# Commuting harder on wheels than regular riding? (x-post wheels and tires)



## rockcrusher (Sep 26, 2005)

I have a set of DT SWISS RR1.1 wheels that the rear drive side eyelets are pulling out of the rim after about 1500miles of commuting. Most of commute is desert type asphalt roads, that is cracked and rough but nothing shocking. 

Is the bag on my back plus the start and stop action of commuting harder on the rear wheel than the more constant, lighter riding of just general road riding? Never had a problem before, but of course I was riding Velocity Deep V rims (which the rear is now back on my bike as I save some funds to get new rim and spokes and rebuild the sucker).


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

My very limited experience is that swiss 1.1 rims are not as strong as I would have hoped...


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## rmsmith (Feb 15, 2007)

rockcrusher said:


> I have a set of DT SWISS RR1.1 wheels that the rear drive side eyelets are pulling out of the rim after about 1500miles of commuting.


The drive side spokes are under roughly twice the tension of the non-drive side spokes. For this reason you should always use the double-eyelet rims for the rear wheel build.


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## Howzitbroke (Jun 1, 2005)

Who ever built or trued the wheels simply overtensioned the spokes. That is what causes this failure. Double eyelets, single eyelets or no eyelets really don't make much of a difference. I have seen Aeroheads, Open Pros, Ritcheys, Suns, and others fail in this manner. You just have to be careful at the final tensioning and truing down the road. Most rim manufacturers have a tension max or range for spokes.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

IME, my commuting wheels have a shorter life than my road bike wheels. My commute requires more braking, rougher surfaces, riding in the dark (don't always see everything with my headlight), bad weather (wet), more weight on the bike, and cantilever brakes. 

All that being said, I don't think R 1.1 rims would be my first choice for a commuting wheelset. My daily set is Velocity Deep V's, 36 spoke, and Phil Wood hubs. I don't worry about my wheels other than cleaning them up once a week.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

I use Mavic Open Pros on all of my road bikes and haven't noticed any more wheel problems on my commuters. The roads are pretty good on my route, however.


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## rockcrusher (Sep 26, 2005)

I have been sensing that the rr1.1 may not in fact be as solid as I was led to believe. Seems to be a common occurrence especially in the older stock. They are eyeletted rims and I tensioned them with the tension range specified so I suspect they were just part of the older set that seemed more susceptible to cracking at spoke holes. 

Luckily for me I have an old CX Velocity Deep V to put on in the interim. May not go back to DT swiss though. Will have to see.


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## shimano4 (Aug 21, 2008)

rockcrusher said:


> I have a set of DT SWISS RR1.1 wheels that the rear drive side eyelets are pulling out of the rim after about 1500miles of commuting. Most of commute is desert type asphalt roads, that is cracked and rough but nothing shocking.
> 
> Is the bag on my back plus the start and stop action of commuting harder on the rear wheel than the more constant, lighter riding of just general road riding? Never had a problem before, but of course I was riding Velocity Deep V rims (which the rear is now back on my bike as I save some funds to get new rim and spokes and rebuild the sucker).


Is yr wheel fast and furious with DT RR1.1 rim? 

Btw, are u running 25C or below tire?


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## rockcrusher (Sep 26, 2005)

just 25c tires. Michelin Krylion. Good tire, takes a lot of miles. DT RR1.1 supposed to be a good all around tire. Dude said so. Not so much fast and furious. More like that taxi movie with Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah. It is there but no one really notices.


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## shimano4 (Aug 21, 2008)

rockcrusher said:


> just 25c tires. Michelin Krylion. Good tire, takes a lot of miles. DT RR1.1 supposed to be a good all around tire. Dude said so. Not so much fast and furious. More like that taxi movie with Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah. It is there but no one really notices.


I will not recommend go 25c tire for commuting. I break at least two different 700c wheel spokes cos of many tension and shock abosrb by my wheel cos of the thin tire. Something u go over debris and u can feel the rim crash onto the hard debris.

Ever since I go into 38c tire. Nothing of that happen. I can even go into light trail/kerbs for shortcut.

Unless yr commuting roads are super smooth/ debris free. 23-25c is fit only for competitive racing...


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