Wheel Wear

blackbike

Sorry this is a slightly unanswerable question but.

I have a CX bike with shimano RS10 wheels.
very very roughly (just as a rough idea), how many miles would i get before having to change due to braking wear?
I ask cos i'm used to MTB disc so have no idea on what to expect and i don't want the front to collaps.
The RS10 has not wear indicators like i see on other wheels so is there a manual check i could do?

just for info:
i'm running V brakes.
i commute on dismantled railway lines so get hacked up quite often.
usually only brake lightly to avoid dogs etc, road rides i brake quick heavy but only do 2 or three a month.

ride_whenever

It's a piece of string question. The easiest thing would be to use calipers to measure how thick the rim is currently (in a couple of places) and how wide it is, then monitor the width of your rim, when it starts to get significantly thinner start to worry.

The other thing is monitor the rim profile, the rim is dead when it starts to bow out due to tyre pressure.

Using the softest pads you can and keeping the rims clean will significantly extend the rim life though, generally stock pads are way too firm for either good braking or rim longevity!

blackbike

thanks.
funny you should say that about pads.
with Cantis i did 1800 miles and still seemed to have a lot of life in all 4 pads.
When i've changed to V brakes and started using cheap MTB pads i can only get 600 miles per set.
I assume due to beig softer.

desweller

As long as you keep an eye on your braking surface shape then it won't take you by surprise.

Rear wheel will go before the front one.

I got about three years out of my R500 including winters.

dav1

rims will wear extremely fast in poor conditions.

My R500s are now about to die after roughly 4000 miles using only koolstop pads.

they do have a little dimple opposite the rim to tell you when they are worn out. You will also be able to feel a very concave shape to the rim surface.

I get about a year out of a set of R500s. I think i will re-rim my old open sport wheels to replace these ones. Yes heavier and a bit more expensive but also a bit tougher, which is more important for my commuter bike.

BigLights

I got about 2 years/15,000 miles out of my R500s.....on a Sirrus. Replaced with R501s last January and already taking a beating thanks to our very wet year last year.....but I try to ride like I drive - ie, anticipate as much as humanly possible and therefore brake the least.

plowmar

DesWeller said

Rear wheel will go before the front one.

Why?, as I only tend to use front brake and not yet worn out a rim on either of my bikes after approx. 9,000 miles each.

Rear only used in dire emergency.

desweller

plowmar wrote:

DesWeller said

Rear wheel will go before the front one.

Why?, as I only tend to use front brake and not yet worn out a rim on either of my bikes after approx. 9,000 miles each.

Rear only used in dire emergency.

I suppose it does depend on the amount of wet weather/winter riding you do.

I just find that my back brake pads and rear wheel rim and rear bearings get a lot more punishment than the front.

plowmar

Fair comment but I do tryyyy to ride every month hence the two bikes - perhaps I don't go fast enough?