Bicycle Mechanics - Bent rim

The first time I loaded my old 10speed Raleigh I took it on a 2-days
tour - about 100 miles.
I never thought that 30lbs of extra weight will have such effects on the rim(rear) because only on the 2nd day I noticed that the rear rim was hell bent all around.So I had my spokes tool with me and I fixed it but just a little it was still very untrue.I did complete the trip but now I have a bent rim - a source for frustration and bad mood.

Now what should I do with this bent wheel ?
take it to the bike shop and have them fix it for me ?
buy a new rim ?

It may just need to be trued. It depends on how bent it is. The LBS should be able to tell you. Or, you could true it yourself and ride another time or two.

I think that it is very bent.when the wheel is spinning it touched both sides of the brake (each one at a time of course).
My concern is that a bent wheel that was trued is a source for more trouble in the future.am I right here ?

That does'nt sound too bad I don't think? If it is still spinning but just bumping your brakes then truing it up should work out ok. It's at least worth a try. And if it trues up it may even be better then it was before. It could have come out b/c the spokes were not tight enough in the first place and after truing they will...

The first time I loaded my old 10speed Raleigh I took it on a 2-days
tour - about 100 miles.
I never thought that 30lbs of extra weight will have such effects on the rim(rear) because only on the 2nd day I noticed that the rear rim was hell bent all around.So I had my spokes tool with me and I fixed it but just a little it was still very untrue.I did complete the trip but now I have a bent rim - a source for frustration and bad mood.

Now what should I do with this bent wheel ?
take it to the bike shop and have them fix it for me ?
buy a new rim ?

Your rim is ruined. Once a rim has been bent this badly, it is impossible to make a reliable wheel out of it again. Your alternatives include having a new rim laced onto your existing hub or replacing the whole wheel. On a bike this old, I'm betting you have pits and such in your hub races. It may be more difficult than you might suppose to find a replacement wheel that will fit this bike.

If I were in your position, I would replace the rear wheel and spread the rear triangle, picking up a few more gears in the process.

Depending on how far you local LBS will go to repair a badly tweaked wheel, fixing it may be ok. I regularly straighten badly tacoed wheels. It is what I call the "Italian Method". I remove all the tension in the spokes and then use a secret method passed down to me by an old Italian guy. Hence the term "Italian Method".

But what should determine the viability of fixing it over buying new would be it's age, condition of the hub and wear on the breaking surfaces of the rim. It might just be a good idea to ante up and buy new.

I agree with Crum, the wheel should be salvageable if the rim as a whole is still new like condition. How old is the rim? If you do get a new rim go with one that has a slightly higher spoke count so it can handle the weight better.

A good exam by an experienced eye should be done
to rule out occult spoke pull through at the nipple ends
or behind the freewheel. I suspect the wheel was
marginally trued previously and then with the rider plus
30# baggage it was too much. Simple taco or potato
chip warp of the wheel is generally easy to fix and was
a particular problem with lighter rims and had no particular implication of future rim problems. Take the
wheel to someone who knows what to look for and how to fix it and take their advice. Froze suggestion of a
higher spoke count is good but most bikes of that era
already had 36 spokes. Down sizing to 32, 28 etc has
been a fairly recent phenomenon (on stock bikes). A new rim will probably be a good bit stronger than the
old one which was probably a soft alloy. I used to go
through 2-4rims a yr in the '70s. Have only bent one
in 30k+ miles in the '90s. Steve
Steve

Thanks guys for all the input.
I think that the rim is probably bent about 10-15mm
between its deepest valley to its highest peak if you understand what I mean.
It's old I don't know how old but has some rust on it and is 36H.
Steve- you are right- this rim was trued before.

Should I fix it (I mean the bike shop) ?
Is buying a new rim is a good idea ?
Im not very enthusiastic about relpacing the whole wheel because I love this cogset (maillard 14-28 5spd)

Thanks guys for all the input.
I think that the rim is probably bent about 10-15mm
between its deepest valley to its highest peak if you understand what I mean.
It's old I don't know how old but has some rust on it and is 36H.
Steve- you are right- this rim was trued before.

Should I fix it (I mean the bike shop) ?
Is buying a new rim is a good idea ?
Im not very enthusiastic about relpacing the whole wheel because I love this cogset (maillard 14-28 5spd)

Sounds like it may be an old steel wheel. In that case, replace it with an alloy one. You should be able to get the maillard FW swapped over, provided it has not welded itself to the hub.

Thanks guys for all the input.
It's old I don't know how old but has some rust on it and is 36H.


Rust? Then one can assume this is a steel rim? If it's a steel rim then do yourself a huge favor...replace the rim with a aluminum rim, the AL rims are lighter and will stop faster when wet. Don't worry about the freewheel, there may be a possiblity that it could transfer to the new rim, if not 6 and 7 speed freewheels are readly available through your LBS and you should be able to find NOS NIB 5 speed freewheels on E-Bay.

[QUOTE=froze]Rust? Then one can assume this is a steel rim? If it's a steel rim then do yourself a huge favor...replace the rim with a aluminum rim, the AL rims are lighter and will stop faster when wet...in fact do yourself an even larger favor and replace the front it it's steel. Don't worry about the freewheel, there may be a possiblity that it could transfer to the new rim, if not 6 and 7 speed freewheels are readly available through your LBS and you should be able to find NOS NIB 5 speed freewheels on E-Bay.