Introduction- Fixing a Flat Spot on Your Bike Rim
Bike wheels can get damaged if you hit a bad bump, tree stumps, potholes, or curbs while riding it. Your ride will not be ruined if you get a ding but it could affect your braking. The problem usually occurs when the impact is strong enough to give you a pinch flat.
A dent on your bike rim will be rubbing against the brake pads, or you feel a bump when the pads hit the spot, and it can lead to a tire blowout. Some of the ways to fix a dent on bike rim are stated below.
When Your Rim is Bent at One Spot
Your rim can be bent to the side at one spot without it being bent in half. You don’t need to use a spoke wrench for this because side bend can easily be undone with an impact from opposite the side that caused it.
Your spoke needs to be under tension, and your tire must be on the rim and fully inflated before you can use this method.
- First, identify the spot of the bend by spinning the wheel on the bike.
- Once identified, let it down with the bend against the ground.
- Hold the wheel horizontally with your two hands while the bend faces downward on the far side.
- Raise the far side of the wheel and slam it on the floor with only the tire touching the ground, not the rim.
- Check the wheel to see if the bend has reduced and repeat till you cannot get further improvement.
When Your Rim is Bent at Numerous Spots
- Firstly, remove the wheel from your bike and then remove its tire and tube.
- Use a flat wrench like a cone wrench against the concave side of the dent.
- Slowly work along the dent with your wrench to carefully pry the rim out to the flat wrench. Although you may not perfectly align the rim, you will fix the rim to a point where you will not notice while riding.
- Once you have fixed the rim, check the spokes around the dent and adjust it to stabilize the wheel.
DIY “Wheelstick Tool” for Dented Rims
Another method is by using a DIY “Wheelstick Tool” to fix a ding on your rim. If you want to make a Wheelstick tool, some of the things that you will need are a steel pipe of 19mm diameter and 1.2mm thickness (3/4 inch diameter and 1/20 inch thickness), a 20mm threaded tee (3/4 inch), 19mm threaded barb piece (3/4 inch), washers, a hose cutout, and a 19mm x 13mm (3/4 x 1/2 inch) Barbed Tee.
Here is a video showing how to make a DIY Wheelstick took to fix your dented rims (credits to oz cycle):
Conclusion
There are several methods that you can use for fixing a dented spot on your bike rim that you can do yourself. Make sure to take safety precautions when working with tools. However, if you have to fix a dent on your bike on several occasions, the long-term solution is to replace the rim.