HammerHed Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 I did a club MTB ride a few weeks ago and one of the guys taco'ed their front wheel, we bent it back as best we could and it rode well. Got me thinking, can you repair this rim or do you have to get a new hoop and rebuild the wheel?
intern Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 What's taco'd? Think of a taco...kind of U-shaped. Now think of a wheel. When you grab the hub and spin it, it should be straight. If it is taco'd it will be kinda U-shaped! Generally if a wheel has taken this kind of a beating you want a new hoop...
no.one.knows Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 new wheel as some spokes might have weakened and will break under tension while being rebuilt and the rim will be weak, as well as its a pain in the ass rebuilding these wheels and inevitably our labour and spokes is more expensive than just buying a new wheel.
HammerHed Posted February 22, 2009 Author Posted February 22, 2009 new wheel as some spokes might have weakened and will break under tension while being rebuilt and the rim will be weak' date=' as well as its a pain in the ass rebuilding these wheels and inevitably our labour and spokes is more expensive than just buying a new wheel.[/quote'] So is it not possible to straighten the rim without the spokes in and then rebuild with new spokes to get it true again?
intern Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 It's possible but as no.one said you will have a weak wheel. When you bombing it down some gnarly descents, just the idea that your formerly taco'd wheel is under there might get you a bit sweaty and nervous...
Windbreaker Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 new wheel as some spokes might have weakened and will break under tension while being rebuilt and the rim will be weak' date=' as well as its a pain in the ass rebuilding these wheels and inevitably our labour and spokes is more expensive than just buying a new wheel.[/quote'] So is it not possible to straighten the rim without the spokes in and then rebuild with new spokes to get it true again?If you managed to straighten it to the point where it was "rideable" then it most likely can be repaired as good as new (even better). Ask Johan Bornman for the book (and his notes) on wheel building. Buy the right spokes and a truing stand. Then be prepared to spend a good 3 or 4 hours getting it true again. If you have enough patience and are that way inclined it can be quite rewarding.Windbreaker2009-02-22 10:39:01
no.one.knows Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 and a lot of money too. truing stands are by no means cheap.
Wyatt Earp Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 new wheel as some spokes might have weakened and will break under tension while being rebuilt and the rim will be weak' date=' as well as its a pain in the ass rebuilding these wheels and inevitably our labour and spokes is more expensive than just buying a new wheel. [/quote']So is it not possible to straighten the rim without the spokes in and then rebuild with new spokes to get it true again?If you managed to straighten it to the point where it was "rideable" then it most likely can be repaired as good as new (even better). Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, this would be interesting to see.
Johan Bornman Posted February 23, 2009 Posted February 23, 2009 new wheel as some spokes might have weakened and will break under tension while being rebuilt and the rim will be weak' date=' as well as its a pain in the ass rebuilding these wheels and inevitably our labour and spokes is more expensive than just buying a new wheel. [/quote'] Not quite. Spokes don't break in cycling accidents unless there was a stick or pump involved that got into them whilst the wheel was still turning. An accident always relieves stress on spokes and never increases it. There is not a single mode of accident I can think of that will stress spokes. The only damage in this case is or may be the rim. It is hard to say if the bend in the rim was permanent or just as a result of a classic temporary taco. The latter is harmless and often created during the wheelbuilding process to see how much tension is too much for a particular rim. The only way to know if the rim was bent is to slacken all the spokes and take a look at how the rim looks. A wheel with a slightly bent rim can be trued with reasonable success, even if it does mean the spoke tension is nowhere near equal. Such a wheel is not very strong and will probably taco with some permanence in the next accident. The best course of action if the rim is bent is to replace it with exactly the same rim. This way you save on spokes. Since the OP never reported any spoke breakages before the accident, the spokes are stable and will probably last indefinitely. Bottom line, an accident doesn't weaken the spokes nor the rim. Both weaken from fatigue, not a single incident. Of course a kink in the rim or other obvious defect changes the situation. The OP should find a conservative wheelbuilder that can assess the permanance of the wobble. Johan Bornman2009-02-23 00:51:21
HammerHed Posted February 23, 2009 Author Posted February 23, 2009 Thanks guys for your replies. Very informative.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now