At the start of Ragbrai I noticed the rear wheel of my Surley was buckled and catching on the brakes. After consulting a bike mechanic on the ride it was discovered that the wheel can not be repaired as the rim is breaking up. I took a chance, loosened off the brakes and rode Ragbrai - mainly as the only weight I carried was a handlebar bag and my small self. It seems the 'strong' Salsa rims, that I specially fitted, haven't coped with the load I've been carrying. The attached image shows a portion of the cracking that continues the full circumference of the wheel on both sides. (Click on the image to enlarge and get a better view.)
I'm going to try to find out why this problem occurred as my bike shop, "Alfred E Bike" at Kalamazoo, has not yet been able to provide a convincing reason. If you click on the heading of this post you'll get info on "Salsa" rims and see that they are described as being pretty good. (Mine are the "Delgado Cross".)I'm concerned, that as a touring cyclist I'm suffering a problem with rims that has not been the experience of my many touring cyclist friends who have carried similar loads similar distances and more? Is there something in this experience of mine from which we can all learn?
(Alfred E Bikes can be located at:
www.aebike.com )
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