Have I ruined my rim?

July 9, 2009 7:59 AM

Hit a big pot hole with my new (to me) Raleigh 3-speed. Cleared the front wheel okay, but the rear rim has a dent from the impact. Still seems ride-able. How worried do I need to be?

When I apply the rear break, there’s a knocking sound as the dent passes through. I’ve gone abour 24 miles since then, and it seems fine. I'm going on a 50 mile trip in a few weeks, though.

I know you’re not my bike mechanic!

posted by SirNovember to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (10 answers total)

I would get the rear rim fixed or replaced asap. As this goes on, you could likely lose a spoke or two, and then things will get worse.

Just take it (or the wheel) to a fucking bike shop and get it over with. You will eventually, anyway.
posted by Danf at 8:04 AM on July 9, 2009

2nding Danf - take it to a bike shop and get it fixed! In addition to spokes possibly coming loose, it sounds like you could have issues braking, which is very, very bad. Also, the inside of the rim could be "malformed" which could wreak havoc on your tube (i.e. popping).

Bottom line, you don't want to bike 50 miles with that wheel.
posted by baxter_ilion at 8:10 AM on July 9, 2009

I agree -- and really make sure you take it to a fucking bike shop and not a regular one.

Here is a Google Maps link with fucking bike shops in your area.
posted by zephyr_words at 8:13 AM on July 9, 2009 [6 favorites]

Aside from the whole pesky braking issue, the dented wheel is probably making pedaling a bit of a bitch, no? To the fucking bike shop! Away!
posted by zerokey at 8:22 AM on July 9, 2009

Response by poster: Alright – any recommendations for a good shop in New York/Brooklyn?

baxter, it brakes (doh break!) fine. The rear brake is the less effective one anyway, right? Good point about the tube.
zerokey, I don’t notice any difference pedaling. The dent is small and the rim is still round.
posted by SirNovember at 8:34 AM on July 9, 2009

Best answer: Check the 'Check for Blips' section of Sheldon Brown's Wheel Truing article

The wheel may not be ruined, but it sounds like you'll want someone that knows what they are doing to perform the repair.
posted by csmason at 9:14 AM on July 9, 2009

The rear brake is less effective, but it's still effective to the tune of 30% of your braking power. Also, there's always the situation where your left hand may be otherwise occupied, such as signaling a turn or wiping your sweat off your brow, and you suddenly need to slow quickly. In that case you'll be going for the rear brake first since that's the one you've got handy.

Regardless, get the thing fixed soon. Otherwise you're playing with some bad odds.
posted by azpenguin at 10:58 AM on July 9, 2009

Best answer: Is the rear rim really dented -- that is, can you see an actual damaged spot in the rim -- or is there just a hop in the wheel and the rim is otherwise fine? If the latter, the bump probably just knocked things a little out of true, and someone with a bit of expertise, a spoke wrench, and five minutes can probably fix it. If the former, you probably need to have the rim replaced. Either way you should take it to a shop as soon as you can.
posted by dseaton at 2:31 PM on July 9, 2009

A decent bike shop should be able to pull the dent out of the rim unless there is cracking involved. Either way take it somewhere and get it trued.
posted by Big_B at 3:01 PM on July 9, 2009

Response by poster: Thanks, all. I think it may more accurately be described as a blip, per the Sheldon Brown article. Anyway, in to the shop it goes.

No suggestions for an NYC shop, though?
posted by SirNovember at 9:33 AM on July 10, 2009