How long are alloy rims supposed to last for?

[Ugo51]

Hi guys,
I recently went modern and purchased a Boardman road bike. It's equipped with rim brakes and alloy rims.
I've just done 1500 miles and the rear rim is almost toast.
I often ride on unpaved road, and even though I have full mudguards, they do very little to shield the brake pads from sand and grit.
Is it then to be expected such a short lifespan from the rims?

The bike is really low quality throughout, but maybe in such conditions even a good alloy rim would have lasted just that little?

What do you think? Worth investing in a good rim? Is it going to last longer?

Cheers

 

[2manyoranges]

well....I have this piece of string here....

From experience: and I am not exaggerating: both the same model M231 rim:

1
In the Peak District, on millstone grit trails = one weekend

2
On the South Downs, on chalk trails = 25 years and still going

Unless you are doing full mud runs in millstone grit, then something is not right. One thing: the pads may be the wrong compound, and immediately get embedding with grit, and then grind the rim down. Another thing: the rims may be cheese.

Regrettably it sounds like you need a rebuild - but check whether the hub is any good, and worth whipping off the tyre and checking the thickness of the rim if you have a Vernier gauge. If you are running 700c wheels then higher spec DT and Mavic rims are good - any vintage.

TrueWheels in Brighton are great (Anthony and Richard) - much cheaper than many London workshops, and of the very highest quality.

But bear in mind that you need to look at the quality and characteristics of the brake blocks as well as the quality of the rims....

 

[adroitstif]

On 26" wheels, I've folded a rear 217 rim in 1500 miles when I rode somewhere sandy but my current 517s have lasted 5000 miles and look basically new, because there's no sand here. I agree with 2manyoranges - the fault may be in (barely visible) embedded grit in brake pads.Maybe we should all change pads more frequently?

 

[Ugo51]

Hehe, looks like you have two pieces of string

Thanks.
The pads compound has been, at least for some time, wrong. I tried installing fibrax pads at some point in December, and they were horrible. They picked up grit like nothing I have ever seen before and it was like braking with sandpaper. I obviously replaced them, but I wasn't quick enough to make that decision, so they might have done a lot of damage.
It's impossible to know how much was their fault.
Surely I don't expect the rims to be very high quality.
Luckily, I can rebuild a wheel by myself, so I might end up buying a DT rim (£40 or so) and give new life to the wheel.
Hubs spin well, but I think it's wise to have a look inside what's going on...

 

[Ugo51]

On 26" wheels, I've folded a rear 217 rim in 1500 miles when I rode somewhere sandy but my current 517s have lasted 5000 miles and look basically new, because there's no sand here. I agree with 2manyoranges - the fault may be in (barely visible) embedded grit in brake pads.Maybe we should all change pads more frequently?

Yes.
Or at least check them and, if possible, clean them.

 

[2manyoranges]

Re:

ah - re hubs...I wouldn't even bother with a rebuild on iffy hubs - Hope Pro3s can ben obtained SO cheaply - HUGE click which is excellent. Last forever. Can pick non disc ones up really cheaply....

 

[Ugo51]

What do you mean by "really cheaply"?
I think we have two different gauges to measure cheapness

 

[2manyoranges]

...bought some new a short while ago for 50:00 each - non-disc hubs often are discounted these days.

And on ebay sometimes they go for silly-low money because they are non-disc

Cheapest complete wheel I bought recently 700c was 40:00 - mavic on hope. Perfect thing. Nice to recycle and use things. From PINKBIKE website - buy and sell.

 

[Ugo51]

That's actually not bad.

I guess I just need to decide how much is worth investing in a bike that, sooner rather than later, will basically need replacing in all of its parts except frame and a few accessories.

 

[2manyoranges]

Re:

DT hubs good too, Halo much under-rated - Halo you can get for very little...some good OEM hubs in places too … but much more variable. HOPE...mmmm….lovely