Carbon wheel bulge
#1
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 13
Likes: 3
Carbon wheel bulge
Hi everyone
I just got home after a ride and noticed that my wheel is a little bulged outwards around the valve area.
It also looks like it has some little folds.
did not feel anything out of the ordinary while riding and did not go down any decent or anything like that so i was wondering if this wheel was still rideable?
Thank you all for the information in advance
Kind Regards



I just got home after a ride and noticed that my wheel is a little bulged outwards around the valve area.
It also looks like it has some little folds.
did not feel anything out of the ordinary while riding and did not go down any decent or anything like that so i was wondering if this wheel was still rideable?
Thank you all for the information in advance
Kind Regards



#2
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 175
Likes: 76
From: San Luis Obispo, CA
Bikes: 1988 Bottecchia Professional (for Eroica), 2011 Ridley Noah ISP (retired), 2020 Soma Fog Cutter (daily commuter), 2021 Ridley Kanzo Adventure (gravel), 2022 Tideace Aero (main road bike).
The size of the deformation in the second image looks concerning. I wouldn't ride that wheel until you have inspected by your LBS.
#9
Senior Member

Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 2,106
Likes: 1,027
From: The banks of the River Charles
Bikes: 2025 Black Mountain Cycles Mod Zero, 2025 Surly Ogre, 2022 Salsa Beargrease, 2020 Seven Evergreen, 2019 Honey Allroads Ti, 2018 Seven Redsky XX
I would refrain from using that wheel indefinitely. Even if someone at the LBS says it’s fine do you want to learn the hard way how wrong they were?
#10
Senior Member


Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,201
Likes: 289
From: Vancouver, BC
It appears to be a poorly made wheel with excess resin around the valve stem. It may be fine to ride but with an indication of poor quality control there could be other issues. What brand is the wheel?
#13
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 13
Likes: 3
I bought them from a Lbs who had them from a chinese company not sure wich brand
#14
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 13
Likes: 3
He checked spoke tension and that did not seem to be the problem but then he started pushing around the wheel with his hands and it just started creaking he asked if he could push any harder i said sure if you need to so he pushed and it broke all the way luckily i did not ride it any more other wise that would have been very bad. So he said the wheel was nit stress relieved properly that means that there was a constant pressure on the wherl as if you were constantly hitting potholes.
#15
Senior Member


Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,290
Likes: 3,691
From: Mich
Bikes: RSO E-tire dropper fixie brifter
He checked spoke tension and that did not seem to be the problem but then he started pushing around the wheel with his hands and it just started creaking he asked if he could push any harder i said sure if you need to so he pushed and it broke all the way luckily i did not ride it any more other wise that would have been very bad. So he said the wheel was nit stress relieved properly that means that there was a constant pressure on the wherl as if you were constantly hitting potholes.
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#17
Senior Member

Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 4,609
Likes: 507
From: Albuquerque, NM
He checked spoke tension and that did not seem to be the problem but then he started pushing around the wheel with his hands and it just started creaking he asked if he could push any harder i said sure if you need to so he pushed and it broke all the way luckily i did not ride it any more other wise that would have been very bad. So he said the wheel was nit stress relieved properly that means that there was a constant pressure on the wherl as if you were constantly hitting potholes.
I have no idea what that bit about potholes at the end is supposed to mean, but when a wheel hits a pothole, the tire and rim are deformed radially inward and the spokes near the impact point lose tension. If he meant there were some spokes that were under-tensioned, how could he say spoke tension wasn't a problem?







