# Carrera Crosscity Folding Electric Bike 2017 - Splitting Cracked Rims



## NewWheels2017 (16 Apr 2019)

Thank you in advance for reading or replying to this. 

*RE: Question about how long a bike wheel should last for before it splits*

I decided to start cycling to work in July 2017. In that month I bought the 'Carrera Crosscity Folding Electric Bike 2017' from Cycle Republic.

It was all working fine until February 2019 (about 19 months later) when the back wheel split.

I phoned a Halford's store to ask how much a new wheel would cost, and they asked me if I had visited the store earlier to ask the same question, as some else had reported the exact same issue with the 'Carrera Crosscity Folding Electric Bike 2017' and they were aware that there was a backlog of orders for the back wheels for this particular model.

I ended up booking an appointment with Cycle Republic for repair, and they informed me that my only option was to buy a replacement back wheel, which was £150 (this is because it is an electric bike and the motor is built into the wheel).

When I collected the bike, and asked for the wheel with the split rim back, the nice chap who gave me my repaired bike back said he didn't know which one was mine because they had two wheels in the store with split rims from a 'Carrera Crosscity Folding Electric Bike 2017' as they had also carried out a replacement on another customer's bike that day.

At this point it seemed like the split might be more related to do with a poor built quality than my usage. My cycle commute is about 15 minutes, which I make everyday weekdays, apart from Dec/Jan.

Cycle Republic customer service has told me that they aren't aware of any issue with the 'Carrera Crosscity Folding Electric Bike 2017' and that the split rims occur with normal use, and are more likely to occur with electric bikes and bikes with 20" wheels.

Has anyone else had this issue with a split rim on a electric/20" wheel bike after 19 months? And/or would this be considered reasonable a wheel to only last 19 months?

Keywords: Carrera Crosscity Folding Electric Bike 2017 Splitting split cracki cracked rims wheel

https://www.cyclerepublic.com/carrera-crosscity-folding-electric-bike.html


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## Yellow Saddle (16 Apr 2019)

Both those rims split due to brake pad wear. The smaller the wheel, the quicker it wears.
It will happen again, it is normal. 
That's probably a rear wheel, in which case, you may want to learn to use your front brake more than your rear. That saves rims.


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## fossyant (16 Apr 2019)

Brake pad wear - just get a new rim built in.

I've done one the same on a commuting road bike - but with 110 PSI in the rear wheel it exploded quite spectacularly going round a round a bout. 

I used to wear rims out in 18 months even on my fixed wheel bike whilst commuting in an urban/city environment.


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## fossyant (16 Apr 2019)

Not poor quality etc, it's wear and tear


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## raleighnut (16 Apr 2019)

Any competent wheelbuilder could re rim that wheel easy, I'd want the old one back for the (now spare) motor unit.


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## keithmac (16 Apr 2019)

As said you could have your old wheel rebuilt and ready to go!.

My Gtechs done well so far (3 years) but I keep an eye on the wear markers on the rims (black indented line).


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## chriscross1966 (16 Apr 2019)

Also look at your brake pads... thete are great ones that the pads wear fast but save the rims, and there are some effective ones that are quite abrasive and will eat rims, especially cheaper end of the market small wheelers. Talk to your LBS....


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## Kell (17 Apr 2019)

I would disagree with the above.

It seems like it's prematurely worn to me.

I had a similar thing happen to me on my Brompton after what I considered to be too few mile, but most people seemed to say that it's because I didn't clean them often enough.

The thread's here:

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/rear-rims-just-cracked.205315/


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## Yellow Saddle (17 Apr 2019)

Kell said:


> I would disagree with the above.
> 
> It seems like it's prematurely worn to me.
> 
> ...



You seemed to have learnt nothing from previous advice and still stubbornly insist that it is a faulty product.

A rim is a wear part.
A smaller rim wears quicker than a large one.
A dirty rim wears quicker than a clean one.
A rim splits because the wear track is worn thin and air pressure presses it outwards, initiating the crack.
The fact that was the first time it happened to you is not proof that it should happen routinely.
Rims don't wear through shear mileage, but through braking applied over distance. 
If you cycle a million miles and never brake, your rim will not fail at the brake track.
This is not a mystery, rocket science, unusual, an anomaly or conspiracy.


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## Kell (17 Apr 2019)

Yellow Saddle said:


> You seemed to have learnt nothing from previous advice and still stubbornly insist that it is a faulty product.
> 
> A rim is a wear part.
> A smaller rim wears quicker than a large one.
> ...



As far as i can see there was nothing in the previous thread that constituted good advice. Lots of hearsay and supposition about cleaning regimes.

Have you learnt (sic) nothing from the update I posted which says that the replacement rim lasted well over twice as many miles over the same route in London and which now includes a daily 40mph hill that I brake on - putting even more 'wear' on the rim.

As far as I am concerned, 16 months is an unacceptably short period of time for a rim to last. That might be OK if you were doing 100 miles a day in a city where you're braking from a fast speed to a slow speed very often. 

But the OP said 15 minute commute (each way). 30 minutes of cycling for me is around 7.5 miles. Do that 5 days a week and it's 37.5 miles a week. Multiply that by 16 months at 4.3 weeks per month (as the OP stated they don't cycle in Dec/Jan) and you get 2,580 miles. There or thereabouts. 

Longer than the wheel I referred to lasted, but then it's a 20" wheel as opposed to a 16" wheel. With a circumference of around 62.8 inches as opposed to 50.2. so in actual terms because "*a smaller rim wears quicker (sic) than a large one*," it should have lasted 2,750 miles to be the equivalent of mine.

You also seem unable to understand that I've been commuting by bike for over 20 years, and riding bikes for more than 40. The Brompton has only been for four of those. Never in that time has any other rim on any other bike I've owned split. And I rode the same route for five years previously on a Dahon with 26" wheels (81.6 inch circumference) and used the same cleaning 'regime'. By your logic my Dahon's wheels would have lasted around 3,520 miles before my rear rim split. If that was normal wear.

But it didn't. So I still argue that it isn't.

That wheelset lasted for over 10,000 miles on that bike and when I junked the bike because the frame cracked, I kept the wheels and transferred them to another bike of mine. And guess what, they're still going strong with minimal signs of wear.


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## Yellow Saddle (17 Apr 2019)

Kell said:


> As far as i can see there was nothing in the previous thread that constituted good advice. Lots of hearsay and supposition about cleaning regimes.
> 
> Have you* learnt (sic) *nothing from the update I posted which says that the replacement rim lasted well over twice as many miles over the same route in London and which now includes a daily 40mph hill that I brake on - putting even more 'wear' on the rim.
> 
> As far as I am concerned, 16 months is an unacceptably short period of time for a rim to last. That might be OK if you were doing 100 miles a day in a city where you're braking from a fast speed to a slow speed very often.



Well that jab just backfired on you.


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## Yellow Saddle (17 Apr 2019)

Kell said:


> As far as i can see there was nothing in the previous thread that constituted good advice. Lots of hearsay and supposition about cleaning regimes.
> 
> Have you learnt (sic) nothing from the update I posted which says that the replacement rim lasted well over twice as many miles over the same route in London and which now includes a daily 40mph hill that I brake on - putting even more 'wear' on the rim.
> 
> ...



I see now, it is a conspiracy against you because:

Tenure trumps fact.
Anecdote trumps reason.
Miles count more than use during miles.
Variables can be eliminated with simple arithmetic.
It has never happened before, therefore it can't happen.
Cleaning doesn't remove abrasive paste.
You have experience with wheels which never wear out.


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## fossyant (17 Apr 2019)

It's wear. Also factor in wetter rides will increase wear. As said, I'd go through rims in 18 months of urban commuting, and that was on a fixie, with additional leg braking. The rim is also filthy, increasing wear.

It looks just like mine did when it went bang.


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## Kell (17 Apr 2019)

Yellow Saddle said:


> I see now, it is a conspiracy against you because:
> 
> Tenure trumps fact.
> Anecdote trumps reason.
> ...



No I have experience with several wheel sets over the same conditions during a total period of 15 years. The fact that I have ridden the same route day-in, day-out for that amount of time would all but eliminate variables in any reasonable test. 

You seem to be either incapable of accepting that fact or are being deliberately obtuse for the sake of appearing clever. Ironically. 

I don’t think it’s a conspiracy. And it’s not anecdotal. Rational thought would dictate that if it only happens once, that’s the anomaly, not the norm. 

Regardless of whether or not you agree, I don’t think that it’s acceptable. 

Still i’m on my third rear rim now so how many miles do you predict this one will last? Maybe I’ll update this thread in another 2,000 miles and accept that they do wear out more quickly. Or maybe it will be in over 5,000 in which case two out three wins it for me. 

Whichever way it goes, I think it’s unacceptable. 

Oh and you’re right about the jab. Cheap shot and that did backfire. For some reason I thought you were American.


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## NewWheels2017 (11 May 2019)

Many thanks all for the feedback! 

I can see how cycling in a city, which results in a lot of braking, and the additional force of the back wheel has contributed to the rim splitting in this way.

I think my takeaway from this is that:

Keep the rims clean to lessen abrasion 
Check the quality of my brake pads
Use the back brakes less often (where possible)
Look into whether the back wheel (with the built in motor) can be rebuilt


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## raleighnut (11 May 2019)

NewWheels2017 said:


> Look into whether the back wheel (with the built in motor) can be rebuilt



It can, trust me it can. Whether you can find a shop with someone who can do it is the hard bit.


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## chriscross1966 (12 May 2019)

If Warlands can cram an Alfine into a deep section carbon rim for my Brompton then they can almost certainly rebuild a wheel onto a motor rim... they do do the Nano conversions too so they've built those kind of wheels before.


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## VinylJEDI (11 Jul 2019)

I've had exactly the same problem, my rear wheel split six days ago (from date of this post), almost exactly a year from when I purchased the bike from Cycle Republic.

I use it almost daily, I reckon maybe 9 to 10 miles a day and I'm almost always carrying stuff using from 1 to 3 panniers when I do the weekly big supermarket shop.

Cycle Republic opted to actually rebuild the wheel using a thicker rim and thicker spokes - dunno how much its going to cost me but I'll gladly pay because my other options are my cyclocross commuter with no pannier rack or my brother's 2010 Scott aspect mountain bike with a pannier fitted, no where near as fast or easy as the Carrera!


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## u_i (11 Jul 2019)

I think that such a rapid rim wear is pretty bad. I use wheels built by a top-notch builder on my full size bike and these wheels last until a rim is close to wearing off or an accident occurs. These wheels last 10y/20,000 miles or so before I decide that the rims are worn enough and I ride whole year, through snow, mud and salt. If you recalculate this to 20" wheels, it is still 7y/14,000+ miles. 

If I may speculate, if a brake rubs against the wheel and you power the bike with your own effort, you will notice this and take action to fix the brake. Maybe if you use the electric power you are less likely to notice the problem. Was the unusual rim wear accompanied by an usual brake pad wear? Did you change the pads many times since you got the bike? Was there anything particular about the pad wear when you looked at them? What brand did you use for the pads?


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## VinylJEDI (1 Aug 2019)

I just got my Carerra Crosscity E back from Leeds Cycle Republic, they rebuilt the back wheel using a Halo T2 toughened BMX rim and special custom sized spokes to accommodate the hub motor. They also replaced the tyre and inner tube, total price: £82.30.


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## VinylJEDI (1 Aug 2019)

NewWheels2017 said:


> Thank you in advance for reading or replying to this.
> 
> *RE: Question about how long a bike wheel should last for before it splits*
> 
> ...



YIKES - Looking at that picture I realised that yours was a lot worse than mine and I was carrying some pretty weighty stuff on my pannier rack on a weekly basis!


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## fiaz123 (22 Oct 2019)




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## fiaz123 (22 Oct 2019)

after enjoying 18 months of Carrera Crosscity Electric Bike, i got a splitting rim, 

I took it to Halfords - Bordesley Green (Birmingham)- and had to pay £150/= to replace 
the rear wheel, i was not given the option to replace the spit rim itself but rather the complete rear wheel. 
now I have a spare rear wheel with an electric motor but also with a split rim, 

I am hoping to replace the splitting rim, and was just wondering
how to procure a new rim which would fit with Carrera Crosscity Electric Bike.
now thanks to (*VinylJEDI*) posting, i know now that "*Halo T2 20" BMX Rim 36h with CNC braking surface*" would do the job.

I would post another update once I have replaced the spliting rim.

Kind Regards


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## fiaz123 (22 Oct 2019)

VinylJEDI said:


> I just got my Carerra Crosscity E back from Leeds Cycle Republic, they rebuilt the back wheel using a Halo T2 toughened BMX rim and special custom sized spokes to accommodate the hub motor. They also replaced the tyre and inner tube, total price: £82.30.



can you please confirm that I need to get [Halo T2 20" BMX Rim 36h with CNC braking surface]
https://www.halowheels.com/shop/components/rims/t2-20-rim/
to replace the splitted rim on my Carerra Crosscity E back, I just do not want to end up ordering the wrong one.

Kind Regards


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## spy2134 (20 Jul 2020)

Had the same problem and fixed it with the following

HALO T2 rim 36H CNC 20 inch rim £35 
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Halo-T2-20-BMX-Rim_102045.htm

Spoke wrech tool - spokes was size 13. most the tools cover 10-15 gauge.

View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/slp/spoke-key/7ec23pvtpgte3d3


Then the tools the removal the wheel

And voila job done, did take about 2 hours because of the wheel alignment. 

Please youtube about removing the spokes and wheel alignment lots of videos on there. I had to watch about 10 videos until I was comfortable.


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## keithmac (21 Jul 2020)

My Gtech is about ready for a new rear rim now (6 to 7,000 miles stop start commuting and never really cleaned!).

Will have to give it ago, I suppose for me that would be the benefit of disk brakes BUT it's over 4 years old and ridden through winter so not too shabby really.


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## Cols (11 Aug 2020)

spy2134 said:


> Had the same problem and fixed it with the following
> 
> HALO T2 rim 36H CNC 20 inch rim £35
> https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Halo-T2-20-BMX-Rim_102045.htm
> ...



Hi, could you tell me what length spokes you used as I'm doing the same conversion/wheel rims as you . Thanks. Cols.


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## spy2134 (26 Sep 2020)

Hey

I used the same spokes from the original wheel

Sorry not a bike mechanic, so not sure the actual size of them

Let me know If you have any other questions I'll try help out. 

It was a switch from 1 wheel to the other


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## Saracen (27 Oct 2020)

spy2134 said:


> Hey I used the same spokes from the original wheel Sorry not a bike mechanic, so not sure the actual size of them Let me know If you have any other questions I'll try help out. It was a switch from 1 wheel to the other


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## Asherd10 (23 Apr 2021)

Exact same thing happened to my carerra crosscity e. They tried to blame the brake pads and usage as well. But I get my bike checked regularly and a month prior to the rim splitting I had been given the all clear on the entire bike. They replaced the bike under the consumer rights act, but wouldn't pay for my injuries until I sued them under the consumer protection act. Apparently they don't run tests on all their bike rims that would identify micro fissures etc. Cutting costs. But that makes them liable.


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