if the wheel might be usable. I have written to the seller and I am not sure what to make of the responses. I am interested to read any responses you might have.

The ad says:
Road Bike Wheel 700C Cracked Rim​​​​​​
.

Here is the communication exchange with the seller:

FROM ME
Can you tell me a little bit about why people buy cracked rims? Can the cracks be repaired? Are the wheels at all usable with cracks it he rims?

Reply from Seller

The rim is more easily replaced with the old rim in place. The open pro series has the same erd. The sale is for the hub and spokes which have value.
Reply from me:
I appreciate your getting back to me, but I am confused. How does having hubs and spokes attached to an unusable rim make rebuild easier? I don't need a complete lesson, but a simple pointer would help a lot.

I have some wheels with damaged rims I need to get rid of. Road bike, Bontrager XRaceLite, are what I have to unload. Some have cracked rims, other bent a litttle from being run over by a car. One with one broken spoke.
2nd reply from seller
I tape a new rim to the old rim and move the spokes over one at a time. It keeps the parts in order. It is a common practice that makes the rebuild easier.
That does not make sense to me. What do you think?

What does ERD mean in this context?
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Old 11-05-23, 07:56 AM
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Seller makes perfect sense and many of us here have done exactly as the seller says. Taping a new rim to the old allows you to just move each spoke over to the new rim without the confusion and potential mistakes that an inexperienced wheel builder can make to getting the spokes in the correct orientation. Line up the valve holes, have the labels in the same direction and you're set. Seller is offering you an easy fix. ERD determines the spoke length-Effective rim diameter (ERD) explained | BikeGremlin

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Old 11-05-23, 10:13 AM
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Jeez. Quit bugging the seller already if you don't intend to buy it.
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Old 11-05-23, 11:39 AM
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Originally Posted by danallen
Looking for information about the value of a wheel with a cracked rim. I have a wheel with cracks in it. I have kept it to use as a mold for making reflective stickers, but this ad I saw made me wonder if the wheel might be usable. I have written to the seller and I am not sure what to make of the responses. I am interested to read any responses you might have.
Spokes can outlast rims by several times. Rims, being made of a soft metal like aluminum, can crack or the walls can wear out. Swapping a rim out isn’t all that hard and, like mentioned above, it saves the lacing process.

The procedure for doing this kind of swap is to loosen the spokes, tape the rim to the a new rim, then remove spokes one at a time as you swap the spoke over to the new rim. After the swap is done, tension the wheel. Here’s a picture of the procedure in process.


That said, I’m not sure I would take someone else’s wheel and do the same thing. I know what my wheels have gone through but I’m not sure what a used wheel from someone else has gone through. The spokes might be fatigued and/or not properly seated. It would difficult to assess the state of the spokes through any kind of inspection and a gamble that you are getting something worth the trouble of doing the swap. It might work but, then, it might not and you’d end up with a wheel that pops spokes like Orville Redinbacker pops popcorn.

What does ERD mean in this context?
Effective rim diameter. That’s not the bead seat diameter that the tire sits on. The place where the spoke contact the rim can be different for rims depending on the profile of the rim. Rim swaps have to be done with very similar ERDs…within a few millimeters if not exactly the same. For example, if the rear wheel were built with a Velocity A23 rim (ERD 601mm) and a Phil Wood touring hub in a 36 hole, 3 cross pattern, spoke length needed would be 288mm nondrive side/287mm drive side. A Velocity Dyad (ERD 597mm) in the same configuration would need 286mm NDS/285mm DS spokes. The spokes for the A23 would likely be too long to be used on the Dyad even though there is only a 4mm difference between the rims. The problem would be that the spokes for the Dyad replacement would extend too far off the back end of the spoke nipple.

Even though the spokes can last a long time, they are often replaced simple because a rim with an equivalent ERD can’t be found.
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Old 11-05-23, 11:55 AM
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
Spokes can outlast rims by several times. Rims, being made of a soft metal like aluminum, can crack or the walls can wear out. Swapping a rim out isn’t all that hard and, like mentioned above, it saves the lacing process.

The procedure for doing this kind of swap is to loosen the spokes, tape the rim to the a new rim, then remove spokes one at a time as you swap the spoke over to the new rim. After the swap is done, tension the wheel. Here’s a picture of the procedure in process.


That said, I’m not sure I would take someone else’s wheel and do the same thing. I know what my wheels have gone through but I’m not sure what a used wheel from someone else has gone through. The spokes might be fatigued and/or not properly seated. It would difficult to assess the state of the spokes through any kind of inspection and a gamble that you are getting something worth the trouble of doing the swap. It might work but, then, it might not and you’d end up with a wheel that pops spokes like Orville Redinbacker pops popcorn.



Effective rim diameter. That’s not the bead seat diameter that the tire sits on. The place where the spoke contact the rim can be different for rims depending on the profile of the rim. Rim swaps have to be done with very similar ERDs…within a few millimeters if not exactly the same. For example, if the rear wheel were built with a Velocity A23 rim (ERD 601mm) and a Phil Wood touring hub in a 36 hole, 3 cross pattern, spoke length needed would be 288mm nondrive side/287mm drive side. A Velocity Dyad (ERD 597mm) in the same configuration would need 286mm NDS/285mm DS spokes. The spokes for the A23 would likely be too long to be used on the Dyad even though there is only a 4mm difference between the rims. The problem would be that the spokes for the Dyad replacement would extend too far off the back end of the spoke nipple.

Even though the spokes can last a long time, they are often replaced simple because a rim with an equivalent ERD can’t be found.

​​​​​​​Thank you.

You seem to know a lot about wheels. I love the stand the wheels are on in that picture. Your comments come across showing a lot of experience. I appreciate your explanation here a lot.
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Old 11-05-23, 11:58 AM
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Originally Posted by SurferRosa
Jeez. Quit bugging the seller already if you don't intend to buy it.
I was thinking of buying but I don't know if what he is saying is trustworthy. His ad actually features the idea of running the rim with the cracks. Then his responses to me completely ignored that fact.

from ad:
One of the eyelets has two hairline cracks extending towards each edge of the rim as photographed. There are minor surface marks and scratches. The rim runs round and true with even spoke tension. There is adhesive residue from a previous tire install. The hub spins freely with crisp free hub engagement.

You should be better informed of circumstances before taking the liberty of telling others what they should do.
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Old 11-05-23, 12:05 PM
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Shipping wheels is too expensive for the rims to be broken. Box volume is everything with wheel and rim shipping costs.

I could see buying wheels locally like this to swap new rims onto.
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Old 11-05-23, 12:09 PM
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Originally Posted by danallen
I was thinking of buying.
You made no mention of that in the op. You made it sound like you were just trying to pull information to unload your own crappy wheels.

His ad actually features the idea of running the rim with the cracks.
From the part of the listing that you offered here, it sounds like he is forthcoming of the condition.

You could just provide a link. Jeez.

You should be better informed of circumstances before taking the liberty of telling others what they should do.
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Old 11-05-23, 12:15 PM
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Originally Posted by danallen
Thank you.

You seem to know a lot about wheels. I love the stand the wheels are on in that picture. Your comments come across showing a lot of experience. I appreciate your explanation here a lot.
The stand is one I salvaged from my local co-op. It’s a Surre from the late 40s. There is a very good chance that the aluminum in the stand has been over Berlin at some point.

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Old 11-05-23, 02:01 PM
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Of COURSE! Use an existing wheel as a pattern for lacing up another!

I've never yet attempted this task but am about to. That's a tip that hadn't dawned on me, in fact I can take it a bit further, use the wheel I unlaced yesterday for practice first.

This is why I bother w/forums like this'n, I learn stuff I prolly wouldn't have sussed out on my own.

Thanks!!
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Old 11-05-23, 02:41 PM
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This isn't what you want to hear, but from your posts I feel that you shouldn't buy the wheel, because you lack the skills to make use of what's offered.

As mentioned, shipping wheels is costly, so the hub's value is all that matters.

If, as your post implies, you want to know what your wheel might be worth, the same rule applies.
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Old 11-05-23, 02:54 PM
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
The stand is one I salvaged from my local co-op. It’s a Surre from the late 40s. There is a very good chance that the aluminum in the stand has been over Berlin at some point.

Used to have this exact stand, my sister tossed some boxes I'd left in the garage not caring it was all antique tools. Was an easy to use stand that I wish I still had.
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Old 11-10-23, 03:55 AM
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[QUOTE=SurferRosa;23062479]You made no mention of that in the op. You made it sound like you were just trying to pull information to unload your own crappy wheels.[/QUOTE]
The fact that you made unsubstantiated false inferences does not mean I made the inferences sound valid. It means you made erroneous assumptions and irresponsibly blame me for your errors.

I was not thinking about what I could do to get rid of my wheels. I was looking for a good wheel offered at low price I could put onto my bike.
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