Bike wheel buckled

arcon5

Well the front AND back have - but the back one is getting quite bad. You can feel it when riding if you stop peddling and can see it when looking down.

I'm nearly hundred percent certain it wasn't like it when I bought the bike a few months ago (second hand).

I have one of those metal/plastic grips on the frame below the seat which the child bike seat secures to - so wondering if the extra weight of the little one as well as my 15stone could have done this when regularly (but slowly) going down curbs?

Which leads me wondering what to look for in a new bike... since rear suspension bikes don't seem to give enough room on the frame below the seat for the seat (let alone the wrong shape and the fact there's a gap and it looks like it could be dangerous having it above the gap)?

So confused as to what to buy.... and i'm on a shoestring budget!!! ARGH

dotdash79

You might be able to get the wheels sorted out from about £15 or a rebuild for about £50.speak to your local bike shop, they might also have second hand bikes that will help.

dandelionclock30

I'd go to a really decent bike shop and discuss your requirements, you can get stronger wheels built if needed.But it will cost you, they are not cheap.
Your current bike is obviously not able to cope with your demands on it. Whilst your getting sorted I'd walk as it can be dangerous especially if your carrying a child on the back with buckled wheels. You dont want to have an accident.

Nebulous2

I don't do kerbs on my bike. Some of my friends do, but they 'jump' them rather than run on to them. The other thing to watch out for is potholes.

You can get wheels trued and that can then fix them for a long time, but if they are too buckled that wont be possible. You can also get stronger wheels, usually ones with more spokes, but that can be expensive.

thescouselander

If you're on a budget forget anything with suspension. What sort of bike have you got? Depending on what it is it might be worth looking into some better wheels.

sickparrot

If the wheels have just gone out of shape it may be that some of the spokes need tightening up, it can happen with a new wheel if it's been built on the cheap.

It can be sorted with a spoke key (very cheap to buy) and a bit of trial and error, have a look for guides on the Google.

wwpaddler

How much air did you have in your tyres? If the tyre pressure is too low this will increase the risk of spokes breaking/wheels buckling.

Not sure what type of tyres/wheels you have but as a guide for urban riding

large volume mountain bike tyres 50psi
mid volume hybrid bike tyres 70-80psi
low volume skinny road bike tyres 100psi+

Your tyre sidewall will state the maximum pressure your tyre can take. For urban riding get as near to it as you can.

Cycrow

15stone + child doesn't really sound too heavy for most bikes.

What type of bike was it ?

its possible that the wheels are just really cheap and low quality, or it could be due to damage, like from potholes in the road

fred246

I taught myself how to make wheels using a Park TS8 stand and a TM1 spoke tension meter. It really is quite enjoyable and satisfying. Not really as difficult as some people think thought the equipment was £150. Cycling on super straight wheels is a real joy. My wheels are super straight because I spend lots of TIME straightening them. A bike shop would never do them as well as you can do them yourself. After building a new wheel you do have to straighten them every few weeks as the spokes bed down. Bike shops often offer a service at 6 weeks to sort this sort of thing out. If you act quickly and get your wheels straightened NOW arcon5 you may find you only have to pay labour. Leave it and you could breaks spokes and the wheel and end up with a bigger bill.

fred246

Just looking. The TS8 stand is £70 at Merlin Cycles. TM1 is £50 (eg Wiggle). So for £120 you can have cheap and super straight wheels till you die! A bargain if ever there was one.

arcon5

Hi all,

It's an atlantis something mountain bike, not that new either.

Side of the tyre says 36-60psi. I have them between 35-40.

The spokes all feel a similar tension, nothing stands out as particularly loose. But I guess a bike mechanic would be able to tell better by feel.