The relic of the rim below belongs to a rear Alex DH19 - the standard issue wheel on a Ridgeback Panorama.
Having had a gander at forums and the like, it seems that the DH19 has issues with metal fatigue similar to but not quite so dramatic as the DH Comet. I do not know how many fatalities have been the result of a catastrophic disintegration of a touring bike's back wheel.
This wheel, often carrying 110 kilos, has been up Ventoux, the two St Bernard Passes, Cols de la Madelaine and du Glandon and the Stelvio. More to the point, it has been down the other side of all those, hitting bumps and all manner of immovable objects at pace-ish. Then add a bunch of other stuff and Rimmy the Rim has probably knocked up well over 5,000 miles. There has been no catastrophe - though this is now the state of five of the 36 eyelets - and there was the early warning in the shape of readily warping wheel. In that time I haven't had a spoke snap and so, it could be the expected life span. These wheels are not, seemingly, easily obtainable and so I am checking out the alternatives.
No comments:
Post a Comment