potholes and rim trueing

efcbluepete
efcbluepete Posts: 20
edited March 2017 in The workshop
so, I am sure many on here go through this quite frequently, so here goes for some guidance and advice. based around the regularity of wheels getting battered by the awful state of the roads.

last autumn I noticed my roadbike rear wheel was a bit out of true, so applied some time and effort, and a little engineering logic and tried to true up the wheel. all seemed ok, and the rim brakes no loger did the regular noise of buckled section passing over brake block. chuffed I was :-)

then on the way to work one morning I hear a bi of a bang (assumed I had gone over some debris or new pothole). The a click, click, click regular noise. I had snapped a spoke :-( , so just stooped raodside and removed it and carried on to work, only to snap another! I am now guessing my great engineering logic forgot to take into account some sort of max torque value for spokes!

the roadbike went away for the winter and the ACF50 coated MTB came out. squishy tyres, etc made for easier/comfier/slower commute.

Roadbike came out this week after I have put a new back wheel on for now (got some spokes to lace into the original wheel), and having hit several potholes on each commute (cycle lanes are practically non-existant, and at best a bit of worn out paint on the road), I am noticing my wheels are taking a battering again and getting out of true.

Does anybody get their wheels regularly serviced? if so, how much should I expect to pay for something like that? mine seem to only be 3-4mm out at worst, but combined with my very immobile brake calipers (not sure what the proper name is for the rim brake metal horse shoe shaped brake pad holders is) it gets quite ineeficient working against the brakes, and very annoying.

thanks,

Pete

Comments

  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    You're using the correct term for the brakes; they are calipers.

    Never had a wheel serviced or trued by a bike shop. Had pretty robust 36 spoke wheels on the MTB which took a battering, and occasionally had to true them myself. Never lost a spoke though.

    Trickier on the road bike with 16F / 20R bladed spokes, but I've done it myself a few times. Twice after hitting potholes pretty hard; rim dented a bit and out of true. Managed to get them straight again just by gentle tightening / loosening nipples as appropriate.

    Then a spoke went bang on the rear which rendered it unrideably pringle shaped. Bike thrown in car to get home. When I managed to track down a replacement I fitted it and again managed to true the thing adequately. Think I've been lucky really.

    I do service the cup and cone hub bearings annually.