Bicycle Mechanics - bent rim vs. out of true

So besides really obvious bending of the rim, how do i know if my rim is bent or if it is out of true, without deconstructing the wheel? Is it just a severity issue? Is it possible to true a very minor bent rim?

thanks in advance, and sorry for all the questions :P .

You can true a rim so it isn't bent but depending on how many spokes and what type of rim you have will determin how well the wheel will stay true. Also, just because your rim isn't strait as an arrow after you true it, dosn't meen it you can't ride it. Just use good judgement on how safe you feel while riding your bike.

so i had a car bump in a parking lot. by bike looked fine alothouhg the wheel looke a tiny bit out of true. The guy just gave me $20 and i wasn't smart enough to get his number or anything. I took i into the shop and they thouhg it could be trued, but after tigheting in the one side really freaking tight and loosing the other and banging it on the floor, thye could get the rim back striaght at all. The wheel was still ridable with the breaks loosened way up, but sometimes things just won't go back into shape.

I'm really sorry that this happened to you. It sounds as if you are going to need to rebuild the wheel with a new rim and new spokes would be a good idea too.

Al

So besides really obvious bending of the rim, how do i know if my rim is bent or if it is out of true, without deconstructing the wheel? Is it just a severity issue? Is it possible to true a very minor bent rim?

thanks in advance, and sorry for all the questions :P .

You could use ParkTools' dishing tool (wheel alignment guage). Trying to true a bent rim (even if just a minor bend) results in uneven spoke tension. Hammering the rim gently with a mallet on a work table works.