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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> bent rim, need to build new wheel
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Message started by chiguy on 08/10/13 at 15:08:33

Title: bent rim, need to build new wheel
Post by chiguy on 08/10/13 at 15:08:33

I have a front wheel with a very slightly deformed rim (you can see tiny little bit more of the tire near the rim in one spot - I'm talking about a millimeter or so). This occurred when my wife (on her very first solo ride) lost control and ran straight on into a parked car. I'm looking to fix the wheel (among a fair amount of other damage). It looks like my best bet is to buy a new rim and rebuild the wheel using the existing hub/axle/spokes. I've built a couple of bicycle wheels myself, and it wasn't super easy, but I got the job done. Has anybody laced up a front wheel for the Savage? Is it pretty straightforward or is it difficult to get it right? The one thing I would definitely be lacking is any kind of a stand to true the wheel. (Though I suppose I could just put the whole bike on a jack stand and use the front forks.)

BTW does anyone know of a good source to get a replacement rim of the correct size and not costing a fortune?

Thanks for any info or advice y'all have.

Title: Re: bent rim, need to build new wheel
Post by verslagen1 on 08/10/13 at 15:34:29

this might be easier...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/86-ls650-ls-650-suzuki-savage-front-wheel-rim-/220616524625?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item335dc50351&vxp=mtr

Title: Re: bent rim, need to build new wheel
Post by engineer on 08/10/13 at 19:06:21

Building a new wheel isn't difficult especially since you have done bicycle wheels. This one is just a little heavier. You will need a stand of some sort. One can be fabricated from scrap lumber. A dial indicator is nice but an improvised pointer of some sort, like a heavy piece or wire, can be used. A very careful visual check by eye of the gap between the pointer and rim as the wheel rotates is accurate enough.

Used wheels are fine and sometimes sell cheaper than new rims but they are not always true.

Title: Re: bent rim, need to build new wheel
Post by Gyrobob on 08/11/13 at 05:43:36

3A3833383138342E5D0 wrote:

For wheel truing I just clamp the axle in a vise, rather than using a stand.

Dial pointers are the best way to true the wheels,.. but as engineer mentioned, there are alternatives. I use a marker held very steadily (if your nerves are really steady) or clamped in some adjustable apparatus. As the wheel spins around, the marker will touch the high points,.. the center of the mark shows where the spokes should be loosened/tightened the most. Using this procedure (several times in the Double RYCA Build) I have gotten the wheels to about .040" radial and lateral runout. Patience, patience, patience,...

New rims are not always perfectly true either, and they are expensive. Even if they are fairly close, you still have a few hours of wheel lacing/truing to do.

I like the ebay or craigslist idea. Search for a complete wheel assembly, laced up already. You'll probably have to search nationally on craigslist. Then when you get the assembly, just true it up, and install.

Title: Re: bent rim, need to build new wheel
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/11/13 at 07:17:46

Before I spent a dime on new stuff Id take the rim I was planning to replace & take a shot at straightening it,, worse case? You dont, or ya screw it up worse.. BUt, your description says Minor Distortion.. You may Want to try to slap it straight toward center but before you hit it , get the tire off & put it on a stand & study exactly which way its bent. You may be able to pull the spokes out or just loosen them up real good in the area thats bent. Once you get it KInda close, put the spokes back in & go to town with a guide wire on both sides. YOu need to check both sides at first to make sure the opening is the same all the way around or in tolerance, once youve got the width of the rim Okay, then use the spokes to drag the thing back true. Heck with dial indicators, a wire pointer will show you everything you need to know & it will allow you to look AT the rim & see exactly where its wiggling. YOull watch the gap between pointer rim & you can stop the rim & back it up & go to where it closest, look at spokes & decide which to snug. Dont forget, loosen spokes opposite the ones youre tightening, then balance tensions. YOu wouldnt believe the rim damage Ive fixed on 10 speeds. I folded a rear tire in a turn once, 2 sides went one way, 2 sides went the other, took me over an hour to get that thing good enough to get home,,
& Yes, I rode hard enough to Always carry spoke wrenches,,& I kept the front Very straight,,Ive felt more G forces in a turn on a 10 speed than anything other than a go cart.
Anyway, you may need to drive, with a board on the chrome & a hammer on the board, the side thats showing too much rubber straight away from the axle & toward the tire, It sounds like it would straighten to me, but I am a former body repair guy & Ive been bending & banging on things all my life. I wrecked ( I mean Ruined) a rear wheel on my backhoe, was fighting a fire, holed a rear tire & HAD to drive it away in haste to get away from the fire. I thot, AWW, no big deal,, Ill buy another one,, Uhh,, NO,, after a coupla weeks of hunting I decided my only option was straighten it,, Took 4 days & used a coupla bottles of oxygen on the torch, but its Still a tubeless tire & it holds air just fine.
I wish I had some Before & after pics,, it was mangled,,

Title: Re: bent rim, need to build new wheel
Post by Dave on 08/11/13 at 08:10:29

Another option is find someone that is going to convert their RYCA front wheel to and 18" wheel. All they need is a hub....they don't need the rim or spokes. You might talk them into a trade....or at worse they will sell you their rim and spokes cheap.