Hi guys,

New to the forums and cycling. Last summer I was tooling around in my dad's old FreeSpirit Aero.

I hit a pothole. And it was a brute. No way to avoid it.

Everything seemed fine until i noticed some extra drag....

turns out both rims (front and rear) gor positively MANGLED. Just destroyed.

I was wondering whether a bike shop could fix the wheels. I don't want to buy new, as the prices I've seen have been shocking (to someone new to biking at least!). If these cannot be fixed, what are some decent wheels?

The bike is an aluminum-frame road bike, rims are real skinny.

I will post a pic of what the rear rim looks like. The front is the same type of damage but much less severe.

Thanks in advance

Edit - amazing, doesn't look as bad as i remembered it. Still bubs and i can feel the vibration coming through it.

Pics:

I doubt a shop would try to fix it because it will never be deemed rideable. You could try hammering/persuading it back in line yourself to make it marginally rideable, but it will never be anywhere near perfect. Welcome to the world of road biking.

Wow, you really hit a bad podhole! Those look like steel rims. Given that they're steel, you can bend them and not have it be a problem structurally. So, I'd remove the tires, and use a pliers to try to bend the rim back into line where it's flared out as shown in your picture. But you should just buy an old 27-inch wheelset with aluminum rims on eBay. You'll shell out $35 or so, and the wheels will be lighter.
How do I know they're 27-inch? Just an educated guess, because I don't know of a steel rim ever made in the 700c size.

You can go to the bike shop and ask them for a replacement level wheel set. The stuff most shops have on display are of a much higher level (lighterweight, dual walled, aero spokes, maybe some needless bells and whistles). Depending on the shop and thier supplier, you can get them for anywhere from $20-40 each wheel. A steel set will even be cheaper. I just bought an alloy replacement rear wheel for my Bridgestone for $22 from my LBS.

definitely don't recommend new steel wheels, they're not like the raleigh or schwinn rims of old. they come built not true and you can't true them; the rims are extruded so horribly the waves are inherent. the rim material is so skimpy that they will noticibly expand when you inflate the tires. unless this is bike is above par of most free spirits or has sentimental value, you're probably better off fixing the dent, either by you or a shop. there's a good chance you have a flat spot in the rim at the dent, which may or may not be fixable.

If it's an old school 27" steel wheel, you should be able to pick up a complete used bike at a yard sale or thrift store for 25 bucks or less.