New bike - bent wheel

meso100

Hi

I got a Giant Trance X4 on Monday, rode it on the road for 6 miles.

Tonight I get the back out to set up a Cateye wireless and notice when I spin the front wheel I hear a metalic sound...it sounds like the front disc is catching on the pads and the wheel looks slightly bent.

Is this normal for a wheel to have slight bend? For the disc to rub?

Im gutted, the bike is brand new and now it looks like its broken. Is there anything I can do?

Many thanks

nicklouse

disc shape and wheel shape are not related.

sounds like your brakes need to bed in a bit more or the caliper needs adjusting.

meso100

Im sure the wheel has a very slight wobble - dont know if its my eyes playing tricks...

So if the wheel was bent the disc could still be straight?

Do you think I should carry on as I am for the time being and see if they bed in? Im just cautious whether or not I will wreck the pads or mechanism...

Dick Scruttock

Are yu looking at the rim or the tyre?

meso100

Both

The wheel seems to curve very slightly (dont know how as ive had no heavy impact on the front)!

The disc I cant see a curve just hear a grating sound at the same point in a 360 rotation.

nicklouse

meso100 wrote:

So if the wheel was bent the disc could still be straight?

.

yes two totally separate parts remove the rim and the disc is still there.

give it some time.

Northwind

Tyres can be slightly out of round which gives the impression the whole wheel's squint. Totally disregard the metal noise, but it might be worth checking hte wheel properly- make sure it's right into the dropouts and properly tightened so that it's straight in the bike, then with the wheel off the ground- in a stand, hung off the roof, upside down, whatever- give the wheel a spin and carefully put your finger near the rim as it spins, then slowly move it towards the rim. If it's out of round, you'll find it touches the rim in some places but not others.

Don't stick either your finger or your face into the spokes or tyres as you do this. It's easier to do this than you might think!

bails87

And keep your fingers away from the discs while the wheel's spinning! They really will take big chunks out of them.

joec1

bails87 wrote:

And keep your fingers away from the discs while the wheel's spinning! They really will take big chunks out of them.

Been there and done that.... its a B*atch

earthworm jim

if ur still unsure about wheel being bent, take off tyre and tube, replace wheel in frame, then put bike on its roof and spin it to see if the wheel IS bent. if it is take it back to shop and DEMAND it be sorted!

cavegiant

If the rim is bent slightly, it is not a big deal, your bike shop should true it for free, quite normal as a wheel beds in.

One thing to check, is the rotor true?
look into the gap between the pads and spin your wheel, that will show if the rotor has taken a hit. 203mm rotors are never flat, but if smaller it should be.

Disco_Dave88

I had a similar problem on my carrera before xmas, mine looked quite heavily buckled when spinning the rear tyre and the brakes were rubbing at the same bit the wheel looked buckled, took it into halfords and he said he couldn't see much wrong with it but trued it anyway if that's what its called. Mite have just been my tyre but i don't see how the brakes could rub if it was anyway when i got it back the problem was gone and he didn't charge me anything.

Tank-slapper

Disc only rims often have a 'bump' where the join is. There is nothing you can do about this and as Nicklouse says above it does not affect disc rub anyway. If the wheel is buckled, take it back to the shop to be fixed.

For the disc rub, try turning the wheel around to where the rub point touches the brake pads and loosen the quick release. Then retighten it while pushing the tyre gently with your thumb in the direction where the disc moves away from the pad. We are only talking a millimetre or so.

Northwind

That is not a good idea at all, if the disc is warped trying to fix it by messing around with the wheel mounting is just daft. Straighten the disc if it's out of true.

Tank-slapper

Northwind wrote:

That is not a good idea at all, if the disc is warped trying to fix it by messing around with the wheel mounting is just daft. Straighten the disc if it's out of true.

The wheel can be mounted in any one of an infinite number of positions. Trying a different one is not daft.

Northwind

Yes it can, and most of them are wrong. Fitting the wheel wrongly to sort out a problem with a different part makes no sense. Fix the problem itself.

Tank-slapper

Northwind wrote:

Bending a straight disc to sort out a problem with a different part makes no sense. Fix the problem itself.

You are assuming that the problem is the disc. It may be due to the wheel being mounted in the wrong place. We are only talking a fraction of a tiny amount of next to nothing in movement anyway. Perhaps rotating the quick release so that the teeth engage different grooves. Are you assuming (again) that I am talking about fitting the wheel so that it is wonky? Now that would be daft.

Northwind

OK, fair enough, maybe this is an interpretation thing. Your first post reads to me like you're recommending mounting the wheel differently in the droputs to deal with a scuff, but maybe I've taken you wrong.

supersonic

Slight disc rub in one place, from new, is not really a problem - it will usually bed in or simply bend the rotor a little at that point.

Altering the wheel position to cure it in one place will usually make it rub in another.