Gap in new rim

[JohnW]

If the OP wants to trust that rim in usage, that’s up to them, I wouldn’t, high speed rim failures aren’t fun.

Yeah - I know about that one , although not high-speed in my case.
I'd never buy rims on-line. I buy them from a reputable LBS, and check them in the shop.
I admire your wheel building skill Marcus - I've never attained your obvious standard . Bravo .

[gxaustin]

Mavic rims used to be my preferred brand, but these days even good mavics only have 1.35mm thickness in the braking surfaces and often they are a lot worse than that. I measured a set of new open pros a while back and they were hovering around 1.0mm thickness, i.e. they were worn out before you started using the brakes on them. They are certainly not what they once were.

How true. I had a rim wall give way (Open Pro) and when I measured the thickness at the break it was 0.95mm.

[MikeDee]

My concern is that rim may creak in use, since it is not tightly pinned. I had a Mavic Open Pro rim that sounded like a maraca. I replaced the rim to get rid of the noise.

[RickH]

My concern is that rim may creak in use, since it is not tightly pinned. I had a Mavic Open Pro rim that sounded like a maraca. I replaced the rim to get rid of the noise.

Aren't Open Pro rims welded rather than pinned? More likely to be a bit of swarf (or a dropped nipple?) inside the box section.

[MikeDee]

My concern is that rim may creak in use, since it is not tightly pinned. I had a Mavic Open Pro rim that sounded like a maraca. I replaced the rim to get rid of the noise.

Aren't Open Pro rims welded rather than pinned? More likely to be a bit of swarf (or a dropped nipple?) inside the box section.

They are pinned and welded. Didn't notice anything rattling around in the rim.

This is what I understood the problem to be:


Creaking noise in Mavic Open Pro Rim
Post by Qui si parla Campagno » Fri, 23 Mar 2001 22:38:49
mjconway-<< I have a creaking/clicking noise emanating from my rear wheel when
riding. The wheel is a Mavic Open Pro, 32 spoke with a 99 Campag Chorus
hub. >>
Could be the metal wedge they install at the rim joint before welding that
often comes loose and clicks. Tough to repair, a tap or some drilled holes with
some goop to quiet it. Just a noise but something Mavic has ignored for years
in their very expensive rims-
Peter Chisholm
"Vecchio's" Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl ST.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com

[Brucey]

Brucey - what's your current default choice?

I don't really have one. I'm not really super-impressed with the offerings from any single rim manufacturer right now.

It used to be that you could get a reasonably compromise between price, strength, weight and durability. Really you only need three rims

1) for racing
2) for training
3) for touring/load lugging

There are good touring rims (eg Sputnik) but they are heavy. There are good racing rims but they do not have thick/wear resistant braking surfaces.

For training (and other general purpose riding) most folk are happy with a 15-17mm internal width rim, weighing ~500g, costing about £20-£25, with a decent braking surface thickness. Until fairly recently some versions of Mavic CXP-22 fitted the bill OK (for me) but the replacement rim (CXP-elite) might be based on the same extrusion profile but the material seems softer and they have machined the guts out of the braking surface; around 1.2 or 1.3mm is 'nearly worn out' in my book, no good for a brand new rim.

Overall I'd rate the CXP-elite as 'poor'. Put it this way, if you build a wheel with a narrow flanged hub generator at the front or a heavily dished rear wheel, you can expect to struggle to find a good balance between enough spoke tension to prevent loosening and so much that it encourages a spontaneous buckling collapse of the wheel when it is side-loaded.

The same criticisms apply to the Open Elite (similar extrusion to previous models Open Sport and MA3).

IME these rims can build up into adequate wheels provided they have wide spaced hub flanges and little dish, but they still won't last because they are so soft and so thin in the braking surfaces.

cheers

[bgnukem]

I've had OK wear resistance from the cheapie Ryde Chrina sourced from Spa Cycles. Only 1.4mm thick when new but seem to last better than the cheap Mavics so perhaps are harder alloy.

I ride them through winter so many filthy rides around here but I do keep my brake pads clean. Only really suitable for up to 28mm tyres though (13mm internal width). I run 32s and they are too wide for the rims really.

Replacements to be built up before next winter are H-Plus Archetypes, 3 times the price but still only 1.4mm thick!!

[Des49]

I've had OK wear resistance from the cheapie Ryde Chrina sourced from Spa Cycles. Only 1.4mm thick when new but seem to last better than the cheap Mavics so perhaps are harder alloy.

I ride them through winter so many filthy rides around here but I do keep my brake pads clean. Only really suitable for up to 28mm tyres though (13mm internal width). I run 32s and they are too wide for the rims really.

Replacements to be built up before next winter are H-Plus Archetypes, 3 times the price but still only 1.4mm thick!!

I use the Chrinas on my winter/mucky weather fixed bike. They certainly wear much better than Mavic rims, though I find them a touch narrow and also find my latest lot are a real pain to fit tyres. So much so that I have to carry metal reinforced tyre levers and one of those VAR tyre lever/pullers. I dread to think what could happen if I puncture with cold hands.
I may look for an alternative due to this issue, but currently have 2 spare rims hanging in the shed.

Also use the H-Plus Archetypes on my main training bike, very nice rims, but they seem fairly soft and wear faster than I hoped. Am on the verge of rebuilding the rear as it is splayed out noticeably and needs replacement urgently. This is on a bike I try not to use in the worst weather and keep it very clean. I use the grey rims, these seem very hard to obtain now.

I mainly use 36 hole rims, it seems these are out of fashion. For example I like DT rims, but they do not seem to make lighter ones in 36 hole, for example I built a lovely pair of training wheels with DT RR440 rims (asymmetric on the back too), but these are in 32 hole, would love some 36 too.

[Brucey]

I've just had a similar experience with a rim, for a wheel I'm building for someone else. A LBS near me is kind enough to order things on my behalf and they reckoned they could get me the chosen rim. I asked them to check stock with the wholesaler when they quoted me but they declined to so do. Needless to say when I went to order the rim their wholesaler didn't have it (in the correct colour and drilling) and hadn't done for some time, Nor were they expecting ever to have it again for some reason. This meant I had to source the rim elsewhere. Duly ordered, I missed the delivery (twice) and eventually picked it up from the local post office. I was glad the carrier didn't have a depot an hour's drive away (this has happened....).

I was surprised when the rim turned up wrapped in plastic sheet with a foam sausage for protection, instead of in a box. The plastic was gashed but not near the rim itself. I checked it was the right thing and went to build the wheel a few days later only to discover that the rim wasn't straight; it had taken a knock during transit and not only had the pinned joint popped open but the rim decal (over the joint) had split too.

the black rim is straight, so the gap shows how far off straight the other rim is

If I'd damaged the rim myself and/or it were a wheel for my use I might have shrugged my shoulders and tried to use it anyway. But I can't use a rim like that to build what is meant to be a first class wheel for someone else. However this was just the start of things; there is a long saga, but in summary;

Rim #1 was the right thing but it turned up not in a box , with slight packaging damage and the rim joint was popped open (rim bent)
Rim #2 turned up in a box, sight damage to the box with rim intact, but the rim was not the right thing; right drilling, wrong rim model, not suitable.
Rim #3 turned up as poorly wrapped as the first one, and the package was damaged, but it is the right thing and it somehow survived the journey without getting bent.

Rims 2 and 3 were just dumped on my doorstep by the carrier; this when a signature is required!

The vendors responded promptly to my queries and I now have the right rim in good condition (I think). But it is possibly more by luck than judgement; when I received the third rim in a poorly wrapped, damaged package, I feared that I'd eventually end up with a small mountain of damaged/unsuitable rims before I got the right one in a usable condition.

Even simple things work out complicated sometimes!

cheers

[JohnW]

Makes me wonder about Mavic rims now..............