Straightening a bent rim

[Bogus Jim]

Any advice on straightening a bent rim... do's or don'ts? Google shows lots of different techniques... hydraulic press, hammer and wood block, crescent wrench, buy new rim, send rim away, etc.

It's not a huge bend, just one side of the rim, I'd say the lateral runout is 5-10mm on the bent area, and a couple loose spokes.

[The Yeti]

Sorry, got no advice...what'd ya hit?

[loingrader]

i assume it is a wheel problem and not a rim problem?  i.e. the runout is +5mm on one side and -5mm directly opposite?  if so it can be fixed.  flat spots and taco wheels should be lived with or tossed.

first off go slow.  you may be able to get by with just a little pressure and spoke tightening.  front rim will be easier to fix than a rear since there is less material there.

i don't think i would use a press or a hammer unless the rim was very bent and completely removed from the hub (i.e. all spokes removed).

this opens up a big ball of wax because there is certainly an art to building wheels that takes years to develop.  and just because it may look like it is built correctly (straight and true) if the spokes aren't tightened correctly it can still be a weak wheel, easily bent again.

worst case scenerio buy a rim and find a proven wheel builder to build it for you or just buy a complete wheel. 

if it were me i'd just try to get it close and then ride it.  my front kdx200 rim has a bit of a wobble, but no more than 5mm out of alignment.  doesn't bother me a bit.

[Bogus Jim]

i assume it is a wheel problem and not a rim problem?  i.e. the runout is +5mm on one side and -5mm directly opposite?

Actually I think just the left lip of the rim is bent. But now that you mention it, I guess I should put the bike on the stand and measure runout on the right side... see if the whole wheel is out of whack. I'm tempted to just live with it because I may make things worse by trying to straighten it.

Sorry, got no advice...what'd ya hit?

I'm not really sure what I hit. Long story short, after the rally I did a suspension upgrade and after one of my "test" rides, I noticed the bent front rim. Also a bent rear brake lever and bent shift lever, but I know how to fix those. Dang rocks. Suspension upgrade was totally worth it, btw. 

[loingrader]

if just the lip is bent and it doesn't look like the bead will unseat, i'd not mess with it too much.  if it looksiffy, maybe try the wooden block, mallet trick but obvioulsy make sure the back side of the rim is supported.

i may lose some traction, but i run my tires at about 40psi off road to try to prevent bent rims.  it has worked so far on the big pig i ride.

[The Yeti]

Suspension upgrade was totally worth it, btw. 

Tell me more.  Did you get it done locally, or what?

[Number Two]

Use a press w/ a variety of blocks of wood.  Worked on several old KTM rims that I did.  If all goes bad, you end up with a brand spankin set from Woody's.  It's a win-win.

[Hank]

I second the press method.  You have better control and can experiment with how much over press you'll need to get them where you want them.

I straightened a set of bent (not warped) Hayabusa rotors that were as much as .080" out.   With an arbor press and dial indicator, and maybe 30 minutes I got them back within .006".

Not sure how smart it is to straighten bent rotors but I did it and haven't died from it yet   

[Bogus Jim]

Tell me more.  Did you get it done locally, or what?

I sent the rear shock to Go-Race and did the forks myself. Go-race sells a fork upgrade kit now; instead of sending the forks out, you can DIY and save a little on shipping and labor. I thought about having a local shop or a Colorado shop work on the suspension, but go-race has done a lot of work on the wrr's so I figured he's got it pretty well dialed in, while the other shops might have to experiment a bit.

The stock wrr suspension is not bad, but with aggressive riding it shows a couple quirks that really bothered me. One, the rear end tends to kick up, so the rear wheel doesn't stay on the ground. Two, the forks are pretty harsh at higher shaft speeds and don't use all the travel. I couldn't get rid of that, even with clickers all the way out. With the upgrade, both of these issues are 90% better. The rear wheel stays hooked up, the forks use all their travel on the hardest hits, and soak up the medium hits without jarring the handlebars. Much more plush in the rough stuff.

If all goes bad, you end up with a brand spankin set from Woody's.  It's a win-win.

Ha, that had crossed my mind. Have someone build a nice new set of Excel's for the bike. But at some point the farkles have got to stop... 

[loingrader]

But at some point the farkles have got to stop... 

I agree in theory.  But I just need that one last item to make the bike perfect!