A bike rim primarily gets bent due to sudden, forceful impacts or improper handling. While frustrating, bent rims are often fixable. Understanding the common causes can help you prevent them and know what to look for.
Common Causes of Bent Bike Rims
Based on common issues cyclists face, several actions can lead to a rim losing its true shape. According to practical experience, rims can become bent out of shape through specific incidents:
- Hitting a Big Pothole: Striking a significant obstacle like a deep pothole can cause a sharp jolt that puts excessive stress on the rim, forcing it to deform.
- Getting Twisted in Racks: When trying to forcefully wedge your bike into or pull it out of a tight bike rack, the twisting and bending forces applied to the wheel can cause the rim to become distorted.
- When a Spoke Breaks: The tension provided by spokes keeps the rim in its proper shape. When a spoke breaks, the tension is unevenly distributed, which can lead to the rim pulling out of alignment or bending in the area where the spoke tension is lost.
These incidents apply sudden, unequal pressure or tension to the rim, exceeding its structural limits and causing it to bend. While bent rims can slow you down, they are often relatively easy to fix with the right tools and knowledge.
