Just Keep it Rolling: How Ruaridh Cunningham‘s Destroyed Wheel Made it Through EWS Ainsa
It's one of those worst case scenarios when it comes to EWS racing - especially if the race is going well: mechanical failure that would mean a five-minute replacement time penalty or pulling out of the race. Ruaridh Cunningham was on roll in Ainsa, taking ninth on stage one and sixth on stage two. Then disaster struck - a flat twenty seconds into stage three that almost cost him a DNF. With stage three being so short, RC kept riding to the finish and then attempted to fix the flat. The tire had rolled off the rim and had been caught in the rotor. The damage to the rim and tire meant that it would not hold air. With the help of fellow racers, RC put in a tube, installed the tire, and then zip-tied the tire in place. The tire held until about three-quarters of the way down stage four, then it rolled off with a bang at the finish. RC put the tire over his shoulder and pedaled back to the castle on the rim, thinking that this race had pretty much gone into the bin.
Ruaridh is still marveling at that 7.83 lb wheel and how it got him through the race and with a 10th place finish on stage 7.
The rim was trashed by the time he got back, but team mechanic, Tyler West, wasn't sure the game was over just yet. Back at the house, he found an old rusty pair of snips for trimming horse hooves. They were rusty as hell and made him question whether or not he would need a tetanus shot when this was over. Then, he got to work. The snips were perfect for leveraging the crushed rim bead and pulling it back up and out. Next, all of the newly acquired sharp edges were filed down and the crack through the seam of the hoop had to be addressed. Tyler threaded a spoke through the inner spoke holes on either side of the crack and twisted it together (extra insurance if there was a failure).
Stage four. The zip ties were starting to give out and the wheel sounded awful.
Instead of the traditional Bontrager rim strip, three layers of rim tape were added and a Flat Tire Defender was installed. A wire bead G5 was put on the rim and 3/4 of a liter of sealant was injected and, finally, the tire was epoxied onto the rim. However, the tire wasn't holding air. It was getting late. The valve was removed from the FTD and a tube was then inserted with sealant inside the tire just in case. Besides, it seemed like it would be a good lubricant to protect the tube in the case of sudden harsh impacts. The tire was re-epoxied onto the rim and then the whole enchilada was inflated. Little sleep was had that night.
With a strong start, Ruaridh found himself in dire straits after a flat, twenty seconds into stage three.
After making it back to the pits at the end of day one, it was time to figure out what to do.
Ridden hard, but still a circle. It was time to get to work.
Necessity is the mother of invention and the prospect of a 5 minute penalty made invention necessary. Tyler West gets creative with a set of rusty horseshoe-removing snips.
When Tyler came out in the morning to check the wheel, it was still holding air. Maximum air pressure was used to ensure the whole thing had a better chance of staying together. With the wheel back on the bike, tools were given to RC to ensure that he had what he needed if the proverbial doo-doo hit the fan. Honestly, if something went wrong, it was likely over at that point. But, it was up to RC to get down the hill over the course of three short stages with the wheel in one piece. The wheel wasn't easy to handle. The high pressure made it skip about over rough stuff instead of tracking like normal. Then, there was the weight of the thing - 7.83 pounds out back on a 29-inch wheel. It noticeably changed handling dynamics.
A new tire and lots of epoxy glue to bond it to the rim.
Two Stages down, one to go. It ain't pretty, but it's holding together.
Ultimately, RC made it through the day on one piece. He even took 10th on stage seven. Not bad. Not bad at all. It's not easy keeping a bike together over seven rough EWS stages, especially when you are feeling good and pushing it a little. Things happen. In this case, out of the box thinking and ingenuity prevailed. After taking 194th on stage three, RC pulled it back to take 36th in a classic case of teamwork making it happen.
Stage seven finish, RC crosses the line to place 37th in the overall and 10th on the final stage. Not too shabby.
These are the parts that got Ruaridh through EWS, round 7
Cracking through all the epoxy.
Rim tape was used so that both the FTD and a tube would fit.
A spoke was used to hold the cracked seam together.
Pretty straight despite the dents and cracks.
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At first, I was afraid, I was petrified
Kept thinking, I could never complete my race without you by my side
But then I spent so many long hill climbs thinking, I've raced so long
And I grew strong and I learned how to get along
And so you're back from that tough race
I just walked in to find you with that flat and my results displaced
I should have missed that stupid rock
I should have used an FTD
If I'd known for just one second you'd be back to bother me
Go on now, go, roll to the pits, Tyler and I
will gather tools and parts and see what fits
We'll get you tinkered up real nice
Using a hammer, snips, and vise
And then we'll race, oh, we'll race!
Oh, I will bend, but I won't break
And as long as I know how to race, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live, I've got all my strength to give
And I'll survive, I wheel survive, hey, hey
It took all the strength I had not to fall apart
Kept trying hard to mend the pieces of my broken wheel's parts(/objet de' art; mend my broken wheel covered in dried clart)?
And I spent, oh, so many nights threading that spoke in through the rim
I lost a tire but with some sealant, tape, and zipties held it in
And you see me, somebody new
I'm not that broken little wheel still useless to you
And even though I'm quite the mix, you can still land all of your tricks
'Cause now I'm holding it together, so trust me and let it free
Go on now, go, send all the gnar, just hit that berm now
'Cause you're not worried anymore
I've been reinforced with ev'rything short of duct tape
Go catch Martin and Sam, go pass Richie and break the tape!
Oh, yes, tis I, I wheel survive
Oh, as long as I know how to shred, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live, I've got all my steez to give
And I'll survive, I wheel survive, oh
Go on now, go, send all the gnar, just hit that berm now
'Cause you're not worried anymore
I've been reinforced with ev'rything short of duct tape
Go catch Martin and Sam, go pass Richie and break the tape!
Oh, yes, tis I, I wheel survive
Oh, as long as I know how to bike, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live, I've got all my trails to dig
And I'll survive, it did survive, my wheel survived
(As you can see, a little rough... it's late... I didn't decide on a thing or two... but I tried. Anyone wanna improve on this?)
me: I can't I have a flat
bae: me and my friend want to try new things
me: *grabs epoxy and tape*
EWS Course: "hold my beer"
Everyone: "aww its broken already"
Not DT Swiss...
Once on a ride with him he pulled a stunt like this. Blew my tire, didn’t have an extra tube, tire wouldnt stay on the rim. Pulled dozens of zip ties(always have a zip ties) and a bungy cord out of his pack, wrapped that tire on my Deemax rim. Didn’t finish the ride, but we got out of Wilson riding, not walking. Good to see you doing well man, been awhile.
- But...
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There's no excuse for what the bontragers are. They're unsuitable for anything but flow trails.
I was lucky enough to grab one of these long ago. They are epic. I don't know if anyone makes them anymore.
But yeah, someone should reproduce that tool.
therimsmith.com
this tool is quite long compared to the old morningstar, but works great. wish it didn't have the rotor truing tool attached to save some length, but whatev
Hope Pro4 hub, SRAM X01 11sp, 30mm iw carbon rim, CushCore, DD 29x2.35 DHR2, sealant and hardware is about 2.9kg (6.4 lb)
Just found out that you can now get epoxy that does not harm the enviroment, but proberly not as strong as toxic stuff used by bike industry, but will try it out and let you know if interested?
What does the rule actually state?
5.7: EQUIPMENT MARKING STICKERS
Only one frame, fork and one pair of wheels can be used by a competitor during a race.
ALL bike marking stickers must be placed on the Rider’s RIGHT HAND side of the bike.
Bike marking stickers must be placed on the bike by the rider or rider’s team prior to the race start. Any problems must be reported to the Race Director PRIOR to the race start.
Officially marked equipment:
- Fork Crown
- Swingarm / Rear triangle
- Front triangle
- Both wheel rims
Competitor’s bikes will be checked for marking at the start of the race and at the finish of every Special Stage. Other random checks of stickered equipment will be carried out throughout the race.
A rider can use unmarked equipment during training unless otherwise stated by the organiser.
Only upon approval of the Race Director, may a rider replace a frame, fork or wheel. Following the repair the rider must return to the Race Director to have the replacement part(s) re-marked before rejoining the race.
A 5 minute penalty will be awarded to every rider who, having received approval by the Race Director, replaces the equipment listed above.
Any rider found to have replaced a named/marked part without consent from the Race Director will be disqualified (DSQ).
Racers who lose their bike marking stickers prior to the start of the race may be assessed a time penalty.
I think the premise that an impact that bends aluminum in enough to shatter carbon needs to be tested. I've known more people who had to replace destroyed aluminum rims than carbon.
I'm we you. Prefer the ride and they have out lasted any alloy (bar ex729 lead beasts) Iv had easy.
Took 2.5 years instead of 6months and it didn't shatter at all in fact it didn't even loose air. Still perfectly round. Changed it anyway and then beat the hell out off it anyway against a wall where it cracked to see how weak it was. And nothing few chips in it still round. I need to do a beat down video with it. Blows my mind how strong it is and it's a broken one.
- Rides DH tracks, on a enduro bike, with XC rims...
Imagine if this happened in DH where most of the bike's running gear currently appears to be disposable during qualifying and/or the race itself...and certainly between events.
If the DH approach happened in EWS then the factory riders could literally be riding new bikes from one stage to the next...and that would be far from fair.