There is a certain thrill of riding off road and surely most of us love to take the road less traveled sometimes. But travelling on an off road path has its own set of challenges and issues especially for the bikes which are loaded with Alloy Wheels. Alloy wheels are great; they are strong, sturdy and really great to house tubeless tyres. But all this comes at a cost, that they are not flexible like spoke wheels which are the recommended ones for off-roading. But we are not always that well loaded to afford to have separate spoke wheels for our bikes when we wish to go off-roading and so we have to make do with what we have. So here is a small list of precautions to take care of in case you happen to be riding off road on alloy wheels.1. Try to avoid as many bumps as possible
Off roads are full of bumps and natural potholes. So it is always a good idea to avoid as many as possible. For most people staying in India, this should not be an issue as we have so many potholes on our roads already; we are practically experts in giving them a miss. So that is exactly what you have to follow pretty much all the time. This way you can make sure to avoid most of the chances of getting your alloys bent of cracked.
2. Stand on foot pegs if encountering a major bumpIf you happen to be going through a huge bump and know that you will not be able to avoid it, the best thing to do is to stand up on the foot pegs. Not only will this allow you to keep yourself safe from the jolt of the bump on your body, especially your back; but it will also make sure to balance your weight properly and not apply uneven stress on the wheels.
3. Keep tyre pressure 2-3 psi less than recommended
Tyres with excess pressure are hard and that makes them really easy to glide on the road. This is great if you are riding on the highway for good speed and efficiency, but when going off road, it is always better to have them a little soft. This gives the tyres a bit more flexibility to absorb bumps and helps keep the stress off the alloy wheels to keep them protected.
4. Have the tyre tubed up for just in case situationJust in case that the rim might break or bend a little, the air inside will start escaping. So in case you do not want that to happen, the better option is to get the tyres tubed up. So if the alloy wheel does happen to crack or bend, you can always keep riding peacefully as the air will not start leaking leaving you stranded with a flat.
5. Make sure you have no rim bends or cracks beforehand
We are trying not to get new ones, but it is of no use if you already have old ones. So get your alloy wheels checked up beforehand so that if you do have any minor ones, they could grow through the journey and put you in a pickle.
6. When going through bumps do not use hard brakingOne thing many people do not realize is that even though you have disc brakes, the braking does put a good amount of stress on the alloy wheels. For this reason it is recommended that you make sure the wheel is in as less stress as possible when entering a bad pothole or bumps on the road. This is why if you happen to be going into a bump, try not braking at all when entering inside the bump. Make sure to get as much as braking done before entering inside and then let go off the brakes when getting in. Also it would help a little to apply a little acceleration so that the wheel will move and get you out quicker without taking any damage at all.
So these are some basic precautions for you to consider when going off road on a bike equipped with alloy wheels. If you also have any experiences and tips to add to this, please mention them in the comments section below and we can add them up here so that our bikers’ community can be greatly helped with these tips for all of them who are planning to go off-roading but have alloy wheels and do share with your friends as well.
By: Pratik Patole