Hi all,

After an awkward crash last weekend I have a pretty large buckle in my front wheel. It’s out by about 4-5mm. Mavic EN321. Can this be straightened, or am I looking at a new wheel?

Thanks

Colin

photo please

I’d think it would be fixable.

A cheaper option to buying a new wheel would be buy a replacement rim the en321 rims are normally about £25 then build it on to the old spokes and hub and get a shop to finnish it off if you do not have the tools for a further £15-20

Don’t have one handy, but I think it’s going to be pretty difficult to show the buckle in a photo….

As the result of a direct crash, it’s because somehting has bent. Could be the rim, could be the spokes. However, you might be able to pull it back most of the way without going too wild with the spoke tension.

Is the rim cracked? Check for any cracks especially around the spoke holes.

If no cracks, then it’s probably fixable, but you may not get it perfect again if you’re doing it yourself.

If you’re taking it to a shop it may be just as cheap to stick a new rim on by the time you’ve paid the labour to get it straightened.

Thanks guys. Rim isn’t cracked at all, few scuffs, but nothing serious. That’s exactly what I’m trying to weigh up, re-build with new rim vs labour for straightening it.

Buy a spoke key and then read Sheldon Brown’s tips on truing wheels.

It really is very easy, and a 4-5mm buckle is barely anything. I’ve straightened rims with 3-4cm + and they’ve been fine.

4-5 mm is fine. Spoke key will do it. Any more and you may need to bend the rim back a bit first by wacking it hard against the ground (with the tyre still on) before trying to true it. It’s amazing what you can true back into shape when you need to

What leffeboy said. Best to loosen the relevant spokes before whacking it though.

And stay off the leffe 😉

if the 4-5mm is across a large amount of the wheel and isn’t too harsh then fine, if it happens very suddenly over a short distance might be a lot harder. As stated, much bigger buckles can be trued out quite easily if they are gentle…