Buckled wheels grrr!

[amccan10]

Hi folks,

just started cycling to work, as the scooby is in for a respray, 2 days in and i've already buckled my rear wheel! The roads in Glasgow are appalling deep pot holes and "trenches" across the full road (and it prob doesn't help that i'm about 95Kg and 6'3")

How do you regulars put up with it? I've tried my best and missed 95% of the holes.

I'm not into bikes much tbh and just have a fairly cheap halfords road bike.

What do you do? have a go at fixing it or just get a new one?

[okgo]

Cheap bike + cheap wheels = crap and will break quick.

[shouldbworking]

If its a proper dint you'll be better off with a new wheel. If its spread over a decent length of wheel a bike shop may be able to save it by truing it.

Sturdier wheels are the real answer

[The Stiglet]

Really depends on how badly buckled it is. Your local bike shop (or you) could try adjusting the spokes to get most of the wobble out depending on the severity. My cheap Raleigh race bike had a pretty bad buckle but they managed to dial it out - it was probably 6 or 7mm out and rubbed on the brake pad. I have been led to believe that most things can be sorted...

[Roman]

shouldbworking said:

If its a proper dint you'll be better off with a new wheel. If its spread over a decent length of wheel a bike shop may be able to save it by truing it.

Sturdier wheels are the real answer

+1 - ideally 32 spoke hand builts.

Larger volume, 25mm or if they will fit, 28mm wide decent quality folding tyres pumped up to around 115psi front, 120psi rear will help protect your wheels, give you a better ride and on harsh city roads won't feel any slower.

[anonymous-user]

The Stiglet said:

Really depends on how badly buckled it is. Your local bike shop (or you) could try adjusting the spokes to get most of the wobble out depending on the severity. My cheap Raleigh race bike had a pretty bad buckle but they managed to dial it out - it was probably 6 or 7mm out and rubbed on the brake pad. I have been led to believe that most things can be sorted...

to be honest, you can do it yourself with a basic spoke key by making small adjustments. most buckled wheels can be made true but the issue then becomes running a wheel which has spokes at different tension. if you are unfortunate enough to hit a hole with the spoke that is taking the most tension, you are likely to snap it.

[amccan10]

Its not too bad for the moment, will def have a go at fixing it if it gets any worse.

The tyres were paper thin 23's i'm now running 25 armadillo tyres that have certainly reduced the number of punctures I was getting.

Being fairly heavy anything below 110psi and it just looks soft
tyres are curretly 120psi and that seems to be not too bad

Any recommendations on sturdier wheels?

[WeirdNeville]

Keeping pressures up is important, but the biggest thing I've found is reading the road surface and unweighting wheels for big troughs and pot holes. If you can actually bunnyhop that's a big advantage too (even on 700c wheels!). I've had to bunny hop whole road signs etc before now. Just lifting your bum off the saddle as you pass over a pothole is usually enough to prevent damage.

I've had two sets of 'unbuckleable' wheels on my various road bikes. One was a handbuilt set of Mavic open Pro Rims on Shimano hubs, 32 spoked. They were nice. The other set were, oddly enough, 'gipiemme grecal parade' which are 16 spoke radial fronts and rear they have the most ridiculously heavy rigid rim, and my theory is that the rim flexes on the hub due to the low spoke count. They've lasted nigh on 10 years anyway.

Get well built wheels and ride more 'dynamically' and you should avoid the worst of the damage.

[Roman]

amccan10 said:

Any recommendations on sturdier wheels?

Ribble:
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/W...

Everybody near Glasgow rates 'Big Al':
http://www.wheelcraft.net/

[amccan10]

Cheers! Big Al it is