How to Straighten a Bent Bicycle Rim

If you are a cyclist that rides very much at all, eventually you are going to hit a pothole, have a wreck or get a little too close to a tree and bend one of your wheels. Straightening out a bent bicycle wheel is not complicated, although it might be a bit time-consuming. Bicycle wheels are held straight or "true" by a series of spokes. It is the tension on those spokes that make a wheel strong and straight. When you bend a wheel, there is uneven pressure on some of the spokes, which causes the wheel to bend in a particular direction. In order to correct the bend, follow these steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Spoke wrench

1. Turn the bike over so the wheels are sticking up in the air and secure it either by having a friend stand on the handlebars or by leaning the other tire against a tree or building. Spin the bent wheel to see how bad the bend is and where. Ask: Are there multiple bends or just one and how severe is the bend?

2. Loosen the brake cables by unscrewing the barrel adjuster up near the brake lever until the wheel spins but rubs slightly on the bent portion of the rim. You will use the brakes as an indicator of the bend in the rim itself. Using the brakes as guides, find the very start of the bend where you can just barely notice the rim going out of true. Move one spoke back from this point and follow this procedure: Use the spoke wrench to tighten the spoke pulling in the opposite direction of the bend one turn and loosen the spoke pulling in the direction of the bend half a turn.

3. Work your way along the entire length of the bend, following Step 2's guidelines. After you make these small adjustments, spin the wheel and see how your adjustments have affected the alignment of the rim. If it still needs more adjustment, Repeat Step 2 until your rim is straight. Proceed in this manner to any other bends in the wheel or in the other wheel as well.

Tips & Warnings

• After the first ride or two on the newly trued wheels, you may hear metallic cracking or popping coming from the rims. That is normal. It is the newly tightened/loosened spokes seating themselves in the rim holes.

Resources

• Find inexpensive wheels here

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