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So I have a RODi Rims SKORPION rim and I've noticed that there are cracks on the holes for spoke adjustment. They all appear to be on the left side of the bicycle and I'm not sure if they were here before or not. On some holes, cracks are bigger and on some other holes, they are smaller. Some holes don't have them at all. I'd say that in total, around 90% of the holes have at least some cracks.

Rim cracks on spoke holes

Is this a cause for concern or not? The rim is around 11 months old and I think I've passed around 1200 km with this rim.

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    Interesting. The cracked part isn't even load bearing. If the wheel is 11 months old, this should be a clear warranty case.
    – ojs
    Commented Jan 14, 2017 at 15:26
  • @ojs That's the thing. I'm not 100% sure now if this is how it came from the factory or if it's something that has developed in the meantime.
    – AndrejaKo
    Commented Jan 14, 2017 at 15:30
  • Only 1200 km ? It should be good for 100,000 km bar crashing. You might be experiencing excessive punctures too due to the rough surface, if not yet then once it wears through the rim tape. Warranty replacement is in order.
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Jan 14, 2017 at 18:57

1 Answer 1

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To me, it looks like whoever (or whatever, as it was likely machine built) used the wrong size tooling to hold and screw the spoke nipples as the wheel was built. Not a rim manufacturing defect but a wheel building defect.

If it's still under warranty, I'd get the wheel replaced. Any cracks are bad cracks and could propagate. If it's not under warranty, I would keep an eye on it especially if you put aggressive loads on your wheels (mtb, touring, etc).

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    I upvoted but I believe this happens when the robot's bit engages the nipple off-center and/or off-axis, causing it to shred the sides of the spoke hole as it spins.
    – Nathan Knutson
    Commented Jan 14, 2017 at 20:17
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    Yeah, looks like a wheel-building error, likely from machine-building the wheel without sufficient monitoring. It probably does not represent an impending wheel failure, but should be replaced under warranty.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented Jan 14, 2017 at 23:28

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