My Raleigh cycle has developed a crack on the rear wheel. It goes right across the rim as a hairline crack and is about 1/64" wide at the moment. I obviously don't ride the bike as it is.
Does anyone know if such a crack could be welded? I couldn't do the job, not having a welder or knowledge, but I could take it to the local metal repair shop if the job is possible. I would like a knowledgeable opinion as I don't want to look like a total wally if I take it in.
Peter
Given the risk of sudden total failure and the cost/effort of welding, I very much doubt you?ll find anyone willing to weld it. Just get the rim replaced.
Tim
Yes this often occurs if the bike has some kind of accident in its history. I obviously don't ride a bike, but the problem with mending it is that its obviously now under stress to open the crack,and the weld may not be able to handle the tensile forces at the crack, depending what the rim is made from.
Brian
I'm not clear what you mean, bike wheel rims normally have a manufacturing join where the rim starts as a strip and is bent and joined to become a circle. The tension of the spokes will generally press it together rather than apart.
Anything apart from that and you want to replace the wheel. Back when I was a kid you could just buy a new rim but a quick look now suggests it is now cheaper to buy a new wheel.
On 05/11/2021 08:51, Pancho wrote: <snip>
Luxury. Back when I was a kid you'd fish a wheel out of the river.
I'm sure in the past some rims weren't welded and you could see the join. Where I presume the rim relied on spoke tension to keep things stable.
Is this crack clean and perfectly perpendicular to the wheel?
We are thinking the same, probably the site of the original join.
Likely chrome plated steel (with a bit of carbon in it). Not ideal for welding. Could probably silver solder a patch over it, but I think I'd be looking for a second-hand wheel.
How much would a new wheel (or rim) cost?
Any repair would surely involve complete dismantling (and later reassembly) of the wheel: hub, spokes, rim.
Given skilled labour rates, it may be cheaper (not to mention quicker and easier) to just buy a replacement.
In my case, £70 delivered - included the freehub, shimano hub, twin wall etc. Seems pretty good so far. From the not promisingly named
I came to that conclusion. A sticky freehub and scored bearing faces on the old wheel helped make the decision to go new.
I know about rims when I was a kid, because my bike was fished out of a pond and repaired. The steel rims had gone. Steel rims were pretty crappy, especially for breaking. Not that it would matter now we have disk brakes.
Rims have been almost universally aluminium for about 40 years. Aluminium gives a much better braking surface.
Shows how old my bike must be!
Could it? Yes. Is it practical / cost effective/ safe are the real questions.
They repair car alloy wheels - including welding, followed by machining and finishing. I?ve had them repaired - not welded- and it isn?t cheap. I?d be surprised if a new wheel for a bike, unless it is an exotic one, isn?t more cost effective.
Certainly at one time - in my keen biking days - the local bike shop could build a wheel. They?d have rims, hubs, spokes etc. They could reuse your hub if you wanted to. The rims tended to be one of a few sizes, although I see there are more around now.
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