dents in rim
 

hi there i have small dents in my rim from a tire iron incident. I have noticed recently that I am getting punctures in that area. Do I need to get a new rim? I dont think i could hammer this out at all.

My tires are supposed to be pumped to 115-125, so if i stay at the lower end of that would they be less likely to puncture?

Wait. You used a tire iron on your wheels? Pics would help please.

$100 says he used a flat head screwdriver to take is tire off. Any takers?

Let's wait for pics before judgment.

No, I'm betting on cutlery.

I've seen plenty of damage caused by knives, forks and spoons....

:)

If it's the kind of dent that you're even thinking about taking a hammer to, I'm betting the rim's used up. To me this is the kind of defect that you can fight with continually and get by, or you can fix it once and be done with it. I've done both in my time. I think that the second solution is better. If it was my bike I'd replace the rim.

I'm having problems imagining a dent - caused by a tyre lever - that can somehow cause a puncture......??

Just smooth it out with some emory paper.

Duck Tape

It might be wiser to wait for a picture before suggesting how to address the damage....

I'm guessing you've been hovering around the upper edge of that window up until now. That's the maximum pressure the casing can tolerate. Knock 25psi off that and I'd bet you'd be better off. In more ways than one.

But I'd still love to see images of the damage that Ginsu knife caused.

*Coming in to check for pics* Nope. Not yet. *leaves thread*

Back when I was a bigger idiot than I am today, I used a flat head screwdriver to take a tire off. Almost destroyed the wheel that my dad had just built for me. Lesson learned.

man adding these images wasnt easy, i had to take them, find a cable, find an image hosting site, crop them. but here we go
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/208/dsc004022.th.jpg
So you know the radius of the dent it is approximately the same as your standard pen/pencil.

And on a different rim I have this, i thought i might as well ask while im here:
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/8...004041l.th.jpghttp://img187.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00404f.jpg

And it was a tire iron, i found out that you cant use steel tire irons on aluminum rims.

I can't make heads or tails out of the second image, but the first is a fatally damaged rim, at least in my opinion. I wouldn't ride on it. My admittedly conservative criterion is simple: downhill at 40-plus mph, would I be willing to risk catastrophic failure?

I actually know a guy whose frame went to pieces as he was descending Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48. He brought it to a stop without crashing. Miraculous.

The hub's probably good. Have a new wheel built, and think how much cheaper that is than reconstructive surgery.

I can't see how the first rim will fail catastrophically, unless there's excessive cracking there or you can't get the tire bead to seat. A little filing would take the sharpness off.
I'm going to guess that the second image is of a mangled nipple access hole from the tire side of a double walled rim. A good rim strip would take care of this.
Buy some plastic levers, they're cheap.
But watch that tire pressure...

oh yeah sorry the 2nd image is of a nipple access hole.
here are the links to larger versions

http://img187.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00404f.jpg
http://img502.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00402.jpg

Just click on the image to get the biggest view then you can zoom.

I have already filed down the dent to help with punctures but it didnt really help.


I find that if i dont pump my tubes every other day the pressure gets too low, wouldnt knocking off 25psi just cause flats from being too soft?

Post the pics again, but larger...or take some better pics.

Your rim might be salvageable....but from the first pic it doesn't look too good.

More info required.....

BTW. if you get the tyre bead off the seat and into the well you won't need incredible amounts of leverage to remove the tyre, in fact most times you won't need a tyre lever at all :)

I guess that rules out photography and bicycle repair as career choices for you.

oh wow, I turned of downsampling at the image upload place. Now we have large images.
http://img187.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00404f.jpg
http://img502.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00402.jpg
Just click on the image to get the biggest view then you can zoom.
I changed the other links too.

And yeah i use plastic irons after that time. Actually I had just got them and when i used the metal tire irons on them... it was sad.

Nice! This is why people call you a TROLL. Heres 2c, now buy a clue.

chico1st, you may have damage thats too far gone to repair. Still too hard to tell for sure. A couple posts ago someone said you need to unseat your tires before you dismount them. You need to let out all the air, then pinch the tire together and try to get it to fall down into the rim on one part as much as possible and pull up on the other side. Try to have the valve stem between these two points. Now see if you can pull the tire up off the rim by hand. Many times you can. Most times for me, I need help, a small tire tool (plastic is best, it wont harm the rim) to help get it over the rim. Just one bead at a time.

And I realise that this is too late for this one, but maybe for next time. :rolleyes: Just be patient with it and it'll come off ok.

I have never heard of that technique but i started to use plastic tire irons right after i messed up my rim. I just dont know if i have to replace them.

Erm...YOU have not 'people' :)

Indeed, that someone was me :)

The new, improved, larger photos show a hooked rim with damage to the hook.

The purpose of the hook is to keep the tyre in place, the metal or kevlar etc bead sits below the hook.

I don't see how that damage can cause punctures unless it has made a hole through the sidewall of your tyre ?

As no one else has asked - is it a front or a rear wheel ?

front wheel. I could be that this isn't causing the flat its just that I looked at my latest 2 tubes and they seem to have punctures in that region.
If you think it is not causing the issue then that is that... what about that other pic with the wierd nipple holes.