View Full Version : dinged rim
scrooge
11-07-2005, 02:06 PM
I went out for a ride on Saturday, and for various reasons (read: poor judgment) ended up riding home in the rain/almost dark. Long story short, I hit something on the road (I think a hole) and dinged the side of my rim so that it is slightly bent in at one point. Should a good shop be able to straighten this out for me? Or am I going to have to figure out a way to explain to my wife that I need a new rear wheel again
Please...put my fears to rest.
Sorry to learn of your misfortune
In my case, the advice from the sage at the LBS was, effectively, "don't try to bend it back or it will eventually crack. Just ride it."
Truth be told I am no longer conscious of it. I don't feel it while braking, for example.
TimD
Fixed
11-07-2005, 03:57 PM
bro put a big fat cheap tire on it and use it for what you used it for i.m.h.o. cheers :beer:
scrooge
11-07-2005, 04:12 PM
Would such a dent increase my probability of flats or anything like that? Or woud I just be riding with a dented rim?
spoke tensioning, and a modicum of force, you may be able to save that wheel. Although the method below sounds crude, I was able to use it to save numberous wheels at least for a season...
A) mount the wheel in a truing stand, sans tire etc.
1) Loosen all of the spokes around the ding, possibly removing them from the rim, depending on the severity of the ding.
2) gently insert some sort of mechanism against the hub centre and against the underside of the ding. If you have the means to rip and cut a 2 X 4 to the correct length this may be your best option. Use a softer woodworking clamp to hold the wood in place. That is, place the jaws of the clamp in such a way that it holds the wood in place as if in a channel. If you have a set of spreader wood-working clamps these would be even better than the 2 X 4 method.
3) Insert a wedge shaped shim gently between the rim and the 2 X 4 and gently pressure it against the damaged portion of the rim. Insert more shims as needed, from opposite sides to keep the pressure almost equal. You may use a wooden mallet or something similar to manage the pressure properly.
4) Gently take two pieces of hardwood and fit them between a set of vise grips to push any rim deformations back into line with the braking surface of the rim.
5) Re-tension your spokes to their former tension, less a bit. Then true for the out of round section. You may do this by marking off the spokes, say four or five to each side of the ding, and tension all the rest of the spokes in the wheel evenly, one quarter turn at a time. This will force the rim to bulge out at the ding, and may yield a trued wheel.
Failing these methods, you can have a new rim transferred over to your old spokes if the bash wasn't too harsh (if it was a heavy blow, then all of your spokes may be over-stressed, and you'll need a new wheel.)
For what it's worth, riding a dinged rim is a dangerous thing to do. If, in an emergency, you have to engage your brakes aggressively, that ding could lead to an uncontrolled, albeit momentary, skid that could be very costly...
dvancleve
11-07-2005, 05:15 PM
Hi there.
Do you mean there is a flat spot in the rim now, or that one sidewall is bent in (or out) a bit but it is still round? You can definitely improve a bent sidewall, but you do need to be careful. Jobst Brandt's wheel book has some involved instructions for working out a flat spot, but I would only try it as a last resort.
If it is the sidewall, you need at least one thin cone wrench and a decent sized adjustable wrench or something like Vice-Grips. If the sidway is bent in toward the middle, put the cone wrench on the outside of the bend (kind of like a bridge) and adjust the other wrench so it is a snug fit over the sidewall and the cone wrench. VERY GENTLY, bend out right at the tallest part of the dent. The cone wrench keeps the adj. wrench from digging into the aluminum and cracking or gouging it and keeps you from bending it out too far. Try a couple small adjustments and check each time. You should be able to get it pretty close to good as new.
If the sidewall is bent out, try putting a cone wrench on each side of the rim and gently squeezing with Vice-Grips. You might also be able to tap it down. I would find a flat smooth surface (not sure what, maybe garage floor?) and gently tap the dent with a hammer. Again, work slowly and check a few times so you don't push it in too far.
Good luck,
Doug
P.S. Yes, a GOOD shop should be able to improve it...
I went out for a ride on Saturday, and for various reasons (read: poor judgment) ended up riding home in the rain/almost dark. Long story short, I hit something on the road (I think a hole) and dinged the side of my rim so that it is slightly bent in at one point. Should a good shop be able to straighten this out for me? Or am I going to have to figure out a way to explain to my wife that I need a new rear wheel again
Please...put my fears to rest.
loctite
11-07-2005, 05:23 PM
spoke tensioning, and a modicum of force, you may be able to save that wheel. Although the method below sounds crude, I was able to use it to save numberous wheels at least for a season...
A) mount the wheel in a truing stand, sans tire etc.
1) Loosen all of the spokes around the ding, possibly removing them from the rim, depending on the severity of the ding.
2) gently insert some sort of mechanism against the hub centre and against the underside of the ding. If you have the means to rip and cut a 2 X 4 to the correct length this may be your best option. Use a softer woodworking clamp to hold the wood in place. That is, place the jaws of the clamp in such a way that it holds the wood in place as if in a channel. If you have a set of spreader wood-working clamps these would be even better than the 2 X 4 method.
3) Insert a wedge shaped shim gently between the rim and the 2 X 4 and gently pressure it against the damaged portion of the rim. Insert more shims as needed, from opposite sides to keep the pressure almost equal. You may use a wooden mallet or something similar to manage the pressure properly.
4) Gently take two pieces of hardwood and fit them between a set of vise grips to push any rim deformations back into line with the braking surface of the rim.
5) Re-tension your spokes to their former tension, less a bit. Then true for the out of round section. You may do this by marking off the spokes, say four or five to each side of the ding, and tension all the rest of the spokes in the wheel evenly, one quarter turn at a time. This will force the rim to bulge out at the ding, and may yield a trued wheel.
Failing these methods, you can have a new rim transferred over to your old spokes if the bash wasn't too harsh (if it was a heavy blow, then all of your spokes may be over-stressed, and you'll need a new wheel.)
For what it's worth, riding a dinged rim is a dangerous thing to do. If, in an emergency, you have to engage your brakes aggressively, that ding could lead to an uncontrolled, albeit momentary, skid that could be very costly...
Our do something fun with your Saturday besides wasting hours on a lost cause and spring for a new rim around $125 replaced!
bostondrunk
11-07-2005, 05:25 PM
I went out for a ride on Saturday, and for various reasons (read: poor judgment) ended up riding home in the rain/almost dark. Long story short, I hit something on the road (I think a hole) and dinged the side of my rim so that it is slightly bent in at one point. Should a good shop be able to straighten this out for me? Or am I going to have to figure out a way to explain to my wife that I need a new rear wheel again
Please...put my fears to rest.
buy a new rim ($9.99 to $$$...) and rebuild the wheel!
Too Tall
11-07-2005, 05:32 PM
Ehhh. Not fixable. You use-ta-could (g-d bless Jeff Foxworthy). Steel rims can often be fixed, heck Park even made some cool plyers for this...but saddly my friend Aluminum hates to be moved.
I've lived with dings like this for many many miles your call. I've also used melted ptex and sand paper to fill in the dent so that braking is less of a PITA...still not perfect.
jdoiv
11-07-2005, 05:37 PM
and the tire is staying on, then I say ride it. Just think of the pulsing brake sensation as poor mans' abs (anti-locking braking system)... :D
scrooge
11-07-2005, 06:45 PM
Just for clarification...
1. The sidewall is bent. 2. I'm a poor (relatively speaking) graduate student...I'd prefer not to buy anything if what I have will make do.
Below are a few pics I just took of the trouble spot (hopefully they work). One is what it looks like from above, and the other has a mark on where the bend actually is.
Any more opinions? Perhaps I should make this a poll...
manet
11-07-2005, 07:30 PM
I'd ride it.
lockedtight might even suggest cutting the offending rim section out.
this would enable super smooth tire removal.
Ken Robb
11-07-2005, 07:34 PM
it looks like you could put an adjustable wrench on it and pull it staight--ish.
mflaherty37
11-07-2005, 07:34 PM
Sell it as brand new on scambay - NOT!
Sandy
11-07-2005, 07:40 PM
What brand and model rim is it?
Sandy
what Ken Robb said...and then a light brushing with fine grade sandpaper to smooth the bits where the brake pad interacts...
scrooge
11-07-2005, 07:55 PM
What brand and model rim is it?
Sandy
Velocity Fusion (I think...I know it's a velocity at least)
loctite
11-07-2005, 08:33 PM
lockedtight might even suggest cutting the offending rim section out.
this would enable super smooth tire removal.
ESP....creepy dude... :butt:
Peter
11-07-2005, 08:42 PM
Here's another vote to just clamp the jaws of an adjustable wrench around the "blip" and bend it gently. I've done this a bunch of times and forgotten about it for years, until the rim fails (cracks).
Be sure and re-check your brake pad position. The dent could have brought the tire a little closer to the pads where they might rub the tire during braking.
manet
11-07-2005, 08:46 PM
ESP....creepy dude... :butt:
get your deer yet?
Chief
11-07-2005, 09:33 PM
it looks like you could put an adjustable wrench on it and pull it staight--ish.
If you do this work, from the ends towards the middle being careful to do a little at a time. If you start in the middle and try to do it in one sweep, you run the risk of cracking the rim. Been there, done that. :crap:
I've repaired several rims (all Mavic) with that sort of damage.
As Ken, Peter and Chief stated, bend it back (back only, not back and forth) using a wrench or big pliers. Do it slowly until the sidewall is close (or close enough so that your happy with the results) to it's original position. The metal has stretched so it will not return to it's original, pre hit form.
dvancleve
11-09-2005, 03:19 PM
This is the kind of dent that with a bit of patience and luck you can get out. I would recommend putting a cone wrench between the rim and wrench. It will prevent gouging (steel is harder than aluminum) and helps prevent cracking by spreading out the force.
Good luck,
Doug
I've repaired several rims (all Mavic) with that sort of damage.
As Ken, Peter and Chief stated, bend it back (back only, not back and forth) using a wrench or big pliers. Do it slowly until the sidewall is close (or close enough so that your happy with the results) to it's original position. The metal has stretched so it will not return to it's original, pre hit form.
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