usafquez

I purchased a road bike for Christmas and I love it. I've gone over 100 miles so far and I feel great about myself. But unfortunately I had a mishap the other day and my front rim bent. There's about a 8 inch section of the wheel that is bent to the side. I had to loosen my front brake as wide as possible so the pads wouldn't rub when the bent section came around, just to get it home.

My question is, what size is my wheel, and where can I get a replacement online that isn't expensive.
https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/..._al_xi_sc3.htm
There's the link to the bike that I have with all the specs. I'm just wanting a single cheap replacement wheel. Thanks in advance!

gyozadude

Looks like you have a 700c wheel. You can get a front wheel alone with stainless spokes for around $35 - $45 plus shipping.

Here's a couple of wheels that look like decent quality components:

You can try Niagara Cycle Works (https://www.niagaracycle.com/categori...2200-front-blk)
or you can try Husky Cycles (https://www.huskybicycles.com/mm5/mer...t_Code=506-745)

Homebrew01

Well, aren't you bright & cheery today


OP: you could take the wheel to a bike shop and get a repair estimate. Small bends can be fixed.

gyozadude

If you do plan on the LBS route, note that not all shops have equally skilled staff. Tensioning a wheel by staff is a crap shoot at some shops, and it may be best to get information on who might be a skilled wheel builder in your local area than can properly tension a wheel. But since it's a front wheel, it has less stress so tensioning isn't as critical. Also if you don't weigh over 200 lbs, then it's also less of a concern.

As for fixing bent rims, if it's minor, like one or two broken spokes, it can be done. But based on the description of an 8 inch section stuck to one side due to a mishap that bent the rim, if the spokes are still intact, then you've plastically deformed an alloy rim. Not the best starting condition to fix a rim. yes, it's possible to loosen and remove all the spokes and then take the deformed rim and plastically deform it back. But that is labour intensive and may not leave you with a factory-flat and round rim to start with.

Also, if the mishap did damage the front wheel, have you checked fork and downtube area for any possible bumps or cracks?

Airburst

OP, what did you actually do that bent the rim?

sreten

Hi,

Depensding on the mishap the forks may need looking at. But since carbon either breaks
spectacularly (see pics above), or survives intact, (there are no bent carbon bits), and its
near impossible to damage carbon bits so they are dangerous but rideable without the
damage being obvious, I'll credit the OP with enough common sense about the forks.

BTW, nice bike for $400, and despite the naysayers, with some TLC you shouldn't
have any real problems with it. I'd add half or full toeclips to the alloy pedals.

rgds, sreten.

jimc101

It looks like a great starter bike; what would be useful to know is how the wheel was damaged, and what the OP means by budget, as this will differ for everyone. The wheel may be fixable, byt they really would need to go to a good LBS to have it assessed, and then they would need to make a judgement call on it if was cost effective vs replacement with a new wheel.

Being as the bike really hasn't been used; 100 miles in 6 months is nothing; if the OP had bought it from a LBS, they would probably have fixed it, but as a mail order bike, it will involve some cost to the OP.

clasher

Bike Island is a site that sells the same parts that are on a lot of the bikesdirect bikes. here they have a few front wheels going for pretty cheap... I'd probably snag the 60$ just to be thrifty. It might even be the same wheel that is used on your bike. I'd also add that most local shops around here will sell me a similar wheel for a pretty similar price.