What are the risks of cycling on a buckled wheel

[commutercallum]

Basically my back wheel on my hybrid is buckled slightly you cant feel any diffrence when riding it but when you look at the wheel you can see that it is buckled.
I would just like to know if their is any danger on riding on a buckled wheel and if their is would you say it is a high or low risk thing to do?
Also is their any way of un-buckl-ing it so the wheel is perfectly straight again or do i have to buy a new wheel altogether ?
THANK YOU

 

[Moodyman]

Sounds like your wheel is out of 'true' - not running straight.

This is not dangerous per say, but long term your wheel will become weaker if you keep riding. You can get away riding short term.

It's caused by a loosening of the spokes. To sort it, you need to get your spokes tightened & 'trued' by a bike shop or someone who has a spoke key and knows what they're doing. Expect to pay about £10.

 

[HovR]

The only real issue is the effect it may have on your braking if you are using rim brakes - It can cause the brakes to "grab" as the wheel rotates due to the bend in the wheel. Of course the severity of this depends on the severity of the buckle/bend.

 

[Gez73]

I've ridden on slightly buckled or out-of-true wheels in the past. I've had to adjust my V brakes and as a result had less stopping power for the duration. I wouldn't recommend riding on such a wheel for that reason alone. I'm not sure of the strength implications of using a buckled wheel but they can be trued relatively easily although it is a very time consuming task especially for a novice. My LBS has done mine in a fraction of the time I could so I opt for that. Shouldn't cost too much unless the spokes are broken in which case a wheel build/spoke replace is needed and this might be the more expensive option than a new wheel. You'll get far more help here than I can offer I expect.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

I saw a Boris Bike the other day and it had a bad buckled back wheel,surprising really as they are built like tanks,probably not good if they are ridden up pavements though.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

The wheels on a hybrid will likely have a high spoke count (32 or 36) and are therefore capable of taking a lot more stick than wheels with lower numbers of spokes, so I doubt it is about to collapse in a catastrophic way.

However, riding it in that condition certainly won't improve it: it can only get worse and the longer you wait to get it repaired the more expensive it could get, right up to the point where it will need replacing.

The back wheel carries more weight than the front as well as the forces from the drivetrain, so it is more urgent that it is fixed than if it was the front. It will also be more expensive if you leave it too long and have to replace it.

If you haven't already, you can loosen the brake off so that it doesn't rub on the rim; this will affect your overall braking less than if it was the front, which is perhaps the only "plus".

 

[biggs682]

it should true up ok , so off to lbs and get it done asap , should not cost more than a tenner