Erik
Alloy nipples are a concern because they are extremely susceptible to weather and can decay rapidly. In the shop I occasionally true a 5 year+ old wheel set and the nipples crumble with the lightest pressure from a spoke wrench.
This commonly happens long before a rim's brake surface begins to wear through. I recently replaced all the alloy nipples on a pair of my own wheels because they were all crumbling after too many miles in wet conditions. ODOT's de-icer can accelerate this issue.
On a long enough time line and with enough weather exposure, everything is biodegradable. So go with brass nips on the commuter wheels, folks.
- Erik
From: dan@bicyclerepairman.us
To: elongride@hotmail.com; dansilvernail@comcast.net; obra@list.obra.org
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Bike part longevity?
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 14:31:51 -0700
I wouldn't worry so much about alloy nipples but the
braking surface of the rim instead. I have seen the results of a number of rims
that have failed catastrophically and never at a convenient
time.
----- Original Message -----
From:
Erik
To: dansilvernail@comcast.net ; obra@list.obra.org
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 12:50
PM
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Bike part
longevity?
The parts you're referring to don't experience much friction,
so they don't generally "wear out". However, a carbon fork with the kind
of mileage you're talking about could become a concern. That sort of
thing should be removed for a close inspection to check for
cracks/inconsistencies in the carbon and to check the bond between the carbon
and the metal (any movement is a red flag).
If I had to make an
educated guess, though, I'd say that if you've stored the bike indoors and
you've ridden it on the road only and haven't made a habit of crashing, you're
probably fine. Carbon forks are one of the most over-tested products in
existence, so typical riding stress is a non-issue.
The parts that wear
out frequently - aside from rubber - are things like the chain and everything
that the chain touches. Your wheels - if they also have 40,000 miles on
them - may also be overdue for a rebuild, especially if they have alloy
nipples.
-Erik
To: obra@list.obra.org
From: dansilvernail@comcast.net
Date: Tue, 1
Jul 2008 19:23:05 +0000
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Bike part longevity?
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
From: "Silvernail, Dan"
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008
12:04:42 -0700
To:
dansilvernail@comcast.net
Subject:
Here is a question for you all about bike part longevity:
My primary road bike is close to 8 yrs old now, and most of the parts
are original especially the "contact" parts such as the seatpost, stem,
handlebars. Also, I really don't know how old the carbon fork is (it
has a metal steerer) because I bought it used but I would think it is a
minimum of 8 yrs old.
So the question is, how long does that stuff last? My best guess
is that the bike has about 40,000 miles on it. I would hate to be
motoring down Germantown Road and have something break.
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