Wa gwan.

After a bit of over-enthusiastic hardtail schralping, I’ve put quite a good flat spot in my nice Spank rim along with a healthy wobble.

It’s in the truing stand but I’m torn.

It seems I can either get the spoke tension fairly consistent via the pluck test or, I can get it relatively true but with more uneven tension.

I mean, I know that even tension is the most important but should you compromise on a damaged rim?

Is the rim basically toast?
Should I just settle for even tension and a big wobble over a straighter rim?

Is there anything you can do to straighten a rim BEFORE you then go and tension it up again?

Any tips for dealing with this? I’ve built a few wheels now but not really repaired any as such.

The compromising is difficult 😕

As it’s your own rim I’d just go for true and keep an eye on the tension. If it goes it goes, but it’ll (probably) still get you home.

*edit – always carry a spoke key. Light and useful 😉

Chase tone not trueness

Yeah, but it depends how out it is. A few mm then ok, but a cm or so you’ll be able to feel the wobble (esp on the front).
A bit of uneven tension isn’t the end of the world.

With rim brakes I’d err on the side of trueness and accept the compromise on durability; with disc or hub brakes it can make a bit more sense to take the alternative view. But there are obviously limits to both.

Yeah it’s about 10-15mm of a wobble.
Quite a jelly but it’s on the back..

If it was me id lace a new rim onto it. Rims are comparatively cheap and sitting in front of the tv building a wheel is quite therapeutic….more so than trying to wrestle a bent one back into shape.

You could have a point. 🙂
Always trying to eek a bit more life out of things.

Is there any mileage in completely de-tensioning it, getting it on a flat register of some kind and whacking the shit out of it trying to coax it a bit flatter before tensioning?

Yeah Bez put it better than me. A litle wobble is fine with disc brakes, better to have even tension. But yes there are limits.

My rear dh wheel is bent, but it’s evenly tensioned and strong, i dont notice it when descending. On a road bike however it would drive me mad

It’s a mountain bike. Disc brakes.

10-15mm?!!

I was discussing this with my LBS and on Friday and they said with disc wheels that even tension matters more than absolute trueness. My rear rim on my full-sus has about 2-3mm of flatness across a couple of spokes – but it’s ok side to side.

You sure it’s not a bent axle or something ?

I had a road wheel that I re-trued and failed with several times before I noticed 😳

Nah it’s defo the rim.
It had a ding on the rim edge which I gently eased out with an adjustable spanner, so it has a flat spot there, but it does have quite a shimmy to it now too.

I’ll have another go at balancing the elements a little more tomorrow.

Is there any mileage in completely de-tensioning it, getting it on a flat register of some kind and whacking the shit out of it trying to coax it a bit flatter before tensioning?

detension & retension. should result in a straight(er) wheel. wouldn’t be whacking it.

Having said that it, it doesn’t need to be perfectly straight – just straight enough you can’t feel it whilst riding.

Used to have a heavy chest of drawers in the workshop

Open bottom drawer an inch or two…..find the bent bit place in drawer and ease it straight again.

Worked grand and let me get full tension. Back into the wheel nice and evenly.

Assuming left to right bend rather than an egg.

Unfortunately now it seems you can’t get a direct rim replacement for these. 😐

It’s a Spank Spike Enduro 28 straight pull 28 hole rim.

Can’t find one for love nor money so my temporary repairs may have to be more permanent.