Are these rims safe to ride?

[Stitch]

Hi all,
first post here, though it's a long time I'm lurking..
I decided to come out to have some advice for a problem i have not enough experience to judge myself.

I'd really like to change my 1993 mountain bike, that i converted for touring, with a Raven Tour, but for the moment i can not afford it. So I started to swap components on my mtb with those I'd like on my future Raven, until i will finally swap the frame. This way i try to stretch the payments over a couple of years.

Now it's time for new rims, to replace the worn Araya (OEM on my bike) that starts to lose small chunks of aluminium that embeds in the brake pads. I chose Rigida Zac 19 as recommended in the thorn brochure for light-medium touring wheels.
Unfortunately, since i live in Italy shipping costs from Sjs are really high, especially for bulky items (shipping would cost more than the rim itself).

I found a pair of Zac 19 rims on an online shop in Germany for a very low price, so i bought them.
I hoped they had double eyelets like those on Sjs store (the description on the german shop only said "eyelet", not how many), but they are single eyeletted.

However that's not the problem. Real problem are all those little cracks near the spoke holes, where the inner wall bends toward the eyelet.






I don't think it's an single defect of my rims, since these cracks are near every hole in both rims.
They appear more like a result of the "normal" manufacturing process.
I fear that the holes will act as stress raisers, and the cracks are already there to propagate.
Are these cracks common in rims? Are these rims still safe to ride?

I will use the bike for commuting and light/medium touring, and only weigh 61 kg / 134 lbs but do not want to use components that can split in two halves in any moment, maybe in the middle of a fast descent.

Thanks in advance.
Michele

P.S. I'm sure there are lots of errors in my English, sorry for that..

[Danneaux]

Hi Michele, and a formal welcome! I myself lurked for a couple years before making my first post. Your English is terrific; no worries there.

I'm still staring goggle-eyed at your rim photos...it appears Rigida/Ryde used a too-large clinching die on your single-eyelet rims, causing the aluminum to deform and crack at the inner wall. It almost appears the holes were punched and the ferrules set in one go, rather than drilling, then setting, and finally clinching. Doing it all in one go been tried in the past with similar results.

I would have the same concerns as you. So long as the inner wall is intact, I don't see an immediate concern of collapse, but I would be very concerned the inner wall could split at some point in future, causing a rim failure. The stress fractures have already started, and it would not take a lot of imagination (just a wide tire and some air pressure) to complete the job. There's no "best" place for such fractures, but coming as these do at the edge of the extrusion, it seems like a particularly "bad" place to occur.

You haven't built-up the rims yet, so they're essentially new. Have you contacted the German seller to ask if they may be returned?

I would have concerns about long-term durability in this case. The photos tell the story, and it isn't an encouraging one. I'm sorry the rims weren't perfect for you, but even if you have to declare a loss, I believe it would be smart to start fresh with something else, especally as you plan to keep the wheels for awhile and transfer them eventually.

All the best,

Dan. (who has seen this before with another brand in the past...and yes, those eventually cracked-through)

[Andre Jute]

Your English is good, Michele. But those rims aren't. You should send them back and demand a refund, stating that you want the refund because the goods are dangerous. -- Andre Jute

[triaesthete]

Hi Michele
welcome aboard. I think you would never be happy riding these rims.
What were Rigida thinking? That they are fitted as oem and most customers would never see this!
One to mark down to experience if you can't get a refund I think. Germany does have laws regarding distance selling so you may have some leverage.
Best wishes
Ian

[jags]

get rid of them pronto
oh welcome to the forum hope you hang around.

[Stitch]

Many thanks for the warm welcome, and obviosly for all the valuable advices.
I thought i was a little bit paranoid with these rims, but you have confirmed my fears.

I believe it would be smart to start fresh with something else, especally as you plan to keep the wheels for awhile and transfer them eventually.

You are absolutely right Dan. I was in a hurry to start bulding my new wheels, but it is certainly wise to wait for something better.

I will certainly ask the seller about returns & refunds, even if i think i will have to pay for the shipping. On the other hand, as these rims are completely useless for me (and it seems to me unfair to resell them on ebay), even if i can only save two euro it will be better than nothing.

you want the refund because the goods are dangerous

Andre, that's a good suggestion, i will try.

One to mark down to experience if you can't get a refund I think.

Ian, that is the only consolation i can find when i lose money this way, that it will not happen again, at least not too soon...   

hope you hang around

I hope so too.

Mmmh, searching for my new rims becomes more and more difficult... 

[jags]

what about mavic sups  fantastic rim should get them handy enough in your part of the world.

[JWestland]

Welcome to the forum

I run DT Swiss on one of my bikes (my toddler's weight kept busting the rim) and can be heavy but are indestructible. SunRim CR19s are on the XTC, it's about 8 years old but they aren't worn out yet, good compromise between strength/weight.

Are there any local bikeshops or e-bay sellers that do secondhand wheels?
You can sometimes grab a bargain for lightly used wheels.

[Stitch]

what about mavic sups

Yes i was looking at Mavic too as they seem to be the most easily available rims inside the eurozone.
Aren't they a bit light for a touring wheel? Xm 719 is 19 mm wide for 475 g (rated for 115 kg weight limit), while the less costly XM 317 is 17 mm for 440 g (rated for 90 kg). Both single eyelets and both fit the same tire width (1,5 to 2,3“). Also, a 17 mm wide rim can really fits a 2,3“ tire?  

The only alternative i can see googling around is the Rigida grizzly (19 mm for 540 g) from Sjs (non CSS version).
Rigida zac 19 is no more an option as the only double eyelets version i am able to find are those on Sjs and are available only in 32 holes, while i have 36 holes hubs.

Welcome to the forum

There is a Sun CR18 at Sjs that seems pretty good..
Anyway, I prefer to build my own wheels, more for the pleasure of build them than to save money.  

[Danneaux]

Hi Michele,

I'm sorry you're having to deal with the problems presented by these rims; what a disappointment, and after such careful planning, too!

Have you considered Exal rims, from Belgium? I saw a number of these in-use while I toured The Netherlands and Belgium, and I have several friends who have been very happy with theirs. One friend has a pair of Exal S19 rims that are essentially the same as a Rigida Sputnik, with double ferrules and a sidewall groove-type wear indicator. I was impressed with the build quality.

Where Exal is in the EU, they might be more readily available to you. They don't seem to spend much on advertising, but are well-regarded in Benelux and Germany and their credentials are good -- the company was founded by the former management of Alesa and the German rim manufacturer Schürmann 2002, so they've been in business a decade. Their company website is here: http://www.exal.be/

A list of distributors in Germany, Denmark, and the UK is available under the "Agents" tab at the site above.

Schürmann's YAK 19C is a very nice rim as well, essentially the same as the Exal S19:
http://www.schuermann-rims.com/produkte/doublewall-rims/

Google-translated English version with details for this rim is here:
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.schuermann-rims.com%2Fprodukte%2Fdoublewall-rims%2F&act=url

Hope this helps.

Best,

Dan.

[Andre Jute]

I use Exal rims, the XL25, on my Kranich. They're first class rims but they seem to concentrate on OEMs and finding a specific Exal for sale can be tricky.

Andre Jute

[Stitch]

Thanks guys, those exal rims seem to fill the bill, and i found them on a couple of website for an inexpensive price.
Now I'm waiting for an answer, hopefully tomorrow, from the German shop who sold me the Rigida Zacs, then I'll choose what to do.

I'll keep you updated.

Michele

[Danneaux]

Encouraging news, Michele; fingers crossed for a good outcome.

Thanks for the updates!

All the best,

Dan.