How can I fix my buckled front wheel on my mountain bike?

Question

Been out today and gone over on my bike, its buckled the front wheel and i think bent my handlebars a bit, i live in the uk so am wondering what would be the average price so i dont get ripped off and also if there are any ways i could fix them myself. Thankyou for any help.

Answer 1

Man, I don't think you can fix it properly if it's bent up pretty bad.  You just don't want the hassle either of having to true the spokes if you're not into that.

A good rim should cost anywhere from $25-$50 - dang sorry, that's American dollars - typically I am ignorant of the conversion.

Hey if you're riding the MTB on the street, now's a good time to consider some lighter, stronger- perhaps narrower rims, maybe?

Answer 2

Hi Daniel,

doing the repairing yourself depends on how 'mechanically' experienced you are. Truing a wheel is quite easy once you've gotten the hang of it. It takes a truing stand, a spoke-wrench and knowledge (basically, if you can think straight have a try). If the wheel is (literally) bent you might need a new rim and have the wheel relaced. If you don't care and it's a busbike/beerbike use a hammer and go for it! Having work done by a bikeshop will set you back 10-15 quid for trueing or whatever wheel you need will determine the price (range from 25 and up). Cheers!

for more info go to http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html and scroll down to 3/4 of the page to: Tensioning and truing