Blips in my rims

[TigerFish]

My tires went flat four times in the last two weeks. The first time the front went down fast but I did not crash. I expected significant damage to the rim. I noticed a little blip after the first flat but nothing severe. I switched to slime ultra light tubes to stop the flats. There is just a lot of stuff on the roads where I am riding. I managed to true the front wheel pretty well tonight but noticed a more severe blip (high spot) than I expected. You can feel the blip in the front rim when you apply the brakes but it does not feel drastic. I am a little surprised there is a high spot. I would have expected a low spot.

Jamis lists the rims as:
Formula CXR-220 wheelset,
20mm aero profile rim w/CNC sidewall, 24/28H

The sides of the rims say Zero 220. Hubs say ZERO with a Z inside an oval. I put about 8,000 km on the rims since I bought the bike. I am wondering if it is worth it to try to get these rims repaired or simply buy new rims.

Any suggestions appreciated. If you think they should be replaced can you suggest a solid rim?

 

[brianf7]

Try a bit of fine wet & Dry sandpaper wet it and rub the blemishes smooth it should work. works OK on breaking surface also.

Be sure you dont have damage to the tyre after a bump . are the punctures all in same place?

I had 6 flats in one week the final straw was on the wind trainer flat no 7 so I investigated with a mag lamp I found a tiny peice of swarf hardly visable to the eye.

 

[TERMINATOR]

My tires went flat four times in the last two weeks. The first time the front went down fast but I did not crash. I expected significant damage to the rim. I noticed a little blip after the first flat but nothing severe. I switched to slime ultra light tubes to stop the flats. There is just a lot of stuff on the roads where I am riding. I managed to true the front wheel pretty well tonight but noticed a more severe blip (high spot) than I expected. You can feel the blip in the front rim when you apply the brakes but it does not feel drastic. I am a little surprised there is a high spot. I would have expected a low spot.

Jamis lists the rims as:
Formula CXR-220 wheelset,
20mm aero profile rim w/CNC sidewall, 24/28H

The sides of the rims say Zero 220. Hubs say ZERO with a Z inside an oval. I put about 8,000 km on the rims since I bought the bike. I am wondering if it is worth it to try to get these rims repaired or simply buy new rims.

Any suggestions appreciated. If you think they should be replaced can you suggest a solid rim?

There is no way to fix this rim since its circular geometry is damaged. You can only fix a wheel that is out of true alignment (side to side), not out of "circle" (up and down).

 

[TERMINATOR]

My tires went flat four times in the last two weeks. The first time the front went down fast but I did not crash. I expected significant damage to the rim. I noticed a little blip after the first flat but nothing severe. I switched to slime ultra light tubes to stop the flats. There is just a lot of stuff on the roads where I am riding. I managed to true the front wheel pretty well tonight but noticed a more severe blip (high spot) than I expected. You can feel the blip in the front rim when you apply the brakes but it does not feel drastic. I am a little surprised there is a high spot. I would have expected a low spot.

Jamis lists the rims as:
Formula CXR-220 wheelset,
20mm aero profile rim w/CNC sidewall, 24/28H

The sides of the rims say Zero 220. Hubs say ZERO with a Z inside an oval. I put about 8,000 km on the rims since I bought the bike. I am wondering if it is worth it to try to get these rims repaired or simply buy new rims.

Any suggestions appreciated. If you think they should be replaced can you suggest a solid rim?

4 flats in two weeks means you have a tire problem not a tube problem. Get new tires.

The fact that you have had 4 FRONT flats (rear tires are far more susceptible to flats than front tires because of weight distribution) means you really need some new tires.

I would also investigate where on the tube the flats are coming from. Put the tube under water to find the location of the leak. Make sure the leak is not coming from INSIDE the wheel. If it is, you need to resolve that problem first (use rim tape or several layers of electrical tape to cover any protrusions before replacing the tube).

 

[TERMINATOR]

Try a bit of fine wet & Dry sandpaper wet it and rub the blemishes smooth it should work. works OK on breaking surface also.

Be sure you dont have damage to the tyre after a bump . are the punctures all in same place?

I had 6 flats in one week the final straw was on the wind trainer flat no 7 so I investigated with a mag lamp I found a tiny peice of swarf hardly visable to the eye.

What the f-ck are you talking about? The guy says his wheel is out of alignment and you tell him to use "wet sandpaper" to fix it?

Jesus Christ.

 

[ElChingon]

What the f-ck are you talking about? The guy says his wheel is out of alignment and you tell him to use "wet sandpaper" to fix it?

Jesus Christ.

Hey, it might just sand down enough material to reduce the blip and make the wheel true

 

[TigerFish]

Actually Terminator is probably correct

Hey, it might just sand down enough material to reduce the blip and make the wheel true

The wheels are out of round. The surprise to me was a high spot as opposed to a low spot. You would not be able to sand this out. Sanding would compromise the rims ability to hold the tire because the blip is that large.

I may have failed to accurately state the flats. Three were on the front. The final was on the rear. The front tire is brand new. It is a Continental Ultra Race. The problem is I bought a tire that does not fit my riding style. I ride through a lot of road trash. No option in north new jersey. I needed a durable tire, not a fast tire. I finally figured out that the holes in the tubes were coming from a tiny stone or maybe the tiny glass fragment that lodged in the tire. I ran my fingers all over these tires looking for a snag but never found one. I visually inspected the tires and found two small holes that housed a tiny pebble and a tiny piece of glass. I am pretty sure these were wearing the holes in the front tubes. The tires are very thin. The Jamis came with Vittoria Zaffiros. I loved the tires. They had gashes in them but still did not cause flats by allowing tube penetration. The original flat on the Continentals looked like holes from a staple. Two parallel tiny holes.

So far the Slime ultra lite tubes are solving the problem. I am stuck with continental until I bite the dollar bullet. I have two of them and no receipt. No dealers in my area carry Vittorias unless you order them. I am not big on that.

Back to the rims. I know I need new ones. Terminator just confirmed there is little or no hope. I will also be ordering Vittorias online. It is not the tire material but the thread construction that created the durability.

 

[Chuffy]

There is no way to fix this rim since its circular geometry is damaged. You can only fix a wheel that is out of true alignment (side to side), not out of "circle" (up and down).

Absolute rubbish. Wheels can go out of alignment vertically as well as laterally. It is perfectly possible to return it to radial truth, so long as the rim isn't structurally damaged.

Sheldon Brown explains it here - scroll down to the section on Tensioning & Truing (about half way down).

You mention a 'blip' that you can feel under braking - is the rim split or splayed outwards?

 

[TigerFish]

Professional Help

Absolute rubbish. Wheels can go out of alignment vertically as well as laterally. It is perfectly possible to return it to radial truth, so long as the rim isn't structurally damaged.

Sheldon Brown explains it here - scroll down to the section on Tensioning & Truing (about half way down).

You mention a 'blip' that you can feel under braking - is the rim split or splayed outwards?

The rim is not split. It does not appear to be splayed out. During my last ride I could see and feel the blip when I was riding not just during braking. I had another flat in the rear tire. I actually ended up riding the rim and flat for quite a distance in a very dangerous circumstance. The Ultra Lite slime tube failed to perform. There were two tiny holes in the tire that the slime did not overcome. It was not a pinch flat. I decided it was time for professional help. The owner of the local shop builds wheels when requested. He told me he thought he could get "most" of the blip out of the wheel. After thinking it over I decided "most" was probably not a very good option. I am now trying to figure out what wheelset to buy. This reality is a good lesson in buying the correct tires. This all started with purchasing the wrong tire for my needs and riding conditions.

 

[JayKosta]

To 'true' a high spot on the rim depends on the number of spokes, and where the high spot is located relative to the spokes.
If the high spot is directly over a spoke then it should be fairly easy to pull the rim back to round - but that likely not the situation.

It 'might' be possible to 'true' the high spot by loosening the spokes on both sides, and then pressing the high spot down to bend the rim back to round.
Then tighten the spokes to true as usual.

If there is any obvious metal 'damage' (cracks or breaks), then the rim should be replaced.

It is possible that the width of the rim is also wider at some area - this will also give brake grab.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

 

[Archibald]

I may have failed to accurately state the flats. Three were on the front. The final was on the rear. The front tire is brand new. It is a Continental Ultra Race. The problem is I bought a tire that does not fit my riding style. I ride through a lot of road trash. No option in north new jersey. I needed a durable tire, not a fast tire. I finally figured out that the holes in the tubes were coming from a tiny stone or maybe the tiny glass fragment that lodged in the tire. I ran my fingers all over these tires looking for a snag but never found one. I visually inspected the tires and found two small holes that housed a tiny pebble and a tiny piece of glass. I am pretty sure these were wearing the holes in the front tubes. The tires are very thin. The Jamis came with Vittoria Zaffiros. I loved the tires. They had gashes in them but still did not cause flats by allowing tube penetration. The original flat on the Continentals looked like holes from a staple. Two parallel tiny holes.

So far the Slime ultra lite tubes are solving the problem. I am stuck with continental until I bite the dollar bullet. I have two of them and no receipt. No dealers in my area carry Vittorias unless you order them. I am not big on that.

Was going to suggest checking the inside of the tyres.

Zaffiro's aren't high quality - I have better success with their Rubino Pros, they've handled the jigsaw puzzle that are london roads with all the road litter, as well as gravel tow paths. Even better for puncture resistance are Conti Ultra Gatorskins.

 

[veganrob]

Time for new wheels. You got your mileage out of low end wheelset. If it is out of round from impact it is not coming back. Sounds like dent. Enough sanding may smooth it out but then you will most likely be through the brake track.