Is my bike safe to ride with a bent spoke?
 

I just picked up my bike from the shop after getting my spoke repaired. When I got home I noticed two spokes near the old broken spoke are slightly bent. I brought the bike back to the shop to get the mechanics opinion and he said the wheel is safe and I should not worry. I wanted to get a second opinion before I take my bike out for a ride. Should I not worry about the bent spokes or should I go to another shop?

Thanks

He saw it I cannot , so I wont 2nd guess.. go to another shop for a 2nd opinion..

It really boils down to where are the bends at, and how severe are they? Were it MY bike, I'd replace 'em, but then again, I've built more than a couple of wheel sets and have the know-how and tools to do it.
Jon

How much are they bent?

If they bother you, just get them changed. A lot depends on how much abuse you give your wheels on a regular basis. If you just ride a smooth surface, probably no problem. If you ride in the x games maybe you need a new wheel altogether.

If you trust the mechanic ride it. If you feel its bad get a second opinion if you have another repair facility to check it.

if it were mine, I would have replaced any bent ones. But I have OCD and they would have bothered me to no end even if they were perfectly safe.

That seems like an odd situation.

Do they have sharp kink-like bends? It's hard to see how they could have anything else and still have suitable tension. How do they feel compared to the others if you pluck them? Does the wheel run true?

If they sound the same as the others on the same side, they're probably fine.

Thanks for everyone's responses. Unfortunately we will never know about that spoke because I was hit by a car and the rear wheel was destroyed.

This brings me to my next question. I have an insurance adjuster visiting tomorrow morning to assess the damage of my bike. I am afraid he is only going to compensate me for a new wheel, brake, seat, and labor costs. What concerns me is I was hit at a high rate of speed (40mph) and I no longer trust the frame and especially the carbon fork. I cannot tell if the frame is bent or the damage on the fork. I have heard horror stories of carbon failing after crashes.

Just curious how safe would you feel riding an aluminum frame and carbon fork that was involved in a high speed crash? Not sure if you have any advice for me and info I could provide the adjuster on the dangers of riding a bike post crash.

Thanks Again

I would have the Insurance guy, meet you at a bike shop,

the shop would give real world repair and replacement costs,

where quoting online forum hearsay would not be influential ..




....

Yep, have a bike shop assess the bike. Their likely response is that they cannot vouch for the bike's safety and hence it should be replaced. If the frame is metal (steel or aluminum), they may sign off on that part -- but it still might be more economical for the insurance company to just replace the whole bike.

Regardless of what happens, if you were struck by a vehicle travelling at 40 mph and you are still breathing, you came out of this alright. Hopefully you are not too banged up.