I've read in other threads on various sites about how people have bent their street bike wheels and had to replace them. I broke a set of 18"s on a car when I hit a pothole on a dirt/paved road and don't ever want to have to do that again. I'm afraid I'm going to bend or break the wheels on my R1 now. I rode it to our house in the mountains the other day which you have to go up a fairly rough gravel road for about 3-4 miles. It did okay but now I'm afraid to do it again. Should I stick to just pavement or can they take abuse on gravel roads? Are they that easy to bend? Also should I be worried about having bent them the other day or are they most likely fine? I've ridden it quite a bit since and it's done okay as far as I can tell. I want to ride up there again but should I stay away and just take the car or truck instead? Thanks.

 

They'll be fine on gravel roads. If anything, they'll get a bit scratched up from the rocks. Just watch out - you have a lot less traction on gravel than asphalt.

 

Yup I was a little weary of how it would handle on gravel but it did fine. This road is really bumpy and rough but it still did decent. I'm used to it sliding as I've been riding dirt for years so kind of used to it. I just went slow so that it didn't slide too much that I couldn't control it.

 

I would try to keep it from sliding at all. Once you get that R1 leaned at all while sliding, the tires will go. Get some knobbies if you'll hit that road often

 

 

^^ hahahahahahahahaah.

 

OP, gravel or a dirt road will not bend a rim... hitting a expansion joint or pot hole at speed where your tire becomes completely deflected/compressed will.

 

Ok thanks. I was just worried as this road is basically just a washboard where it's super bumpy but I am thinking that that should be just find after hearing others say how hard it is to bend them.

I don't ride it often usually but I'd just rather ride up there than drive right now. It's a almost 4 mile road and a almost 1 mile driveway that's gravel. The rest is pavement. Nice once you get there but it's a pain getting there.

 

If you haven't ridden dirt much before... it's best if you use your legs as dampers when riding over bumps or irregular surfaces.

if you have ever noticed more experienced riders often unweight themselves fractions of a second before going over a bump by raising there *** off the seat slightly. this unweights the bike momentarily and puts much less weight on the road because your legs(knees bent) keep the torso/body level as the bike moves upward abruptly... like an extra set of shocks for that moment

if you're riding over a longer period, say a bumpy road... do the ride by keeping yourself off the seat in the more gnarly sections

 

Yup that works wonders. It's a common thing I've learned when riding dirtbikes.