[cloudguy]

Went on a ride yesterday and noticed a persistent, yet intermittent, rear wheel tire rub on a long steep climb where the subtle increase in friction every wheel rotation started to affect my pedaling. I was confused as to why this was happening, so I took it to the same shop that had replaced the rims this past January. They looked at it and concluded that the rear rim was bent, since they couldn't get it trued on the stand and also because of the intermittent nature of the rub. The rim is a Bontrager Race X-lite aluminum clincher, which I have so far been happy with - my last set of X-lite rims had to be replaced because the rim walls were finally worn down from braking. I don't recall riding over any potholes or bumps that could have damaged my rim - a question that the shop guy asked when looking at the wheel. Also, its not like I'm riding anywhere that I haven't ridden in the past 15 years with no rims getting bent. Do I have any standing to push for a warranty of the rim (which now has around 5000 miles on it) or is it just bad luck on my part as the shop person has suggested? If I have to suck it up and replace the rim, should I go with totally different brand (which would also require replacing the front rim for aesthetic reasons - silly, I know) or stick with Bontrager?

Thanks in advance for any insight.