Bicycle Mechanics - Vertical Scores on rims from long and narrow pothole

I just got back from a ride after falling into a crack that my wheel just fit into. Both my tires punctured and the wheels are quite scored from the pothole. Hitting the brakes was noisy and sounded like I had sand in the pads,so it is quite bad as far as I can tell. I got a picture of one of the scores. It isn't the worst one, but it shows what I'm talking about. There are about 6 per side per wheel of these. Can I sand them down to make them rideable until I build a new wheelset, or should I put the bike to the side until I locate a set of wheels? Here are the pics:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UH6ARsnpXYc/UBrlcDIMwBI/AAAAAAAABOU/75ip2fogwAg/s640/IMAG0010.jpg

Thanks in advance. I'm still somewhat flustered from the near crash, so I apologize for the lack of clarity in the post.

Offtopic: if you had a concussion from the fall, rest! Perhaps consider seeing a doc, especially if you lost consciousness from the concussion. And absolutely positively don't do any activity, for a while, which might result in a new concussion, however minor.

adefeatedman, In the short term you maybe able to smooth the braking surface and the outside edge of the rim with a rotary tool like a Dremel. New rims are the best repair, IMHO.

Brad

adefeatedman, In the short term you maybe able to smooth the braking surface and the outside edge of the rim with a rotary tool like a Dremel. New rims are the best repair, IMHO.

Brad

Great care should be taken when using a Dremel on anything and greater care should be taken when using a Dremel on wheels. A better way to proceed would be to use a high grit count emery cloth and do the job by hand to avoid removing too much material.

Another option would be to do nothing and let the pads do the work. They'll wear off the burrs eventually.

I use a flat file to knock down any high spots, and stop there.

If the rim is at all bent or the gash extends more than a mm or so into the rim, I would get a new one. Rim delamination at speed it no fun.

Otherwise, I would fill it with JB weld, then use sand paper to sand it smooth.

I use a flat file to knock down any high spots, and stop there.

Flat file or emery cloth wouldn't make much difference. Emery cloth might be easier to use, however. It could certainly be used with the tire still in place.



Otherwise, I would fill it with JB weld, then use sand paper to sand it smooth.

Umm...no.

I'd use a machinist's scraper to take off the burrs and leave as much of the metal as possible.

If you have hit your head, ditch your helmet and get a new one before you ride again, even if there is no visible damage.

Thank you all for the great responses. Firstly, I should clarify that I didn't crash, but rather came very close to hitting the guardrail, which had a steep hill (or cliff as my riding buddy called it) on the other side. I am very blessed in that regard. Nonetheless, I was very flustered from it all.

I was very worried about continuing using the wheels with striations but if it can be remedied with some touching up, I think I'm going to take my deburring tool and some very fine sandpaper to the scratches to make it usable until I can research and order new wheels. I'm going to take it easy for now, though, on these wheels. I was only worried about whether these were rendered unusable.

Again, thank you all. I feel a bit better about all this knowing my bike won't be out of commission until I can locate a new wheelset.

Get sticky sandpaper like that used on an orbital sander. Cut pieces the size of your brake pads, and stick them on. (You might need to clean the shoes with alcohol so they stick). Find a flat parking lot, and ride very slowly with the brake applied gently and sand one wheel at a time until it sounds OK.

This process builds up heat very quickly so do this riding SLOWLY with the brakes applied gently and stop often to check the rims condition and temp. and do not go beyond the point where the high spots are removed. Don't try to sand to the bottom of the gouges, instead, leave them as wear indicators.

BTW- I said the rim will get hot, and I meant it. Don't check temp with your finger, unless you wet the finger first and have fast reflexes.