Elitewheels Drive 50D --> Rim Failure

[CJ]

Went out for a fast group ride today and got dropped around the 4hr mark despite pushing 400+ watts. I then noticed my back tire was soft and pulled over to discover that the non-drive side of my rim had buckled. I don't remember hitting anything significant.  At 153lbs/70kg I'm well within tolerance.

Pictures below. I'm not seeing a rim-strike and there appears to be a crack that extends to the middle of rim bed.

Only 2 weeks of use. 11 rides, 650mi/1050km.

First time encountering an issue like this. Is this warranty-able?

Any experiences (particularly with Elitewheels) and insight would be helpful. Thanks!

[00Garza]

Yikes. Glad you didn’t take a fall. I’m curious how Elitewheels will go about handling this. I’m no carbon expert, but looks like delamination to me. Worth it to start the warranty claim process. Nothing is fast when dealing with Chinese vendors, even the good ones.

Did you get these on Ali or directly from Elitewheels?

[CJ]

Thanks, I initiated a claim and I purchased them directly from Elitewheels.  Will provide updates along the process.

[patliean1]

Easiest way to get a Chinese brand's attention is to call them out by making a video. But I only advise this if you've made every attempt in good faith to work it out directly with said brand privately.

[jonathanf2]

Elite Wheels sent me a free replacement rim when mine was damaged, though I had to re-lace the spokes myself (sent it to my LBS). Just give them a detailed description, pictures and order details. I'd ask for a full wheel replacement in your case though.

[CJ]

Easiest way to get a Chinese brand's attention is to call them out by making a video. But I only advise this if you've made every attempt in good faith to work it out directly with said brand privately.

LOL hoping it won't get to that but that's a useful word of caution coming from someone as experienced...and dare I say "influential"... as you are, Pat I knew what I signed up for going the Xiamen route. Hoping for a quick resolution but prepared for an arduous tooth-pulling saga.

[CJ]

Elite Wheels sent me a free replacement rim when mine was damaged, though I had to re-lace the spokes myself (sent it to my LBS). Just give them a detailed description, pictures and order details. I'd ask for a full wheel replacement in your case though.

Good to know! Did you submit your claim through their Service Center Form?

[Yunglord]

They have good customer service from personal experience it's not perfect but they should work with you.

Glad you didn't take a tumble.

[CJ]

Just woke up to the following email from Anthony, that was pretty darn quick! A rebuild not my 1st choice but I'll take it Will continue to update everyone.

Hello Chris,

Thank you for reaching us.

We are very sorry for the problem and the inconvenience caused to you.

We will send one new rear rim for your replacement. When you receive it, could you help us find a reliable local bike shop to replace the rim and rebuild the wheel for you? We will cover all the service costs incurred.

If it is okay with you, could you ask the bike shop to cut a segment of the damaged rim (about 20cm in length) for our analysis? We will afford the shipping freight.

Please refer to the manual about how to true carbon spokes.

Thanks a lot. Look forward to hearing from you.

[TidyDinosaur]

Just woke up to the following email from Anthony, that was pretty darn quick! A rebuild not my 1st choice but I'll take it Will continue to update everyone.

That's the kind of reactions of manufacturers we like to see here

We should make a database of warranty claims and handling of sellers/ manufacturers for future reference

[Sebastian]

Just woke up to the following email from Anthony, that was pretty darn quick! A rebuild not my 1st choice but I'll take it Will continue to update everyone.

Being an amateur wheel builder myself, I wonder how straight forward it is to properly tension carbon spokes. I understand that the elasticity is minimal compared to steel spokes. Therefore tension has to be a lot higher and the margin of error is much smaller when it comes to uniformity of the spoke tension throughout the wheel. I’d probably rather go to a dedicated wheelbuilder than your average local bike shop. Just saying. Good to see that they’re willing to stand up to their warranty though.

[CJ]

Being an amateur wheel builder myself, I wonder how straight forward it is to properly tension carbon spokes. I understand that the elasticity is minimal compared to steel spokes. Therefore tension has to be a lot higher and the margin of error is much smaller when it comes to uniformity of the spoke tension throughout the wheel. I’d probably rather go to a dedicated wheelbuilder than your average local bike shop. Just saying. Good to see that they’re willing to stand up to their warranty though.

Despite not being a dedicated wheel builder there's a guy in my area that I trust. I'll also have him inspect the front wheel, note spoke tension, adjust as needed, etc. Perhaps this precipitated failure on the rear.

Waiting on Elitewheels for shipping ETA. This will be informative.

[CJ]

Update from Anthony at Elitewheels:

Thank you so much for your reply and help.

We will send "one replacement rim + 24 spare nipples + one roll of rim tape" to you via express by tomorrow.

And the tracking number will be updated by this Friday. Please wait for our next emails.

[CJ]

The rim arrived today, but without nipples and rim tape 

Quite likely they fell out of the large tear in the box:


I’ve emailed Elitewheels to ask if they can express ship these items to me.

[Ryan_M]

That wouldn't be UPS's handy work, would it?