mikemck

I took my rear wheel down to the LBS to have them true the wheel, after I could not do it, and they told me my rim is toast. He said the rim is actually kinked. I have trued a few wheels, but this one I just could not get to true up, so I don't doubt it's twisted/kinked.

Is there any way I can unkink the rim?

TIA

'nother

Depends on how bad the kink is. Are we talking about an actual dent? a bend? If it's minor, someone skilled at wheelbuilding might be able to get rid of the bend and maybe make it reasonably round on the truing stand -- but at the expense of uneven spoke tension, which will eventually (maybe quickly) lead to spoke breakage. But if it's bad it's probably not worth the effort, just get new rims.

moxfyre

A flat spot in a rim can't be fixed by truing, since the spokes can only pull the rim in, not out.

Often, however, moderately bent rims can be fixed by physically bending them back into shape. I think Park makes a big expensive shop tool to do this. I think other people have had luck doing it with a 2x4 or other improvised sturdy levers. If you do a search, you may be able to find other threads on this... or maybe someone who's actually done it will chip in and give you advice!

'nother

Sorry, yeah I didn't quite say that right. You fix the bend/kink with "something" (big expensive Park Tool, hammer, 2x4, whatever) and after, you can (try to) true the wheel, at least laterally (maybe radially, too, if it's not bad).

I had a shop do this for me once (they told me to get a new rim, but I was in college, no $$$, etc.) and as I mentioned they made it more or less round/true, but the spoke tension was all out of whack and then I was breaking spokes all the time. Smaller dents or whatever may be slightly less of an issue but will never be as good as a new rim.

vw addict

ding, ding, ding