My bike has a bent rim from incorrect inner tube.
 

I am new to biking and I went to a bike shop to get a replacement inner tube. My tire size is 700-40C. The seller sold me a 700-37C and he told me it would be fine. Well now my bike rim is all bent up. Is there any way I can force him to pay for the damages? Is this even his fault? I was hit a by a car on October 4th but the rim looked fine after that accident. Could it be that the rim was slightly bent by the crash but I did not notice the damage and then riding the bike resulted in the rim becoming more bent? Or is it the bike store sellers fault? Thank you.

I am confident that the tube is not what caused the rim to become bent up.

A tube is not going to deform a rim unless it is magically pumped to extreme pressures and the rim is of the cheapest garbage variety. Most inner tubes have stretch to them and most rims can accept a range of sizes of tires. It sounds like you were hit by a car, didn't get the bike checked out by a professional, rode it into the ground and want to blame someone not involved with that for that. The tire, the tube nor the person or online profile that sold it to you are to blame.

Also noticing you likely bought a used bike on craigslist meaning that bike could have been run into the ground as well or had other damages you wouldn't know about. In the future you should look into a new bike with warranties and such and a helmet from a good shop that you can try on and make sure it fits and know it is a safe helmet. Guessing games when it comes to your life aren't fun unless you really know what you are doing.

By what manner of reasoning do you think running a slightly smaller tube in any way resulted in a deformed rim? A slightly smaller tube will expand to fill a 40C tire just the same as it would a 37C tire, except be slightly thinner. This *may* result in a slight increase for the tube to flat easier under the right circumstances, but that's it. If anyone owes you damages, its the driver that hit you.

Keith

I'm not trying to blame anyone for the damage. That is why I asked rather just go to the bike store. Like I said I am new to biking and the bike looked unharmed after the accident. I had no idea that I needed to go have it checked out after an accident. Anyways it looks like the person that hit me is to blame and I have a witness to the accident and I was not doing anything illegal when I got hit so her insurance should cover the damage.

+1
I agree. The tube didn't cause any bend.

I am going to assume that the rim may not even be bent.... but instead way out of true. Sure the accident could have caused that.... but even a pothole can cause a broken spoke, or wheel knocked out of true. It could be the event that caused the need for a new tube... started the un-trueness (not a real term).

Try looking for help at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...bicycle+wheel+

With a spoke wrench.... and careful attention you might be able to fix this yourself.

Agreed, it's not the tube's fault. Rubber expands and contracts, and it's only necessary to get the size close. I mean, its only job is to fill the inside of the tire and hold the air in. The tube you got was close enough. Most likely the damage was from the accident, and was simply not apparent at the time. Exactly how is the rim "bent?" It's pretty common to knock the wheel out of true; and since it wasn't apparent at the time of the crash I'm going to guess that it's not severe. Check with the shop; chances are good they can adjust the spokes and bring it back into true. The cost will be relatively small.

It might have had a broken spoke (or 2), which might not have been very obvious. If you ride it with broken spokes the wheel degrades pretty quickly.

As others have said, it's definitely not the tube.

You mentioned blaming the seller of the tube throughout and it is kind mentioned in the title of your thread.
"Is there any way I can force him (the tube seller) to pay for the damages?", "Or is it the bike store sellers fault?"
Hopefully things get covered but you might take that money and use it for a new bike with warranties and knowledge it is not worn out or damaged by someone else as in the case of a used bike.

I feel like most people in a crash would get things checked out...we see a lot of that at the shop but maybe there is a bunch of folks who don't?

When I crashed last weekend I got checked out and checked to make sure the bike was OK and will be bringing it by my shop to have someone else check it out (plus I had plans to replace some stuff anyway and do a general tune up cause it needs some lovin'). Of course to my friends chagrin I was less worried about my bike right after the crash then myself but I guess I wasn't thinking right dealing with pain and bleeding. I am OK though just some bruising and pain but nothing broken and the bike is relatively good and no major problems.

Took a good spill on my mtn bike and by new wheel was wobbling had my buddy at the lbs take a look a couple of twists of the spokes it was good as new.

If you are going to ask the insurance company to pay for the damage to your bike and you are new to cycling, have the bike shop check over the bike for other damage as well. Once you sign the check from the insurance company, they are off the hook for anything else. If you missed the damage to the wheel, did you miss other things like damage to the front fork or to the frame? Those are far more serious that truing a wheel, replacing a rim, or even replacing the whole wheel.

You arent?...
Sure seems like you are at least asking if you can blame someone. Thats a distinction without a difference.



Between a rubber tube meant to be used in a rim or being hit by a car- which is more likely to bend metal?

+1, get it checked out by someone who knows what they are doing. Have them write up an estimate to have it repaired to a safe normal riding condition or replaced, that can be the basis of your negotiations with her insurance.

A tube did not destroy your rim, agreed with those that said broken spoke. I broke a spoke once, it was hard to see, the only way I knew was I heard a rhythmic clicking noise, didn't actually show a break until I went around the tire wiggling every spoke.

There is no way a tube can ruin a rim.
IMHO it was a matter of using used air to inflate the tube. You should always use new air in your tires. Or triple reverse osmosis filtered certified recycled air.