How tough are wheels?

[Fordulike]

I always try to use a drop kerb but this isn't always an option.
Am i risking buckling a wheel by riding up and down a right angle kerb, or are modern wheels pretty tough?

 

[Lloyd]

Several things influence wheel strength, are they double walled? Are they eyeletted? were they hand or machine built? The spokes are key to a wheels strength, if the tensions are all wrong then the wheel will be like butter. A rim with no spokes can be manipulated by hand , but when laced and tensioned correctly it is rigid.

Even with the best wheel in the world though, a kerb can be its end. If you run low tyre pressures or hit it hard enough it will dent in the wall of a rim.

The old saying 'Prevention is better than cure' springs to mind.

I am hard on most of my bikes, and also at 16 stone no lightweight. A kerb won't eat wheels if you ride up it slow enough, and un-weight the wheel that impacts it as it does. Lift the front, then a little front brake and shift your weight forwards to help the back roll over it rather than into it.

Either that or fly at them as fast as you can and bunny hop over them

 

[Mussels]

From my extensive reading on the subject last year modern wheels are generally more fragile than they used to be. One reason is machine built wheels are usually not as good as hand built, the other is the quest for lighter rims means less and less metal is being used in them.
You can still get very strong rims but they are unlikely on a shop bought bike.
Slowly up kerbs shouldn't be a problem as long as you have enough pressure in the tyres.

 

[Hurricane]

Good tyre pressures and gently over kerbs are key here. By the way what is correct tyre pressures?

 

[eddieo]

You need to check the spokes regularly for tightness as well.

 

[Straylight]

Good tyre pressures and gently over kerbs are key here. By the way what is correct tyre pressures?

The min/max preasure is usually marked on the tyre, mine are 65PSI max/40 min.

 

[Fordulike]

The max on the Marathon Plus is 70 psi.
I inflate them to 65, but it's still unnerving as i'm expecting them to pop at that pressure.

 

[Mussels]

The max on the Marathon Plus is 70 psi.
I inflate them to 65, but it's still unnerving as i'm expecting them to pop at that pressure.

They won't quite pop, the pressure limit is so the bead doesn't slip off the rim causing the inner tube to pop. Unless you have one of the older Kenda tyres, they really did pop on me with quite a bang.

 

[flecc]

The max on the Marathon Plus is 70 psi.

This varies with MP tyre size.

If anyone wants to know almost all there is to know about bike tyres, tubes and ancillaries, the Schwalbe Technical Info Manual is a mine of information on every aspect of their design and use. You can view it or download it in PDF form:

The Schwalbe Bicycle Tyre Manual
.