Rim snapped off

[psvrichard]

A few days ago my bike wheel was making a clicking sound and upon inspection it was apparent that I'd cracked the rim of the wheel and a 6 inch stretch snapped off. Since then I've carried on without using my rear brake but family demands mean I can't get to my usual bikeshop and my back up one has closed due to retirement. The rear wheel is in a bit of a state and I thought I could order one online and just replace. Only problem is that I went on Wiggle and it's clearly aiming at the high end market and not a commuter like me that uses a bike as a workhorse. Can anyone recommend where I can get a reasonably priced wheel online and do I need to think about getting my chain cassette ring onto the new wheel as well? I can't get to my bikeshop until September with the actual bike so am trying to do the repair with my basic knowledge and online options! Any ideas gratefully received. It's possible I suppose that I could just ask the bike shop to courier me a wheel actually!

[xjs]

Hiya. These people were good when I was desperate for a new rear wheel last year in lockdown #1: https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/madspeed7cycles

Just make sure you've got inner tubes with long valves, which I didn't.... most of their rims need them.

[Jdsk]

What size wheel would you like?

Can you add a photo of the cassette?

Where are you?

Jonathan

PS: Are you sure that it's safe to ride in public spaces?

[simonhill]

Have you thought of a mobile mechanic?

I'm intrigued by your wheel and how it is rideable with 6 inches of rim missing..

[AndyK]

Tru-build, M Part and ETC are all perfectly serviceable brands of budget-price wheels. See for instance https://www.tredz.co.uk/hybrid-bike-whe ... t/priceasc

But...

Yes, you will need to transfer the cassette from the old one. That means you need to be sure whether it's a cassette or a screw-on freewheel, and you'll need a cassette removal tool and a chain whip.

Other important factors are the diameter of the wheel (obviously) and the width of the tyre you'll be using on it as that will affect how wide the new rim needs to be. Also whether you want a screw-on wheel, or one fixed by a quick release lever.

(Excuse me if you already know all this, just making sure.)

If in doubt, post as many details as you can about the bike and wheel here - photos are always good, especially close-ups of the cassette and of any numbers printed on the wheel or embossed on the tyre.

Also I'd love to see a photo of the wheel with 6 inches of rim missing anyway, 'cos I'm struggling to understand how you can ride it at all!

[Audax67]

Sounds like it's worn right down and the bead came off. If so, the wheel is definitely unsafe to ride.

Decathlon or some such could probably supply a cheap replacement.

[rotavator]

Assuming you have a common wheel size and are not averse to buying second hand, I suggest going to your local council's recycling facility and check what they have available. I have seen decent, usable, complete bikes on sale for £50 or less at mine and they also sell wheels.

[geomannie]

In the bicycle recycling charity I help at, we sell refurbished/ checked over second hand wheels for about £10-£30 depending on quality. If you have one near you it might be a good place to go. They should only sell you the right one.

[psvrichard]

Thanks for all the messages, most helpful and very kind of everyone. Here's a picture of my wheel.

Bike Wheel Issue.jpg (15.7 KiB) Viewed 745 times

[roubaixtuesday]

Thanks for all the messages, most helpful and very kind of everyone. Here's a picture of my wheel.

Bike Wheel Issue.jpg

It's not altogether clear from the photo, but is the outer wall of the rim broken off and the tyre just held on the inner wall?

I'm amazed it's held the tyre on.

Couple of thoughts:

1. Riding with just a front brake is both dangerous and illegal.

2. That's likely to fail catastrophically at any moment. If you do ride, go slowly and expect a walk home.

[psvrichard]

Basically that's it in a nutshell. I'm riding very cautiously on traffic free routes until I get sorted out!

[SimonCelsa]

And remember not to pump up your tyre any more - just a few more psi may cause it to blow off!!

[slowster]

We still don't know what the exact specification of your current wheel is, so any recommendation we might make could be wrong. AndyK has mentioned a few variables, but there is also the Over Lock Nut dimension (OLN) to consider. The OLN of your wheel and rear drop out width is probably 135mm, but it might be 130mm or something else again.

In addition, even if it is a cassette rather than freewheel hub, we do not know what the cassette brand/pattern is (Shimano is by far the most common, but there are a couple of others), and even Shimano pattern freehubs come in two different widths (11 speed cassettes with a largest sprocket smaller than 34 teeth need a wider freehub).

Regarding transferring the sprockets to a new wheel, the video below shows how to do this and the tools needed for a cassette hub, and also contains links to other videos, including showing how to identify and distinguish between a cassette hub and freewheel hub.

https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-he ... stallation

I would say that your choice is probably between a relatively cheap and cheerful mass produced factory made wheel from the likes of Decathlon or similar for around £50, or a hand made wheel from a good wheelbuilder.

You are a commuter and you say you use the bike as a workhorse. The harder the life of the wheel, the more likely that the extra cost of the hand built wheel will be worth while. In particular if you are a very heavy rider, or you routinely carry a lot of weight in rear panniers, a hand built wheel designed for loaded touring will be the ideal option. In your shoes I would probably choose a wheel built with a Sputnik rim (a heavy, strong rim with a thick braking surface) and a good quality basic Shimano hub, such as the option from Spa below (Deore 610 hubs are 135mm OLN and suitable for 8, 9 or 10 speed Shimano pattern cassettes).

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m10b0s176p4 ... ice-of-rim

[mumbojumbo]

When you can buy a pair of used wheels a s a back-up.

[Jamesh]

Are you too far from Horbury cycles they seem to be a down to earth bike shop from their eBay store.

https://hopkinsoncycles.co.uk/

No connection to them btw.

Cheers James