Bent rear rim

[BullseyeBiker]

Let me start off by saying this is a really wonderful site for those like me looking to save a buck or two by doing their own work. Now to my issue, I've got a Trek 800 mountain bike with a bent rear wheel. I really want to fix it myself, but I don't want to start buying parts without the proper knowledge of what I'm doing. Here are a few pictures of my bike, and maybe someone can tell me what I should do.

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The rim is pretty bent, wobbles when it spins, and actually rubs on the brakes. I believe it has a freewheel cluster, but I'm not a 100% sure( the plastic covering says "FREEWHEEL COVER" and everything on this bike is original....even the tires....). I saw Alex's tutorial on how to true a rim and thought i could give that a try, but I have no clue on what size of a spoke wrench I would need( total newbie to anything involving bikes).

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[GeorgeET]

Great photos, however they do not show to what extent the rim is bend.
If it does not have any creases or cracks you can most likely true it, by adjusting the spokes.
OR take it off and take it to your local dealer as truing can get funky for first timers.
Do not know what size wrench you need . If you have a dealer close by take the wheel there to get the right spoke wrench, or measure it if you have a micrometer. Most likely its the red #2 Parker wrench.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/wheels/630.html

[cyclerUK]

You can get spoke keys with multi size nipple fitting.
Such as :-
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/SearchResults.aspx?Search=spoke+key

I have one like the round Campag' one - but I only paid about £3.00 for mine.
There are a couple of other triangular ones shown.
The key needs to be a good fit or the nipples will round off.
Just take your time and take care which way you turn the nipples.
If you turn the frame over you can do the wheel in the frame.
Slide the chain off the sprockets so the wheel can be spun back and forth.
You can use the brake blocks to act as "pointers" to show the high and low points.
You will need to know if the rim is central which you can check by turning the wheel over so the sprockets are on the other side.
There are lots of Youtube videos showing wheel truing so have a look at these.
Here's two:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svMMaGMsIMw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aPTqHKaxIM&feature=related

As George says as long as the rim hasn't any dents then it should be able to be trued.

[trevgbb]

First, check the condition of the rim, are there any cracks, or nipples pulled through, or damage to the hub flange? if so the wheel is scrap.
check for broken spokes, these will almost certainly be on the gear side and will mean removal of the gear cluster for which you will need a special tool.
Check for shake in the hub, this may mean the hub is scrap.
IE, assess your wheel to decide whether it is worth spending time and money on, if so, go ahead following the instructions given.
The spoke is almost certainly a 14g.

[BullseyeBiker]

The rim, despite being out of true, is in really great shape. No bent or broken spokes to speak of (the guy I bought it from didn't really use it, or took meticulous care of it). I'm pretty confident in my ability to get it back in true using a spoke wrench. Do all bike shops for the most part carry these little guys?

[BullseyeBiker]

(03-10-2011, 11:38 PM)GeorgeET Wrote:  Great photos, however they do not show to what extent the rim is bend.
If it does not have any creases or cracks you can most likely true it, by adjusting the spokes.
OR take it off and take it to your local dealer as truing can get funky for first timers.
Do not know what size wrench you need . If you have a dealer close by take the wheel there to get the right spoke wrench, or measure it if you have a micrometer. Most likely its the red #2 Parker wrench.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/wheels/630.html

Took a little bit of trial and error but it worked beautifully.

Thanks everyone!