I was just looking at my rear rim this morning (Velocity Aerohead) and I noticed a few tiny little cracks where some of the spokes enter the rim. How big of a problem is this and how would I know if I needed to invest in new wheels?

Right now I'm on the Velocity Aeroheads laced to Shimano 105 hubs. They're 32 spoke front and rear. What would be an equivalent quality wheelset?

Thanks.

On a scale of 1-10, where 10 is that you're about to go over the handlebars unexpectedly, it's about a 6. Seriously, a visible crack in the rim radiating from the spoke means the wheel is about to fail. It probably won't be catastrophic, but it will wobble badly and you won't be able to true it. Carry a spoke wrench. I had a wheel fail like this, and I managed to nurse it home after messing with the spokes a bit on the side of the road- otherwise the brake rubbed even when released completely.

Go buy a Mavic Open-pro laced to an Ultegra hub with butted spokes, for about 125 bux at Performance. Then take it to a good shop to be re-tensioned. They're bulletproof wheels when tensioned correctly. Or, get a new rim that has eyelets with the same ERD as your aerohead, or add spoke washers yourself, and rebuild your wheel. I just plain wouldn't use a rim without eyelets.

Thanks a lot. I had a bad feeling that it was a sign that the wheels might start to fail.

Usually, big cracks start off as small cracks.

cracks = do not ride with reckless abandon anymore ! no bumps ! no hard sharp turns !seek new wheelbuild asap !

I can't ride without bumps. I guess I'm stopping at the LBS on my way home. Thanks all!

Cracks around one spoke may or may not mean much. But keep a close eye on the wheel from that point.

Two spokes I begin to worry more especially if they are adjacent spokes. Replace or ride becomes a judgement call but certainly no smash and bash stuff.

Three or more spokes with even small cracks tells me that the rim is on its last legs and I would not ride it anymore.

The need for frequent adjustments at that point means that the spokes are pulling through the rim at multiple points and failure is not far away. I certainly would not ride on any wheel that required the need to carry a spoke wrench so I could tune out brake pad scuffing over the duration of a single ride. That's just too scarey.

I replaced my wheel when I got the same type of cracks. I picked up a cheapo cassette and now I swap that old wheel onto my bike for use only on the trainer. I figure that if/when it fails in my basement, no harm.

A couple of rims with 603 ERD that would be OK replacements for your aerohead (you can use your original spokes):

Alex R390 in black- eyletted semi-aero rim for 35 bux:
https://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30...ils&sku=RM7534

Mavic open pro:
https://www.lickbike.com/productpage....B='2106-32'

Good luck,

Pull the tire(s) off and see if there are cracks on the inner layer. I recenly had this problem and returned the wheel to the shop where I had it made up. It was an Aeroheat rim, too. Velocity warranted the rim. Made me a happy camper. bk