Crossfire Rear Rim

[sileibo]

Hi ... first post in here, I would welcome your advice ... I have a Carrera Crossfire E bike (it's a good few years old, has done a fair few miles, I use it to commute and it generally serves me well) ... a few months ago I had to replace a few spokes on the rear wheel, which I managed to do myself (first time spoke repair for me) ... now a few months later a spoke has ripped it's way through the rear rim (see pic). Halfords have quoted me £320 for a replacement rear wheel complete with new hub/motor (which to be fair is less than I expected). My questions are .... should I just buy the replacement, or is it worth considering buying a replacement rim + spokes and rebuilding the wheel using my existing hub/motor. Can anyone also advise ...
• if I can buy a front wheel, is this the same rim as used on the rear?
• should I consider a completely different (better) rim and rebuild the wheel.
• what is the expected life span (mileage?) of the electric motor?
• how hard is it to assemble a wheel from scratch!?

Much appreciate any suggestions, many thanks.

 

[egroover]

I enquired a few years ago as I had the same problem snapping spokes. I got a quote from https://www.jimthewheelbuilder.co.uk/ for a complete rebuild with new stronger rim/spokes, here's what I received back from Jim at the time, hope it helps. I never went through with it as I started to use the bike less

Thanks for your message. The problem you are experiencing is a common one for Ebike wheels. The large diameter hub means less room for the spokes and they run into the rim at a different angle, so you often see a bend on the spoke as soon as it leaves the nipple and this creates a weak point and is where they often break.

I have successfully rebuilt a number of these. I use a very strong rim but it's main advantage is that the holes are not drilled at 90 degrees, they are shallower and also point left/right. This has the effect of allowing the spoke and nipple to run straighter and removes the weak spot.

I use Sapim Strong spokes with 14mm brass/chrome nipples:
http://www.sapim.be/spokes/butted/strong

Costs are as follows:
£40 Rim (Black with a silver braking surface)
£36 Spokes and Nipples (in Silver, for Black add 20%)
£2 Rim Tape
£35 Labour (I charge more for eBike wheels as they just take longer)
£113 Total

You can just send me the eHub (with any nuts and spacers on the axle) rather than the full wheel but if you send the full wheel it's an additional £5 to strip out the hub.

Return postage via ParcelForce 48hr service is £15 which inc £100 compensation. Additional compensation can be purchased, so if you tell me how much you want it covering for I'll work out the additional cost. If you choose not to cover it fully then the risk is yours - I've only had one get damaged in transit but it was a write-off, so it is worth doing.

Hope you find that useful and it helps you decide. Let me know if you want to go ahead and I'll provide you with the delivery address.

Turnaround time from getting your hub is usually 7>10 days as I have to measure the hub and request the spokes as I get mine cut to order.

I'll invoice you when it's done and you can pay me online or send a cheque.

If you have any additional questions then just ask.

Thanks

Jim

 

[Nealh]

But a new rim and then have the hub laced and trued cost should be about £100 + parts, Halfrauds are at it again ripping off people, why a new hub when nothing wrong with the old one ?
I build my oen wheels so something worth learning, a new rim and spokes are about £30. Opt for 14g spokes which are more flexible then 13 g often used.

 

[Sturmey]

Hi. You may have over-tightened that spoke at some stage. If you need to overtighten a spoke to true a wheel, you need to stop and loosen the adjacent two spokes a little.
I once fitted an M5 washer under the (13g) nipple in a similar situation and it worked. This was tricky because the rim was doubled walled. The washer was 9mm wide whereas the holes in the inner walls were 7mm. Anyhow, I cut a small thin 3mm slot (on the inner wall thats directly under the rimtape) so I could get the washer in. (Making the resulting hole was like a sort of keyhole). I used a pointy nose pliers to guide the washer in and fine wire to stop it falling into cavity.
In your case the crack is slightly bigger, so it might need something like an M5 penny washer (or make your own) filed down at the sides to make it oval/rectangular, and you can cut another slot longer. You can also curve the washer slightly to match the rim inner curve. (Something like below but bigger and longer.)

 

[sileibo]

Hi ... first post in here, I would welcome your advice ... I have a Carrera Crossfire E bike (it's a good few years old, has done a fair few miles, I use it to commute and it generally serves me well) ... a few months ago I had to replace a few spokes on the rear wheel, which I managed to do myself (first time spoke repair for me) ... now a few months later a spoke has ripped it's way through the rear rim (see pic). Halfords have quoted me £320 for a replacement rear wheel complete with new hub/motor (which to be fair is less than I expected). My questions are .... should I just buy the replacement, or is it worth considering buying a replacement rim + spokes and rebuilding the wheel using my existing hub/motor. Can anyone also advise ...
• if I can buy a front wheel, is this the same rim as used on the rear?
• should I consider a completely different (better) rim and rebuild the wheel.
• what is the expected life span (mileage?) of the electric motor?
• how hard is it to assemble a wheel from scratch!?

Much appreciate any suggestions, many thanks.View attachment 47356

Hi ... first post in here, I would welcome your advice ... I have a Carrera Crossfire E bike (it's a good few years old, has done a fair few miles, I use it to commute and it generally serves me well) ... a few months ago I had to replace a few spokes on the rear wheel, which I managed to do myself (first time spoke repair for me) ... now a few months later a spoke has ripped it's way through the rear rim (see pic). Halfords have quoted me £320 for a replacement rear wheel complete with new hub/motor (which to be fair is less than I expected). My questions are .... should I just buy the replacement, or is it worth considering buying a replacement rim + spokes and rebuilding the wheel using my existing hub/motor. Can anyone also advise ...
• if I can buy a front wheel, is this the same rim as used on the rear?
• should I consider a completely different (better) rim and rebuild the wheel.
• what is the expected life span (mileage?) of the electric motor?
• how hard is it to assemble a wheel from scratch!?

Much appreciate any suggestions, many thanks.View attachment 47356

Thank you, this is really helpful. I've spoken to Jim the wheel builder and this is a likely route for me. I'm just hesitating while I also consider whether it might be worth me going for the new Halfords wheel, on account of the age of my current motor .... they must have some kind of life span, perhaps a new one would be a reasonable investment ???

 

[sileibo]

But a new rim and then have the hub laced and trued cost should be about £100 + parts, Halfrauds are at it again ripping off people, why a new hub when nothing wrong with the old one ?
I build my oen wheels so something worth learning, a new rim and spokes are about £30. Opt for 14g spokes which are more flexible then 13 g often used.

Thanks for the tips ... building a wheel would be fun I guess. I'm just wondering now if I shouldn't bite the bullet and go for the new wheel + new motor option ... my old motor is sure to have a limited lifespan ... no good having a new rim + spokes and then a dead motor a few months later!

 

[sileibo]

Hi. You may have over-tightened that spoke at some stage. If you need to overtighten a spoke to true a wheel, you need to stop and loosen the adjacent two spokes a little.
I once fitted an M5 washer under the (13g) nipple in a similar situation and it worked. This was tricky because the rim was doubled walled. The washer was 9mm wide whereas the holes in the inner walls were 7mm. Anyhow, I cut a small thin 3mm slot (on the inner wall thats directly under the rimtape) so I could get the washer in. (Making the resulting hole was like a sort of keyhole). I used a pointy nose pliers to guide the washer in and fine wire to stop it falling into cavity.
In your case the crack is slightly bigger, so it might need something like an M5 penny washer (or make your own) filed down at the sides to make it oval/rectangular, and you can cut another slot longer. You can also curve the washer slightly to match the rim inner curve. (Something like below but bigger and longer.)
View attachment 47358

Thanks for these ideas ... I think probably the rest of the wheel will likely follow suit, with more spokes and rim busting sooner rather than later.

 

[Nealh]

Hubs go on for miles, My oldest hub has 8k miles and is still in good working order. Others have used hubs 20k miles or more.

 

[AndyBike]

........

 

[moldy]

I enquired a few years ago as I had the same problem snapping spokes. I got a quote from https://www.jimthewheelbuilder.co.uk/ for a complete rebuild with new stronger rim/spokes, here's what I received back from Jim at the time, hope it helps. I never went through with it as I started to use the bike less

Hi Jim I called you and left a message I'm in Leeds so not to far away , many thanks for you reply and help , Chris

 

[moldy]

can anyone tell me if its a good idea or not to somehow take off the speed inhibitor ? also my battery seems to be showing 5 lights when testing its battery life and then the meter goes down to 75% immediately when I begin riding after a charge and when I use it to ride to school about a mile each way after a while about 24 miles its flashing empty ? any ideas ?

 

[saneagle]

can anyone tell me if its a good idea or not to somehow take off the speed inhibitor ? also my battery seems to be showing 5 lights when testing its battery life and then the meter goes down to 75% immediately when I begin riding after a charge and when I use it to ride to school about a mile each way after a while about 24 miles its flashing empty ? any ideas ?

You can't take off the speed limiter easily. Your description of your battery performance indicate that it's probably knackered. If I had a bike like that, I'd get rid of all the electrics except the motor and buy a standard Hailong type battery and a KT controller and LCDto go with it. Chuck the stupid heavy crankset and put on a normal one. The whole lot would cost about £300 to £350. You could then choose your own speed limit, get as much range as you want and not have to worry about expensive stuff in the future.

 

[egroover]

Hi Jim I called you and left a message I'm in Leeds so not to far away , many thanks for you reply and help , Chris

I'm not Jim

 

[egroover]

You can't take off the speed limiter easily. Your description of your battery performance indicate that it's probably knackered. If I had a bike like that, I'd get rid of all the electrics except the motor and buy a standard Hailong type battery and a KT controller and LCDto go with it. Chuck the stupid heavy crankset and put on a normal one. The whole lot would cost about £300 to £350. You could then choose your own speed limit, get as much range as you want and not have to worry about expensive stuff in the future.

You can probably offset the cost by selling your Suntour HESC bits on ebay, there's still a market for the sensor, controller and display. You won't get much if anything for the knackered battery though other than for spare

 

[Nealh]

can anyone tell me if its a good idea or not to somehow take off the speed inhibitor ? also my battery seems to be showing 5 lights when testing its battery life and then the meter goes down to 75% immediately when I begin riding after a charge and when I use it to ride to school about a mile each way after a while about 24 miles its flashing empty ? any ideas ?

A good battery will sag 0.3 -0.5v during use but one wouldn't see the battery meter drop a bar , in your case the battery cells are showing ageing thru use or life ageing .
Removing the speed limit would only make the battery worse and one wouldn't see 24 miles likely 15 or so.
As has been said battery is not far from being knackered but still has some useable life for local / short rides.