Quote:
Originally Posted by dd74
So, I'm very confused now. Do the engineers here think the wheel is toast? It clearly bent (deformed?), then, though I haven't seen the video of it doing so, bent back.
I've heard these carbon wheels can be cracked, spokes broken, and run over by all but a truck, and still be ridden on.
Again, the carbon wheel is one piece, spokes included, FWIK.
Last year during the Tour de France, a rider hit an abutment at the end of a roundabout, at about 30 mph. His bike (carbon) literally exploded beneath him. He was fine, btw.
But, of course, a carbon frame isn't round, though most now are usually monocoque which helps their resiliency...supposedly.
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The wheel is toast... beyond a shadow of a doubt. The delamination theory seems plausible assuming a traditional layup construction, though the best rims I've seen in the past are not made this way.
Most carbon rims are so stiff that you will break spokes before you break the rim itself. And because of this stiffness, it's possible to continue riding with a broken spoke.... something not possible just a few years ago (you'd get awful brake rub, or the wheel would just taco).
I would never, ever, ride a carbon wheel with even the smallest crack. Look up what happened to the old Spinergy wheels when they failed.... it was very bad, basically an explosion followed by an instantaneous faceplant.