subject: How to Repair a bent bike wheel on the side of the Road ? [print this page] How to Repair a bent bike wheel on the side of the Road ?
Even if you do your best to avoid objects in the road, sooner or later a pothole will sneak up on you and you won't be able to avoid it. If your tires are inflated properly, your wheels should absorb the blow and you shouldn't have a problem. But if you hit one of the bottomless potholes that some cities are infamous for the kind that look like they were left by a landmine or you crash into a curb or some other immovable object, you may end up damaging your wheel so much that you can't ride. If your wheel is bent or "tacoed" and it won't roll even if the brake is removed, you may need to bend it back into shape in order to make the trip home.
Although the wheel may be beyond repair and will probably have to be replaced, your immediate goal is to return it as close as possible to the original shape so that it'll spin and clear the brakes.
Here's how to repair a bent wheel to get you back home:
Remove the wheel from the frame.
With the tire on the wheel, grab the sides of the wheel with both hands, with the bent part facing away from you.
Find something like a curb where you can support the wheel at an angle with the hub elevated on the ground.
Using your weight, try to forcefully press down on the wheel against the direction of the buckle.
Repeat this a few times that may be enough to correct the bend. If not, continue to Step 5.
If the previous step is not enough to return the wheel to a round shape, try hitting the bent part of the rim against the ground.
Hit it several times, like a blacksmith shaping a piece of metal, until it begins to resemble a round wheel again. Start with a soft blow and increase the intensity with each blow, after examining the rim for results. This is a last-ditch effort if all else fails.
