What would you do?

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Riding a Giant Defy 3 and replaced the wheels around three months ago - WCS Ritchey Protocols and some Michelin Pro 3 tyres to go.

A few weeks ago had a spoke go and the rear wheel must have gone over a pothole and it ended up buckled. The LBS did a pretty good job but couldn't get it perfect so is it worth trying elsewhere, or should I accept that it won't be true again and start looking elsehwhere. The LBS said it was more than passable, but, me being me, I'm wondering what loss in performance there would be?

Would you change both wheels if you had the cash, or just the rear? Or would you accept that most of the time a wheel is not perfectly true but will do nevertheless?

I know only I can answer this but it has really put a downer on my riding recently, wondering whether I should invest in a new set of wheels when the next job was a 2nd hand groupset!!! If it's rideable should I roll with it and accept them as not perfect or what?

Any ideas?
 

accountantpete

Brexiteer
You should be able to get the wheel spot on unless the rim has been deformed by a big impact - how much deviation is there and is it a sharp kink?
 

Rob3rt

Man or Moose!
Location
Manchester
If its a smooth gradual deformation, it 'should' be truable.

If it is a sharp kink then this would indicate possible rim damage.

Or so I believe.

I know your pain, I bashed up my rear wheel like a week ago, unfortunately my buckle is of the latter :thumbsup: Riding a buckled wheel is annoying. Replacement imminent.
 

battered

Guru
If your happiness depends on having a wheel that doesn't go "tsk-tsk-tsk" on braking, replace it. As others have said, if it's just buckled then it can be retrued with spoke keys.

If it's a kink then it's done for. That said, years ago on my MTB I got a kinked rim and set about planishing it back to shape. Got it very close after a lengthy hammer session, and cleaned up the braking surface with a file. It was *just* detectable under braking until the next wet ride, at which point the grinding mud left it perfectly flat. The wheel went on for another couple of years until it wore out completely. There's a lot of spare ally in a MTB rim.
 
OP
OP
Monsieur Remings
Location
Yatton UK
accountantpete said:
You should be able to get the wheel spot on unless the rim has been deformed by a big impact - how much deviation is there and is it a sharp kink?

Good questions that I wouldn't know how to answer AP. Might take it for a 2nd opinion/effort. Seems to work okay, but I want to know how good it is up against the criterium of being perfectly trued.
 

accountantpete

Brexiteer
Monsieur Remings said:
Good questions that I wouldn't know how to answer AP. Might take it for a 2nd opinion/effort. Seems to work okay, but I want to know how good it is up against the criterium of being perfectly trued.


Depends on how much it's running out of true - if it is a question of 1mm no problem, 2mm is a bit iffy and 3mm is a no-no.

Basically the deviation will cause greater friction where the tyre meets the road together with an unwanted lateral movement of force leading to a loss of forward momentum - the bigger the kink the more energy wasted.

BTW I run mixed wheels perfectly well so all you need in the worst case is a new rear wheel.

I'm not too sure but from experience the only way I can remember telling if the rim was bent beyond repair was to strip it down completely and resting the rim on a flat surface.
 
OP
OP
Monsieur Remings
Location
Yatton UK
Thanks people - well worth another go then I believe and if not, a new rear wheel. I'll try that test too given that the other annoyance is a seemingly very slow puncture...and I'll have to take it off and buy another inner.
 
OP
OP
Monsieur Remings
Location
Yatton UK
Or...

If the worst comes to the worst could I, recycle the hub from the above rear wheel, buy a rim and some spokes and get someone to put together a handbuilt job?

I'm very tempted with the idea of something handbuilt and if it works out then eventually do the front too?

What do you all think? Surely if I replaced the sealed cartridge the hub would be as good as new?
 
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