Power Kite Forum

I need a new rim

kiteballoon - 24-7-2015 at 01:24 PM

Sometimes it feels like my buggy hates me. It might be because it's given my nothing but trouble with every set of wheels I put on it. Sigh.

Anyways, I recently returned from a beach trip, dropped my buggy onto the ground to empty the sand, and jumped when I heard a gunshot. Mind you, this was quite late after dark.

This was the gunshot.





Yep, the tire apparently blew the little plastic rim clean off.

Anyone seen something like this before? Anyone got another PL plastic rim?

awindofchange - 24-7-2015 at 02:59 PM

We got them in stock. This usually happens when the tire is over-inflated. One thing to remember is that when you inflat them cold and then put them out on the hot beach, the air pressure builds up inside quite a bit and sometimes will blow the rim apart. We see this more often in Vegas when the temps get over 110 out on Ivanpah. People fill their wheels up first thing in the morning when it is cooler - maximum recommended air pressure for max speed and later on in the afternoon when the sun beats down on that black tire.....BOOM.

Anyways, they are very inexpensive and easy to replace. You can purchase here:
http://www.awindofchange.com/product/peter-lynn-abswheels.ht...

Hope that helps.

rtz - 24-7-2015 at 03:02 PM

This wheel issue really needs to be addressed as it is a safety issue considering we are all riding around at speed on these wheels. If Peter Lynn(Vliegerop) wants to continue to use this brand of wheel; they should have the wheel mould modified so the wheel is ever so slightly thicker to keep this from happening.

I've personally contacted the wheel company about this in the past and they did remind me it is 'just a wheelbarrow wheel after all'. But they did seem open to Peter Lynn working with them to modify the wheel design.

http://www.starco.com/

http://vliegerop.com/

The old style 5 spoke wheel is reportedly stronger then the newer 8 spoke wheel from what I've read:

http://www.allterraintyres.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product...

Why could Vliegerop not go back to that model wheel?

I've personally seen 4 or 5 pictures of broken wheels that different people have had over the past couple years.

bigkid - 24-7-2015 at 03:12 PM

I thought the new style was made with a relief valve? This is more common than you would expect with the new style. I would find an older set or go with a different wheel manufacturer.

ssayre - 24-7-2015 at 03:40 PM

It's possible user error contributed. Kiteballoon has mentioned before that he uses slime in his tires. I too have since used slime in all of my tires and has fixed any leak issues I've had. However, I forgot about how that might affect the release valve. I can only imagine that it nullifies it. Maybe that's not a contributing factor but something to consider.

rtz - 24-7-2015 at 04:25 PM

It's just a resettable rubber plug. Make sure it can be pulled free and it's not "glued" to the wheel if you want the overpressure safety feature.



The plug has a T shape prong on the end of it to retain it in the wheel when it pops out.

indigo_wolf - 24-7-2015 at 04:52 PM

Quote: Originally posted by rtz  
This wheel issue really needs to be addressed as it is a safety issue considering we are all riding around at speed on these wheels. If Peter Lynn(Vliegerop) wants to continue to use this brand of wheel; they should have the wheel mould modified so the wheel is ever so slightly thicker to keep this from happening.


^^^ Hopefully, they would look at that as just part of the fix and would complement what with fiber reinforcement.

Ground Industries went that way between the 1st and 2nd generation CrossAir hubs.

Quote:

Fibres are used to strengthen thermoplastic compounds, improving physical properties such as modulus, tensile strength, heat deflection temperature and dimensional stability. The market for fibre reinforced thermoplastics continues to grow as they replace traditional materials such as metal and as users look for even better performance from plastics. Well-known advantages of thermoplastics over traditional materials include design freedom, reduced weight and corrosion resistance.


ATB,
Sam

soliver - 24-7-2015 at 06:31 PM

I had the same problem with my front wheel, Kiteballoon... It looks like you're running Midis too which is what I think partially contributed to it. My rims were the new kind and the pressure relief valve didn't blow, and I wasn't using slime either.... once I got a new rim (thanks BigKid) I used a tube... to me that makes the most sense because then the tube is taking on th forces of the air pressure rather than it being completely on the hub... I may be wrong, but if you have a tube in there and the rim cracks, the tube is more likely to continue to hold air... yes? no? maybe so?

acampbell - 24-7-2015 at 06:40 PM

The first time I saw the new "safety wheel", I saw the button labelled "reset" and I was like "WTF, this wheel runs on Windows?"

Seriously I have heard that there are rim problems with these, but that is anecdotal to me as I don't recall where I heard it. On one hand Kent is right that it is easy to over pressure wheels on a hot day but the safety valve should save that. The tire slime theory could explain it.

Sobering and unfortunate.

bigkid - 25-7-2015 at 04:16 AM

I had a Bigfoot tire blow off my old style pl wheel while it sat in the back yard. The tire blew off and landed 13' from the wheel. The tube was in a half dozen pieces between the tire and the wheel. The tire was fine and as was the wheel. I installed a new tube and remounted the tire to the same wheel and was back to normal.
The new style wheel along with the old style wheel, for those of you who don't know, are made by a 3rd party not pl. that's why the design change.
Think about it, if you use 1/5 less material in making the new design over the old style you make tons more money with no more work. Add a pressure release valve and you can charge more for the safety feature, even though it is needed to keep you from putting in to much air.
If you weigh the old-style with the new design you will definitely see a difference in weight, which transfers back to less material.

I have seen individuals who have put the tire on the new wheel and pumped it up and had it explode at that point, I have also seen similar pictures to what is posted earlier from those who have had the tire blow up in the back of the car. The safety valve does not always work. Best solution is run the tires at an extremely low pressure, or go to a different wheel.

bigkid - 25-7-2015 at 04:21 AM


This is a pic of the other tire that blew off half hour after the first one.
The tube is destroyed but the old style wheel is not damaged.

kiteballoon - 25-7-2015 at 08:22 AM

So today I learned what that silly little plug that doesn't move is on my wheels! I didn't put things together thinking it was a relief valve.

Now, as to why it happened, clearly as soliver pointed out, these tires are more demanding on my rims than the barrows they replaced. I can honestly say I never expected a pressure issue would cause the rim to break. Then again, I'm used to dealing with metal rims, heh. Definitely noted now! I think I was running 15-20 psi in these guys; I guess I'll go 10-15 now.

I do use slime in my tires, but as you can see, I didn't slime this tire actually (there may have been a little residue from the previous tire though, and indeed the valve was likely sealed from that). I had slimed the old barrows, but these definitely fit tight and I was in a hurry when I put them on. Given the fact they didn't loose any air, I'm not sure I will slime them. This was the first beach trip with the new tire set (since I didn't actually buggy at JIBE). I used tubes and then slime when buggying locally with barrows simply because the tires would never stay inflated without it. For the desert slime is a must for adventuring off the lakebed. I've settled on slime tubes for cleanup and quick change reasons (buying it ready to go makes for easy onsite repairs). I might do it differently if I was a local.

Anyways, as for slime and the safety valve, it's probably a valid concern. Given the new info in this thread, I suppose perhaps you should consider running tubes with slime inside if you have the newer design like me. That would avoid the safety release valve from being sealed, but I'm still not sure it would save your rim if it came to it. From the sounds of things, I'd be better off with an older buggy and rim. Buggying with pbc has meant I'm often borrowing his gear, and even his old comp buggy is better built than mine (though it definitely flexes as peter thin :-) ).

Thanks for the info on a replacement. Good to know I don't have to buy another tire set. That said, can anyone suggest a straight replacement for the rims and tires I have? Don't need to set any speed records on this buggy, but it would be nice to have something a bit more durable. Having gone through the experience of a 'new' buggy, and the required fixes and maintenance after only a few dozen sessions, I would definitely go for a custom built bug if I could start over.