Road Debris ... and what it can do

Rode over something with the back 700c wheel (Shimano WH-550) commuting a couple of weeks ago, not sure what it was, but it was hard and sharp and made a crunching noise as it sliced through my tire punched a hole in my rim. I was going pretty fast down a hill at the time. Never was in any danger, but I was surprised at the damage … a gaping 1/4 inch hole in the rim (see pic its located between the valve-stem hole and a spoke-nipple hole). Be careful out there.

The rim

The tire

you're damn lucky that it wasn't the front rim that got hit.

you're damn lucky that it wasn't the front rim that got hit.

I'm not damn lucky … I'm just that damn good!

JRA?

JRA?

I'm too old to have juvenile rheumatoid arthritis …

Edit: Oh .. "Just Riding Along". I get it. BTW, I was also simultaneously "Minding My Own Business" being the multitasking whiz I am.

you're damn lucky that it wasn't the front rim that got hit.

An old mechanic i used to work with had a theory that the front wheel rolls over the debris and sets it up to puncture the rear.

His theory as to why there seems to be so many more rear flats than front flats.

An old mechanic i used to work with had a theory that the front wheel rolls over the debris and sets it up to puncture the rear.

His theory as to why there seems to be so many more rear flats than front flats.

Dunno about that one, but I know that

a. One can generally steer the front tire around debris, but its much harder to control the rear tire
b. The rear tire has much more weight on it than the front and more susceptible to getting sharp objects forced through the tire wall
c. The rear tire is generally the one in worse shape than the front as it wears faster due to the increased friction under the load of extra weight and direct link to the drivetrain