Water in the rims......

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TonyM
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by TonyM

Lelandjt wrote:Before riding I cover each hole with a small square of electrical tape.


Wouldn’t it be better to leave them open so that the water could escape during the ride?

DamonRinard
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by DamonRinard

TonyM wrote:As far as I understood, drilling holes in aluminium could weaken the part (I read that about holes in the handlebar for the Di2) but not in carbon.
So that would mean that we should try to have maybe less holes in a aluminum rim or to have carbon wheels with holes having been drilled into in order to avoid water in the rims, right?


Normally that's right, if the part has been optimized, like most modern handlebars, then drilling is risky.

But most aluminum rims are not optimized. The wall thickness is more than strong enough for riding, because it's driven by manufacturing needs: extruding, rolling, welding. So the side walls in particular are often thicker than necessary. (Mavic's inter spoke milling demonstrates that's true.)

So I drill any rim, aluminum or carbon, that dares to show me it's taken on water. :-)
Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager, Road Bikes
Cycling Sports Group, Cannondale
Ex-Kestrel, ex-Velomax, ex-Trek, ex-Cervelo

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DamonRinard
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by DamonRinard

TonyM wrote:Wouldn’t it be better to leave them open so that the water could escape during the ride?


Lelandjt, you are right to use compressed air. With two holes you can easily clear the water this way.

But with 4 x 3 mm holes evenly distributed, riding clears the water continuously, without the need for compressed air: the centripetal force you get automatically with rolling does the work.
Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager, Road Bikes
Cycling Sports Group, Cannondale
Ex-Kestrel, ex-Velomax, ex-Trek, ex-Cervelo

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TonyM
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by TonyM

DamonRinard wrote:
TonyM wrote:Wouldn’t it be better to leave them open so that the water could escape during the ride?


Lelandjt, you are right to use compressed air. With two holes you can easily clear the water this way.

But with 4 x 3 mm holes evenly distributed, riding clears the water continuously, without the need for compressed air: the centripetal force you get automatically with rolling does the work.


So you would recommend to leave these holes (either 2 or 4) open during the bike ride, right?

DamonRinard
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by DamonRinard

Yes
Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager, Road Bikes
Cycling Sports Group, Cannondale
Ex-Kestrel, ex-Velomax, ex-Trek, ex-Cervelo

DamonRinard
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by DamonRinard

...plus, it's lighter. :-)
Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager, Road Bikes
Cycling Sports Group, Cannondale
Ex-Kestrel, ex-Velomax, ex-Trek, ex-Cervelo

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Lelandjt
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by Lelandjt

TonyM wrote:
Lelandjt wrote:Before riding I cover each hole with a small square of electrical tape.


Wouldn’t it be better to leave them open so that the water could escape during the ride?

These are MTB rims and that would let dust in. I choose the "keep it clean" method. Of course my girlfriend's Easton rims and a bunch of Bontrager rims I've seen have holes that are left open and they don't seem to care about dirt getting in.

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DOUG
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by DOUG

My Bontrager Aeolus 3 rims have the very small holes to allow the water to drain. Unfortunately it hasn't rained here for nearly 4 months so I can't attest to their water draining abilities but I haven't had any problems during cleaning. I leave mine open during riding and was concerned about water ingress during wet weather but it seems like the general consensus is it better to leave open than tape them up.

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TonyM
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by TonyM

My new wheelset has arrived and it already has a tiny hole for the rain [emoji106] (just under the hole for the valve). The wheelset that has been swapped (3T discus Pro) had no holes.


Image

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