Broken Bike Parts

Bontrager left crank crack surface Crank courtesy of Bill Sherwin

Bontrager left crank crack surface

Title: Bontrager left crank crack surface
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₂₅ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on January 7, 2013 at 10:06:02.

Bontrager left crank broken at pedal eye, rear view Crank courtesy of Bill Sherwin

Bontrager left crank broken at pedal eye, rear view

Title: Bontrager left crank broken at pedal eye, rear view
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₂₀₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on January 7, 2013 at 09:54:43.

Bontrager left crank broken at pedal eye, front view Crank courtesy of Bill Sherwin

Bontrager left crank broken at pedal eye, front view

Title: Bontrager left crank broken at pedal eye, front view
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₃₂₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on January 7, 2013 at 09:54:04.

Nail in my tire Three miles from home and in the dark my rear tire goes flat. As I try to remove the flat tube I can't get it out of the tire. I finally figured out that a nail had gone through the tire and was pinning the tube in the tire. Removing the nail was difficult as it was in too tightly to be pulled out with fingers. Fingernails were too weak. I was able to slide the thin crescent wrench of a CoolTool under the head of the nail and pull it out.

Nail in my tire

Title: Nail in my tire
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₀₀ sec at f/8.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on December 24, 2012 at 17:18:48.

Boris Foelsch's failed Ritchey crank These cranks have a "trench" or hollow on the outside face of the crank, the face closest to the pedal. This design directs the highest load (pedaling while standing) onto the two thin ribs on either edge. If an imperfection exists on this ridge, a crack can initiate and propagate. Photo courtesy of Boris Foelsch

Boris Foelsch's failed Ritchey crank

Title: Boris Foelsch's failed Ritchey crank
Exposure: , at
Camera and Lens
Datetime: Image captured on December 9, 2012 at 20:21:14.

Boris Foelsch's failed crank: surface of break A crack started at the darkened area, probably at the upper right corner. The break continued roughtly half-way through the material before separating suddenly and catastrophically, dumping its rider onto the road when applying a high load to the crank (standing while pedaling). Photo courtesy of Boris Foelsch

Boris Foelsch's failed crank: surface of break

Title: Boris Foelsch's failed crank: surface of break
Exposure: , at
Camera and Lens
Datetime: Image captured on December 9, 2012 at 20:20:04.

Boris Foelsch's failed crank: close-up of initial crack The striations on the broken surface suggest that the crack started at the corner at the top center of the photo and worked its way through the material. Other cracks may have started while the initial crack was progressing. Photo courtesy of Boris Foelsch

Boris Foelsch's failed crank: close-up of initial crack

Title: Boris Foelsch's failed crank: close-up of initial crack
Exposure: , at
Camera and Lens
Datetime: Image captured on December 9, 2012 at 15:42:29.

Steven Woo's Ritchey crank failure This break illustrates how the crank cracked first along the thin ribs of the crank that are on the outside face of the crank (pedal side) that is maximally stressed at or near the bottom of the pedaling downstroke. The material on the two ribs is taking the highest load, so any imperfection in the material can initiate a crack. This crack worked away for a while, shown by the darkened material at the separation. The crank break is light-colored where it failed suddenly. In this case two cracks roughly across from each other, separated by the hollowed portion, progressed until they met suddenly and catastrophically, resulting in complete separation (shiny area) and the rider being dumped onto the road. Photo courtesy of Steven Woo

Steven Woo's Ritchey crank failure

Title: Steven Woo's Ritchey crank failure
Exposure: , at
Camera and Lens
Datetime: Image captured on December 8, 2012 at 00:00:00.

Joe Foster's cracked stem This stem cracked suddenly with a "Tink!" sound on the top (seen at roughly 10 o'clock to 3 o'clock) while Joe was descending a mountain road at 50mph. At that point the stem was still attached by the remaining metal on the bottom, although the crack eventually worked its way through the entire stem, causing separation by the time he came to a stop. Note that the top of the stem is under tension and the bottom is under compression. The crack propagates quickly through material under tension usually with an explosive expansion. The crack continues to lengthen through material under compression if the material is being worked in torsion, as a partially-attached stem would be while its rider is desperately trying to stop in a controlled fashion. In this case, the Joe was able to stop before completely losing control of his bike. Photo courtesy of Joe Foster

Joe Foster's cracked stem

Title: Joe Foster's cracked stem
Exposure: , at
Camera and Lens
Datetime: Image captured on December 1, 2012 at 09:39:33.

Carl Nielson's cracked rim The photo is blurry, so it's hard to tell how the crack may have started. The rim appears to have some braking wear, but the crack isn't through the thinnest material. It looks like the rim bed around the nipple of the nearby spoke may have failed and that the rim wall to rim bed junction may be weak. Photo courtesy of Carl Nielson

Carl Nielson's cracked rim

Title: Carl Nielson's cracked rim
Exposure: , at
Camera and Lens
Datetime: Image captured on November 30, 2012 at 20:27:46.

More cracks in the rim Same rim as previous, but here we see another segment of the rim wall separating from the rim bed. The cracks radiating from the spoke hole may be related to the adjacent circumferential crack, although similar spoke hole cracks not associated with other rim failure can be avoided by using spoke hole eyelets.

More cracks in the rim

Title: More cracks in the rim
Exposure: 100, ¹⁄₅₀ sec at f/3.3
Focal Length: 28 mm
Camera and Lens: Panasonic DMC-TZ5
Datetime: Image captured on November 30, 2012 at 20:27:45.

Burst Water Bottle On its final useful day this bottle was grasped about the middle, the nipple at the top was pulled by a pair of teeth, and the bottle squeezed. At that moment the bottle burst apart as seen in the photo. The bottle was a few years old.

Burst Water Bottle

Title: Burst Water Bottle
Exposure: , at
Camera and Lens
Datetime: Image captured on October 22, 2012 at 19:44:55.

Bulging Kenda Kwest Tire has about 3900 miles on it.

Bulging Kenda Kwest

Title: Bulging Kenda Kwest
Exposure: 100, ¹⁄₂₈₀ sec at f/3.6
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on October 6, 2012 at 14:52:49.

Sidewall cut with Tyvek boot Since this cut did not cause the tire to bulge at maximum inflation pressure, I decided to boot it and ride with it. If it starts to bulge I'll replace the tire.

Sidewall cut with Tyvek boot

Title: Sidewall cut with Tyvek boot
Exposure: 400, ¹⁄₁₂₅ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on July 4, 2012 at 16:31:17.

Inside end of crack on chrome-plated steel) fork leg In this photo you can see parallel cracks starting near the end of the main crack.

Inside end of crack on chrome-plated steel) fork leg

Title: Inside end of crack on chrome-plated steel) fork leg
Exposure: 100, ¹⁄₄₀₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on July 4, 2012 at 15:51:10.

Cracked fork (chrome-plated steel) This was the left leg of a Spinner ca. 1999 fork as used on the Gold Rush at that time. I bought this fork used because I like the steering and handling of the Gold Rush with this fork. I don't know how many miles it had on it, but I was told that it was "not many". I got about 3500 miles on it before I discovered the crack during my normal inspection. The crack is clean at the rear of the fork leg where the material is under the greatest tension. It probably propagated in an instant. But, the ends of the cracks are propagating more slowly as can be seen by their jagged look.

Cracked fork (chrome-plated steel)

Title: Cracked fork (chrome-plated steel)
Exposure: 100, ¹⁄₃₀₀ sec at f/4.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on July 4, 2012 at 15:44:22.

Crack in SKS rear fender This fender has been on my Gold Rush for over 40k miles. It might have gone another 40k if I hadn't installed a seat bag that puts some of its weight on the fender.

Crack in SKS rear fender

Title: Crack in SKS rear fender
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₇₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on July 4, 2012 at 13:40:00.

Sidewall cut from the inside

Sidewall cut from the inside

Title: Sidewall cut from the inside
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₀₀ sec at f/8.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on June 27, 2012 at 18:03:12.

Sidewall cut with tire deflated

Sidewall cut with tire deflated

Title: Sidewall cut with tire deflated
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₀₀ sec at f/8.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on June 27, 2012 at 18:02:56.

Sidewall cut in Kenda Kwest The thing bulging out through the opening is the inflated tube. Using a thicker tube makes it harder to "bubble gum" outward and pop, but eventually this would have occurred.

Sidewall cut in Kenda Kwest

Title: Sidewall cut in Kenda Kwest
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₃₅ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on June 27, 2012 at 17:57:39.

Crack at downtube shifter boss This crack may have started before the crash but was only noticed after the aforementioned rider crashed in the curb.

Crack at downtube shifter boss

Title: Crack at downtube shifter boss
Exposure: 80, ¹⁄₃₄₀ sec at f/4.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on June 24, 2012 at 09:11:52.

Buckled downtube on a bicycle frame The bike was crashed into a curb, throwing the rider over the handlebars. Notice the peeling paint at the buckle just behind the lug, where the tube is weakest.

Buckled downtube on a bicycle frame

Title: Buckled downtube on a bicycle frame
Exposure: 100, ¹⁄₃₄₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on June 24, 2012 at 09:11:27.

Tread separation The cords look O.K. here, but when I cut into the tire they were loose inside this void.

Tread separation

Title: Tread separation
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₆₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on June 22, 2012 at 15:44:24.

Bulging tire

Bulging tire

Title: Bulging tire
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₂₀ sec at f/3.7
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on June 18, 2012 at 19:57:28.

Inside of bulging tire

Inside of bulging tire

Title: Inside of bulging tire
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₃₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on June 18, 2012 at 19:53:17.

Inside of tire at cord failure Although the inside layer of cords did not fail, the wrinkle is a tell-tale sign.

Inside of tire at cord failure

Title: Inside of tire at cord failure
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₁₇₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on May 7, 2012 at 10:53:17.

Schwalbe Kojak with cord separation, tire deflated One can see the void under the rubber where the cords separated. Riding on the bulge when inflated, caused the treadwear where the cords are exposed.

Schwalbe Kojak with cord separation, tire deflated

Title: Schwalbe Kojak with cord separation, tire deflated
Exposure: 400, ¹⁄₁₇₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on May 7, 2012 at 10:51:59.

Bulging Schwalbe Kojak when inflated on the rim Although this tire had 5800 miles on it (9300 km), it was not worn to the cords as this photo would suggest. Rather one layer of cords separated, causing the tire to bulge. Riding on the bulge caused extra wear, revealing the cords. One can see the lateral displacement due to this failure.

Bulging Schwalbe Kojak when inflated on the rim

Title: Bulging Schwalbe Kojak when inflated on the rim
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₅₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on May 7, 2012 at 10:48:13.

Bulging Greenspeed Scorcher, from the inside Looks like some of the cords broke on the inside ply.

Bulging Greenspeed Scorcher, from the inside

Title: Bulging Greenspeed Scorcher, from the inside
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₆₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on May 3, 2012 at 15:37:22.

Bulging Greenspeed Scorcher, inflated on the rim

Bulging Greenspeed Scorcher, inflated on the rim

Title: Bulging Greenspeed Scorcher, inflated on the rim
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₃₂₀ sec at f/3.2
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on May 3, 2012 at 15:25:45.

Four dry Primo Comets I was planning to use these, but they were so old and dried out that I did not feel it would be safe. These tires are approximately 10 years old.

Four dry Primo Comets

Title: Four dry Primo Comets
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₆₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on February 7, 2012 at 17:22:45.

Blown capacitor bank These capacitors are rated to 35V. I hooked them up to a 53V source and left them for a while. I've done this before by accident, and immediately disconnected them, with no apparent harm done. This time I was not aware of my error, and left them connected for a couple of hours. When I returned my garage was full of acrid smoke, and this was the damage.

Blown capacitor bank

Title: Blown capacitor bank
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₁₂₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on February 1, 2012 at 17:44:13.

Worn pad (left) and New pad (right) in profile

Worn pad (left) and New pad (right) in profile

Title: Worn pad (left) and New pad (right) in profile
Exposure: 400, ¹⁄₁₆₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on November 28, 2011 at 15:56:13.

New pad (left) and Worn pad (right) I got about 800 miles on the right-hand pad. Notice the wear on the metal part of the shoe.

New pad (left) and Worn pad (right)

Title: New pad (left) and Worn pad (right)
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₃₂₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on November 28, 2011 at 15:55:33.

Melted BMS balance wires for 24v/10Ah PSI cell LiFePO4 battery I mistakenly attempted to measure the voltage across two pins on the melted connector with my DVM probes, while my DVM was set to measure current.

Melted BMS balance wires for 24v/10Ah PSI cell LiFePO4 battery

Title: Melted BMS balance wires for 24v/10Ah PSI cell LiFePO4 battery
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₂₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on November 7, 2011 at 15:21:36.

Broken Topeak Morph (road or mountain) pump mount As I was riding over a bump on CA9 as I entered Boulder Creek, my pump went clattering to the ground. When a kind passer-by picked it up and handed it back to me, I discovered that the mount had broken, probably from age and fatigue. I never did recover the broken tab on the piece that mounts to the pump. Also, one can see that the plastic bolt head (4mm hex) is almost too rounded to be usable. Topeak now uses a different mount that does not put the full weight of the pump on small plastic parts.

Broken Topeak Morph (road or mountain) pump mount

Title: Broken Topeak Morph (road or mountain) pump mount
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₀₀ sec at f/8.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on October 27, 2011 at 15:02:55.

Clutch and shaft damage on from Lashout gearbox after 1365 miles of use One can see flakes of metal on some of the rollers of the clutch. On the shaft a rough band can be seen about 1.5mm to the left of the step in the change in pinion diameter. This is the 18mm clutch and shaft from EVDeals.com that improves gearbox efficiency and reliability.

Clutch and shaft damage on from Lashout gearbox after 1365 miles of use

Title: Clutch and shaft damage on from Lashout gearbox after 1365 miles of use
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₀₀ sec at f/8.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on October 22, 2011 at 17:41:21.

A Specialized Armadillo worn to the kevlar

A Specialized Armadillo worn to the kevlar

Title: A Specialized Armadillo worn to the kevlar
Exposure: 80, ¹⁄₃₅₀ sec at f/4.5
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on October 8, 2011 at 11:09:03.

Schwalbe Stelvio (28-406, kevlar belt, wire bead) popped off the rim without blowing out There's always a first time. I was riding along and heard a scuffing sound that occurred every revolution of the front wheel. I thought I might have picked up something sticky on the tire or a tack, so I pulled over to take a look at what it was. I couldn't find anything on the tread of the tire, but when I looked at the side of the tire, I found what you see in the photo. The scuffing was the bead "debris" striking my brake shoe. The damage to the bead occurred during this popoff event. The tire has only 450 miles on it, but it had been sitting in storage for 8 years before being used. I did notice that it loosely fit the rim, that it became easier to mount without tire levers since I first installed it. As seen in the photo it has about 80psi in it. I deflated the tire, reseated it, inflated it to about 60psi, and rode home taking care not to pinch flat. When I got home that evening I pumped it up to 120 psi (maximum rated) and let it sit. Rim was cool. About 10 minutes later the tire blew off, this time with a BANG! Sacrificed a tube, but better that than my skin! This tire has been "retired".

Schwalbe Stelvio (28-406, kevlar belt, wire bead) popped off the rim without blowing out

Title: Schwalbe Stelvio (28-406, kevlar belt, wire bead) popped off the rim without blowing out
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₀₀ sec at f/8.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on September 5, 2011 at 17:28:50.

Tire failure: IRC 28-451, inside view Tire was about 5 years old with about 100 miles on it.

Tire failure: IRC 28-451, inside view

Title: Tire failure: IRC 28-451, inside view
Exposure: 80, ¹⁄₆₄₀ sec at f/6.4
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on August 14, 2011 at 11:42:32.

Tire failure: IRC 28-451, outside view This one was a true blowout, failing at the center of the tread. Tire was about 5 years old with about 100 miles on it.

Tire failure: IRC 28-451, outside view

Title: Tire failure: IRC 28-451, outside view
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₇₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on August 14, 2011 at 11:40:43.

Second sidewall cut As if the first sidewall cut wasn't enough to warrant tire replacement, the addition of this one did. The white blob in the cut is a tire boot made of Tyvek. Both this cut and the previous cuts had held for many months, but I got a dose of caution and decided to replace the tire.

Second sidewall cut

Title: Second sidewall cut
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₁₈₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on August 2, 2011 at 19:04:40.

Sidewall cut seen bluging slightly.

Sidewall cut seen bluging slightly.

Title: Sidewall cut seen bluging slightly.
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₁₄₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on August 2, 2011 at 19:04:20.

Cut in tire sidwall This cut goes through the outer sidewall layer. Tubes in this tire were holding air, but the weakness had created a slight bluge at pressure that was gradually increasing in magnitude of the course of several months.

Cut in tire sidwall

Title: Cut in tire sidwall
Exposure: 400, ¹⁄₁₀₅ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on August 2, 2011 at 19:02:46.

Worn Avid BB7 brake pads I replaced these after the spring got caught between the pads and the rotor. New pads are about 3.8mm thick. These were about 2.7mm thick when worn. Avid recommends replacement when pads are <3mm thick (including backing plate).

Worn Avid BB7 brake pads

Title: Worn Avid BB7 brake pads
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₃₅₀ sec at f/3.7
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on June 11, 2011 at 17:38:11.

Currie Planetary Gearbox with worn bushing This gearbox has less than 1000 miles on it.

Currie Planetary Gearbox with worn bushing

Title: Currie Planetary Gearbox with worn bushing
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₁₅₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on June 2, 2011 at 14:22:53.

Currie gearbox with 15t sprocket Notice that the sprocket is tilted, due to the worn brass bushing.

Currie gearbox with 15t sprocket

Title: Currie gearbox with 15t sprocket
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₁₁₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on June 2, 2011 at 14:22:23.

Cause of ominous bulge in sidewall of Kenda Kwest Argh! And, this is a new tire, too! How did this happen?

Cause of ominous bulge in sidewall of Kenda Kwest

Title: Cause of ominous bulge in sidewall of Kenda Kwest
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₄₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on April 4, 2011 at 17:44:36.

Cause of torn cords at bead on Kenda Kwest. The VAR tire lever can mount even really tight tires, as this tire is on my rim. The problem is that the hook on the bottom of the lever is sharp and with the force required to pull the bead over the rim, the sharp end of the VAR lever cuts the cords that wrap around the bead. The wire bead and the tire lever act like two sides of a pair of scissors. The cut cords weaken the side wall of the tire and lead to the sidewall bulge. I've been using the VAR tire lever for many years because it can mount (and unmount) really tight tires, but I will switch levers while I'm using Kenda Kwests as these tires seem to have vulnerable cords.

Cause of torn cords at bead on Kenda Kwest.

Title: Cause of torn cords at bead on Kenda Kwest.
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₇₅ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on April 4, 2011 at 17:44:21.

An ominous bulge in the sidewall of a relatively new Kenda Kwest

An ominous bulge in the sidewall of a relatively new Kenda Kwest

Title: An ominous bulge in the sidewall of a relatively new Kenda Kwest
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₈₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on April 4, 2011 at 17:32:57.

Pinch flat! Only the right-hand pinch perforated the tube.

Pinch flat!

Title: Pinch flat!
Exposure: 80, ¹⁄₄₀₀ sec at f/5.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on April 3, 2011 at 13:28:33.

Damaged tire cords, interior view

Damaged tire cords, interior view

Title: Damaged tire cords, interior view
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₆₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on March 10, 2011 at 20:18:30.

Damaged tire cords The cords were broken at the base of the bead, probably when the tire was still relatively new and tight, and I was struggling to mount or unmount it from the rim.

Damaged tire cords

Title: Damaged tire cords
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₁₈₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on March 10, 2011 at 20:17:20.

Melted Adjustment Dial, Avid BB-7 caliper This brake gets hot. It's mounted on the rear wheel of a long wheelbase faired recumbent that gets taken down long steep grades where dragging a brake continuously is required.

Melted Adjustment Dial, Avid BB-7 caliper

Title: Melted Adjustment Dial, Avid BB-7 caliper
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₇ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on March 4, 2011 at 18:18:03.

Broken spoke nipple on a 24-spoke front wheel.

Broken spoke nipple on a 24-spoke front wheel.

Title: Broken spoke nipple on a 24-spoke front wheel.
Exposure: 80, ¹⁄₄₀₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on February 20, 2011 at 14:40:07.

Kenda Kwest old (l) and new. Notice that on the old tire the rubber just above the bead has been melted and worn away, cutting through some of the cords.

Kenda Kwest old (l) and new.

Title: Kenda Kwest old (l) and new.
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₁₄₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on January 9, 2011 at 12:18:37.

Notice that there is no damage to the bead itself. Tire is a Kenda Kwest, high-pressure version.

Notice that there is no damage to the bead itself.

Title: Notice that there is no damage to the bead itself.
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₅₅ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on January 5, 2011 at 15:50:31.

Inside of suspicious tear. This one is big enough for a tube to blow out through the opening. Tire is a Kenda Kwest, high-pressure version.

Inside of suspicious tear.

Title: Inside of suspicious tear.
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₈₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on January 5, 2011 at 15:43:28.

A suspicious tear in the cloth strip along the bead. This tire had given me four flats in one day. While fixing it by the road I did not notice this tear. Tire is a Kenda Kwest, high-pressure version.

A suspicious tear in the cloth strip along the bead.

Title: A suspicious tear in the cloth strip along the bead.
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₄₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on January 5, 2011 at 15:32:14.

Broken side plate on chain This chain is on a Grasshopper FX with about 6000 miles and about 15 months. Time to get a new chain!. Photo courtesy of Zach Kaplan.

Broken side plate on chain

Title: Broken side plate on chain
Exposure: , at
Camera and Lens
Datetime: Image captured on December 18, 2010 at 22:43:20.

Broken chain link plate. One can see that this plate cracked in the middle (rusty metal), then spread to the outsides (shiny metal) and finally failed.

Broken chain link plate.

Title: Broken chain link plate.
Exposure: 400, ¹⁄₁₀₅ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on November 27, 2010 at 19:09:01.

Bogdan Marian's busted hub Zipp 182 hub built into a Zipp 404 rear wheel (ca. 2007)

Bogdan Marian's busted hub

Title: Bogdan Marian's busted hub
Exposure: 100, ¹⁄₄₀₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on November 6, 2010 at 11:26:07.

Hall sensor intermittent short The adjacent wire that was tightly-bound to the wire shown in the previous photo was shorting intermittently. This essentially disabled the Hall sensor causing the motor to run slightly roughly and be unable to start from a stop when the rotor was in certain positions. This was one of my custom Hall harnesses I made for a 300-watt BMC motor. I was rather relieved to find that it was my error and that I did not receive a batch of defective Hall sensors! But, redoing the work was tedious.

Hall sensor intermittent short

Title: Hall sensor intermittent short
Exposure: 400, ¹⁄₁₄₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on November 2, 2010 at 14:26:42.

Hall sensor intermittent short. Sharp wire strand poked through the insulation at the center of the photo and punctured the adjacent wire's sheathing (shown in the next photo).

Hall sensor intermittent short.

Title: Hall sensor intermittent short.
Exposure: 400, ¹⁄₁₄₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on November 2, 2010 at 14:26:17.

Blow-off! I got this while descending Jamison Creek Rd. The tire blew off just downhill from the bottom of the steep part, just as I was thinking I made it down without trouble. The tear is about 1/4" long and is between the embossed patterns of the cloth rim strip (right) and the tire bead (left), right where one would expect a blow-off to occur. When I stopped I could smell hot rubber, and my rims had to be cooled with water before I could fix the flat.

Blow-off!

Title: Blow-off!
Exposure: 800, ¹⁄₁₈₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on July 24, 2010 at 13:53:47.

Gold Rush headtube/downtube weld, right side.

Gold Rush headtube/downtube weld, right side.

Title: Gold Rush headtube/downtube weld, right side.
Exposure: 80, ¹⁄₃₄₀ sec at f/4.5
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on May 16, 2010 at 11:40:07.

Gold Rush headtube/downtube weld, left side.

Gold Rush headtube/downtube weld, left side.

Title: Gold Rush headtube/downtube weld, left side.
Exposure: 80, ¹⁄₃₂₀ sec at f/4.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on May 16, 2010 at 11:39:48.

Gold Rush headtube/downtube crack, right side.

Gold Rush headtube/downtube crack, right side.

Title: Gold Rush headtube/downtube crack, right side.
Exposure: 80, ¹⁄₃₂₀ sec at f/4.5
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on May 16, 2010 at 11:24:47.

Gold Rush headtube/downtube crack, left side. Notice that there are two smaller cracks on the weld boundary to the right of the main crack.

Gold Rush headtube/downtube crack, left side.

Title: Gold Rush headtube/downtube crack, left side.
Exposure: 80, ¹⁄₄₅₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on May 16, 2010 at 11:22:29.

Gold Rush crack in headtube/downtube weld.

Gold Rush crack in headtube/downtube weld.

Title: Gold Rush crack in headtube/downtube weld.
Exposure: 80, ¹⁄₃₀₀ sec at f/4.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on May 16, 2010 at 11:22:15.

Blowout site (3) Inside tire casing.

Blowout site (3)

Title: Blowout site (3)
Exposure: 80, ¹⁄₂₅₀ sec at f/4.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on May 1, 2010 at 09:43:08.

Blowout site

Blowout site

Title: Blowout site
Exposure: 80, ¹⁄₂₅₀ sec at f/4.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on May 1, 2010 at 09:42:27.

Easy Racer seat repair using rivets with washers. The washers keep the rivets from pulling out.

Easy Racer seat repair using rivets with washers.

Title: Easy Racer seat repair using rivets with washers.
Exposure: 400, ¹⁄₁₂₅ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on December 12, 2009 at 11:50:19.

Looks like a crack but isn't. (3)

Looks like a crack but isn't. (3)

Title: Looks like a crack but isn't. (3)
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₂₅ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on December 5, 2009 at 17:58:54.

Crack on clamping area. This aluminum crack developed on the mount I use for my tailbox on one of my bikes. You can see the outline of the clamping washer. The material is anodized aluminum 1/16" thick. I replaced this mount with a similar mount using 1/8" thick aluminum. The mount had lasted many years, but recently I had begun to carry spare batteries in my tailbox, and the extra weight was too much for the 1/16" aluminum.

Crack on clamping area.

Title: Crack on clamping area.
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₂₅₀ sec at f/4.7
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on November 23, 2009 at 19:57:45.

Buckle glued to shoe. The trick is to sand the glued surfaces so that they're rough, then use a strong glue.

Buckle glued to shoe.

Title: Buckle glued to shoe.
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₀₀ sec at f/8.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on November 4, 2009 at 23:22:55.

Sidi Dominator buckle repair. E6000 to the rescue!

Sidi Dominator buckle repair.

Title: Sidi Dominator buckle repair.
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₂₅₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on November 4, 2009 at 09:15:28.

Broken buckle on Sidi Dominator shoe. So, the whole thing is attached with one screw at this flimsy tab of plastic!

Broken buckle on Sidi Dominator shoe.

Title: Broken buckle on Sidi Dominator shoe.
Exposure: 400, ¹⁄₁₂₅ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on November 4, 2009 at 09:03:50.

Mid-point of failure. Maybe the failure started at the middle and spread outward. Conclusion is that the rim bed and wall is too thin and needs more material to be reliable.

Mid-point of failure.

Title: Mid-point of failure.
Exposure: 100, ¹⁄₃₂₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on October 24, 2009 at 10:26:39.

One end of rim wall failure. The base of the rim wall is just over 1mm thick. The wall is thickest at the bead, then tapers at the base. It's not obvious that this failure started at this end, even though the metal at the outside edge of the bead is slightly discolored. It's not a natural weak spot.

One end of rim wall failure.

Title: One end of rim wall failure.
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₂₀₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on October 24, 2009 at 10:25:49.

End of rim wall tear. The separation of the rim wall with the bed continues past the point where the rim wall tore completely off, leading me to believe that the failure did not start here, as I initially thought upon inspection.

End of rim wall tear.

Title: End of rim wall tear.
Exposure: 100, ¹⁄₃₄₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on October 24, 2009 at 10:23:45.

Rim wall torn at base of rim. The rim is a nearly new Greenspeed Scorcher disk brake 406 rim on which a Primo Comet (406x54) had been mounted and inflated to 80 psi. The rim was built into a front wheel of a tandem and failed while being ridden.

Rim wall torn at base of rim.

Title: Rim wall torn at base of rim.
Exposure: 100, ¹⁄₂₈₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on October 24, 2009 at 10:23:28.

Rim bed torn at spoke hole. This tear occurred after the rim wall failed while the tire was running flat. The rim is a nearly new Greenspeed Scorcher disk brake 36-hole 406 rim (manufactured by Velocity) on which a Primo Comet (54mm) had been mounted and inflated to 80 psi. The rim was built into a front wheel of a tandem and failed while being ridden. Fortunately, no one was injured.

Rim bed torn at spoke hole.

Title: Rim bed torn at spoke hole.
Exposure: 80, ¹⁄₂₅₀ sec at f/4.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on October 24, 2009 at 10:22:16.

No cracks yet, but rim shows evidence of yielding around the spoke hole. Actually, there is a small crack just starting at the center of the image. The spoke hole edge is jagged, giving many opportunities for cracks to initiate.

No cracks yet, but rim shows evidence of yielding around the spoke hole.

Title: No cracks yet, but rim shows evidence of yielding around the spoke hole.
Exposure: 400, ¹⁄₁₂₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on August 16, 2009 at 11:11:23.

Close-up of crack in rim. Ritchey OCR Comp rim.

Close-up of crack in rim.

Title: Close-up of crack in rim.
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₁₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on August 16, 2009 at 11:09:13.

Spoke hole cracks just starting.

Spoke hole cracks just starting.

Title: Spoke hole cracks just starting.
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₂₅ sec at f/5.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on August 16, 2009 at 11:07:46.

Spoke hole cracks in Ritchey OCR Comp rim. (2)

Spoke hole cracks in Ritchey OCR Comp rim. (2)

Title: Spoke hole cracks in Ritchey OCR Comp rim. (2)
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₂₈₀ sec at f/5.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on August 16, 2009 at 11:06:33.

Spoke hole cracks on Ritchey OCR Comp rim. (1)

Spoke hole cracks on Ritchey OCR Comp rim. (1)

Title: Spoke hole cracks on Ritchey OCR Comp rim. (1)
Exposure: 400, ¹⁄₁₈₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on August 16, 2009 at 11:05:17.

Pursuit chainstay crack, chainstay end. The material is Titanium 3/2.5 (Grade 9).

Pursuit chainstay crack, chainstay end.

Title: Pursuit chainstay crack, chainstay end.
Exposure: 80, ¹⁄₃₄₀ sec at f/4.0
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on July 5, 2009 at 11:26:13.

Pursuit chainstay crack, crotch end.

Pursuit chainstay crack, crotch end.

Title: Pursuit chainstay crack, crotch end.
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₄₂₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on July 5, 2009 at 11:14:46.

Pursuit right chainstay crack closeup.

Pursuit right chainstay crack closeup.

Title: Pursuit right chainstay crack closeup.
Exposure: 100, ¹⁄₄₅₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on July 5, 2009 at 11:14:19.

Pursuit frame crack at right chainstay joint with main tube. I discovered this crack just as I was starting out for a ride when the bike felt more squishy than usual when I sat down on it. It also seemed sink down in a slightly asymmetric way. Just as one might check the parking brake when a car feels sluggish, I felt down below my seat for any obvious sign of frame failure, and felt a sharp ridge where there should only have been a smooth weld bead.

Pursuit frame crack at right chainstay joint with main tube.

Title: Pursuit frame crack at right chainstay joint with main tube.
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₂₁₀ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on July 5, 2009 at 10:43:13.

Frayed brake cable. This cable came out of an old-fashioned road bike brake lever, the kind where the cables exited at the top of the hood. This cable had been functioning for quite a while with a briken strand.

Frayed brake cable.

Title: Frayed brake cable.
Exposure: 200, ¹⁄₁₀₅ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on June 30, 2009 at 20:29:46.

Blowoff! This one is too large to patch.

Blowoff!

Title: Blowoff!
Exposure: 80, ¹⁄₄₀₀ sec at f/4.5
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on May 9, 2009 at 16:34:02.

Loose pin on Paul's Moto-Lite V-brake. I continue to use this brake after I pressed in the pin and added a dab of glue in the blind hole.

Loose pin on Paul's Moto-Lite V-brake.

Title: Loose pin on Paul's Moto-Lite V-brake.
Exposure: 800, ⅙ sec at f/2.8
Camera and Lens: FUJIFILM FinePix F10
Datetime: Image captured on April 20, 2009 at 18:51:19.

Inside of tire at bulge. Notice that the rubber on the inside appears to be burnt. Maybe that had something to do with the tire's premature failure, although note that the innermost cords are not broken.