Rear wheel bent way out of true

DanTheDIYGuy

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Jun 21, 2016
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I need some advice in getting this fixed. First of all, it's from a Walmart bike, so not initially very expensive or high quality. Has been bent out of true once before, I DIY'd it back into shape. This time multiple spokes are bent way out of shape, and one of them can no longer tighten anymore due to stripped threads at the nipple. Rim seems to be in good shape, so that should be fine. There is a guy near where I live who advertises fixing of any kind of spoked wheel, and even mentions motorized bikes in his ad. I am unsure at this point the cost of having him fix it, most likely over $80 due to the bad shape of the wheel. I don't know if I want to fix this wheel because I've been very busy and stressed lately, and think I'd do a bad job of it. Also unsure if I should buy a new wheel as a replacement.

Any advice? That's a lot to chew on but I need some experience to direct me. :)

Also considering getting an upgraded sprocket clamp that attaches to the axle rather than the spokes to prevent this from happening again.
 
Personally, and just from human powered bike experience, I think the best way to go is to buy a complete new (mountain bike if you have the right dropout width) wheel, since the hub is not likely to be worth much and the cost of a custom wheel (new rim, the right length spokes and build) using your hub is probably about the same or even more than someone's "standard" hand built wheel with the known spoke lengths that a shop can get in quantity to suit the hub and rim combinations they offer.
Did you mean "the hub is in good shape"? Because the rim can't be if it's horribly bent. A rim can only be retrued if it is barely out of true. A bent rim straightened by messing with spoke tensions does not make a strong wheel. In fact is has hardly any strength due to all the grossly uneven spoke tensions and will bend again, probably worse, certainly sooner.
Wire spokes (dull grey) are the usual for machine made Walmart etc wheels, and they're useless for anything other than kids' toy bikes. Stainless steel and branded (I like DT Swiss) spokes are much better. I suppose it's to do with elasticity.
The hub mounted sprocket sounds like a great idea. The force from the chain will be divided by all the spokes instead of just the one or two that are at the top at any moment. That's how I think it works anyway. :)

*I have been told that I am too fussy about quality and too slow building my motored bike lol.
 
I guess I just don't understand the problem - it's a walmart bike, for $80 buy another whole bike & take a wheel off it. I'd just go to a used parts store and buy a $10 wheel (or call 4 friends and one will certainly have an old bike wheel in back yard).
 
Yes, don't repair it. And, don't worry. Just buy a nice low price used bike for ($15-30) from Craiglists and take the rear wheel off it. You can also buy a wheel from Craiglist but I like to just buy the whole bike since it comes with front wheels and tires and tubes too.

You will be surprised at the value you can get out there. I saw some almost brand new bikes for $30, which you can negotiate down to $20-25.
 
Once I took a turn too hot and the rear wheel slid outwards and then when it caught traction the rim was bent.
I just loosened the spokes on the side it was bent towards.
Then I used my feet and hands to bend it back to where it should be, then tightened and adjusted the spokes and it was good as new.
Why buy when you can fix?
Oh I forgot, this is the throw-away generation.
 
Once I took a turn too hot and the rear wheel slid outwards and then when it caught traction the rim was bent.
I just loosened the spokes on the side it was bent towards.
Then I used my feet and hands to bend it back to where it should be, then tightened and adjusted the spokes and it was good as new.
Why buy when you can fix?
Oh I forgot, this is the throw-away generation.
I am not a throw-away type of person, merely concerned for my safety on a wheel that has already bent considerably more than once on my rides. The wheel is out of my skill-range to repair because of the spoke condition I explained earlier.
 
Once I took a turn too hot and the rear wheel slid outwards and then when it caught traction the rim was bent.
I just loosened the spokes on the side it was bent towards.
Then I used my feet and hands to bend it back to where it should be, then tightened and adjusted the spokes and it was good as new.
Why buy when you can fix?
Oh I forgot, this is the throw-away generation.
I think I still own all the spokes from every bike I had since I was 7...found a hell of a lot of creative uses for all those bits of metal and nice hard nipples... Ehmm sorry, Anywho, I have to second jaguar to a certain extent, if the wheel is horribly bent, which it probably is if you're even considering getting it rebuilt, then check craigslist and buy a nearly complete bike with wheels that fit your needs, also when looking at it, consider if you can out a motor in it if you want to in the future, as a backup for times like these. Also see if it's got similar parts, like brake type, and derailleur, single or 3 piece cranks. If you buy another, you'll have enough parts to replace almost any part of the bike you're riding, which you never know if you'll need, but you'll have them regardless if you do. Even take that little bolt with a hole in it that your brakes use to hold the cable, if you strip it you'll have another 2 to replace it with, and you'll have spare cables, and housings.

If you go long enough you will need the parts, it's just metal, it puts up a good fight, but in the end it still loses, have a backup for when it happens.
 
As another comment, if you think you're feeling enthusiastic about bikes and the related parts, learn to build a wheel yourself, it's cheaper to do it on your own (with the help of the Internet of course) than paying a person to do it for you.

I'm 24, I know how to build wheels because I enjoy hand making things, it aloud me to fix and true any bicycle wheel for anybody, and I couldn't justify letting the bike shop charge me 65 bucks for a wheel I wouldn't see for 3 days when I could do the same thing in an afternoon. I built 80% of that first wheel on the bus to and from work that day because it was the only time I had time, and I needed a wheel so I wouldn't sing wheels on the bus go round and round, on the bus, all the way home. I'm dead serious.

Also you're probably going to make sure you do it effing right the first time since you wheel be the one who's sitting on it at 30mph.

And as the old saying goes, teach a man to fish, and he'll have an excellent way to avoid his wife 5 days a month.
 
As another comment, if you think you're feeling enthusiastic about bikes and the related parts, learn to build a wheel yourself, it's cheaper to do it on your own (with the help of the Internet of course) than paying a person to do it for you.

I'm 24, I know how to build wheels because I enjoy hand making things, it aloud me to fix and true any bicycle wheel for anybody, and I couldn't justify letting the bike shop charge me 65 bucks for a wheel I wouldn't see for 3 days when I could do the same thing in an afternoon. I built 80% of that first wheel on the bus to and from work that day because it was the only time I had time, and I needed a wheel so I wouldn't sing wheels on the bus go round and round, on the bus, all the way home. I'm dead serious.

Also you're probably going to make sure you do it effing right the first time since you wheel be the one who's sitting on it at 30mph.

And as the old saying goes, teach a man to fish, and he'll have an excellent way to avoid his wife 5 days a month.
I'm curious about what people thought of you building a bicycle wheel on a bus if you don't mind me asking?:)
 
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