WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR ROAD BIKE WHEELS

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WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR ROAD BIKE WHEELS

A road bike wheel makes almost 500 rotations for every kilometre that is travelled. During that time, the rim is constantly compressing under the weight of the rider, such that every spoke is loaded and unloaded with each rotation. This ongoing cycle of radial load takes its toll on the wheel, inevitably producing fatigue in one or more of the components, though it’s the spokes that typically suffer the most.To get more news about carbon mtb rim, you can visit zpebicycle.com official website.

Lateral loads also contribute to wear and tear of the wheels. These forces are generated as the rider transfers their weight from one side of the bike to the other when pedalling out of the saddle. Lateral loads are at their greatest during sprinting and climbing efforts as the bike is violently tipped from one side to the other.

The drive-train places extra load on the rear wheel in the form of torsion of the hub. Once again, there is an ongoing cycle of loading and unloading for the spokes, and that contributes to the development of fatigue.

There are no outward signs of this fatigue until the spoke and/or nipples start to break as a result. The rate at which it develops depends upon the design of the wheel, the qualities of the starting materials, and the way in which the wheels are used. Heavy loads in particular typically accelerate the development of spoke fatigue.

The only remedy for spoke fatigue is to replace them, however, in the time the fatigue takes to develop, the rims will undergo a significant amount of wear and tear too. This is especially true for road bikes with rim brakes, since the brake pads are constantly scouring the surface of the rim, slowly eroding the material.