|   Taco Time!... A Wheel Adventure Story... | Dirt Pilot
Jun 7, 2002 5:14 AM | | A good friend called me yesterday saying that he had badly tacoed his rear disk wheel and asked if I'd build him a new set if he ordered the parts, of course I said "no sweat". He was pretty bummed though as this is his only bike and he wouldn't be able to ride with the gang this weekend, without hesitation I told him to bring it on by and we'l have a look-see.
Upon his arrival I surveyed the carnage, I nearly fell down laughing at the warp in this sukker. It was a regular Mike T wheel...nearly clobbering the stays. Being the mechanical adventurer that I am, I sprung into action. I threw the pringle in my makeshift stand and went to work. I detensioned and tweeked and fiddled and stress relieved and tweeked and fiddled some more. Within a couple hours or so the wheel was rideable but a bend in a certain area bothered me...a lot.
I sat down with a beer and I thought...Then it came to me... a "field adjustment" technique that I'd read about on good ol' MTBR a while back.
With this recollection I pulled on a pair of work gloves and grabbed the ailing wheel and ran out into the yard. I hoisted the wheel high over my head and yelled "OOOOLLAAA BOOOLLLAAAA" while savagely slamming it into the ground. I noticed an improvement so I repeated the proceedure another half dozen times or so...all while my Harley riding neighbor stood with a beer and gazed with shock and wonder.
I returned to my well lit, ultra plush garage and set the wheel in the stand. I completed the job and it was certainly not within my preferred "within .005" but was within .030" both laterally and vertically with some fairly even spoke tension all around.
I told my friend that the prognosis for this wheel are not good and not to come crying to me when the wheel blows apart a half hour into our ride at daybreak tomorrow. I know one thing for sure though, I'm gonna stay clear of this guy and advise the other guys of the same because at any given moment, spokes and shards of rim could start to fly!
Enjoy your rides this weekend friends... I always say, all rides are good...some are just better.
Rick |
| re: Taco Time!... A Wheel Adventure Story... | Echo
Jun 7, 2002 7:51 AM | | Next time start with the field alignment first... |
| Well... | Dirt Pilot
Jun 7, 2002 12:00 PM | | ...That wheel was so badly mangled that I had no idea where to slam it first...gotta be precise y'know.
Still can't believe how strait I got it. Gonna be interesting to see how it holds up tomorrow. |
| A better way | Dougal
Jun 8, 2002 9:54 PM | | Get yourself a rubber hammer and two blocks of wood.
Place the wood blocks on the ground, use the rubber hammer on the high spots.
It works best if you loosen off the spokes first, then straighten the rim, then tension the spokes and retrue the wheel. If you do it right it's as good as new (save for a little strain hardening in the rim).
The only thing that really kills a rim is flatspots or severe buckling (like getting wheels run over, done that). The rubber mallet can resurrect the rest.
Dougal.8m.com |
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