Does a buckled wheel matter...?

gk141054

Might be a silly question but here goes....

I was wondering today, does a buckled wheel really affect Mountain bikers that much at the speeds we travel....

I don't mean massively buckled here, just slightly...

On a car at 70mph I can understand it would matter, but at 20mph on a bike?!?!

In the old days a buckled wheel would mean that the brake blocks would constantly rub on the rim causing resistance = harder work and slower speed... but with disc brakes does it matter anymore?

Bikerbaboon

i would guess that the big issue with a MTB wheel being buckled is the loss in strength and the massive crashes that would could face from a wheel just failing on you over a small drop that a true wheel could easly handle.
Due to the fact that wheels are not made for lateral forces that are across the spokes that would be generated from a buckle, but i could well be wong

nicklouse

if the wheel is buckled then it will fail.

Milkie

My rear wheel was buckled... I thought it would be ok, once it had got buckled, every little lateral force made it a lot worse.

I noticed the rear snaking around on tarmac, and a strange traction noise, so I got it straightened.

And yes, a buckled wheel doesnt make any difference to your disc brakes, as this is from the hub, not the spokes/rim.

gk141054

Cheers guys,

Took it in this morning to be fixed anyway, but just wanted to raise the matter....

Now rolll on Saturday