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| A sizeable dent like the one shown above may look fatal, but there is a good chance that the damaged rim still has a lot of life left in it. While disc brakes may have lessened the consequences of denting a rim sidewall, it is still good practice to pull out the damaged section. Why? Many dents are bad enough to actually compromise a tubeless setup's ability to hold air, allowing pressure and sealant to leak out at the site of the damage. In extreme cases, the tire's bead may not even be held in place safely. |
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| While some repair jobs require very specific tools to perform, fixing a dented rim only demands the basics: a large adjustable wrench and metal tire lever. |
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| Want to use the correct tools for the job? Morningstar Tools manufactures this clever item, their ''Rim 'Rench'', that is specifically designed to pull out inward dents on rims. It is shaped to not harm the rim wall, and is thin enough to pull out the smallest of imperfections. It can be found on the Morningstar website for $16 USD. |
What's needed: • Adjustable wrench • Metal tire lever • Felt marker | Some helpful pointers: • Using a metal tire lever (or any other thin metal object) between the outer rim wall and the wrench will prevent the edges of the wrench from damaging the rim. It will also help to keep you from bending the rim wall out too far. • Much like straightening a brake rotor, this repair job is all about going in small increments. You'll just make more work for yourself if you try to bend too much too soon. • It's mentioned again below, but we can't stress this enough: inspect the rim for cracks after fixing the dent. Although it is unlikely to occur, a rim sidewall blowout, especially up front, will likely spell disaster on the trail. |
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| Step 1 - Star by taking the damaged wheel off of your bike and removing the tire. It is also a good idea to slip off the rim strip if you are not using a stick-on, tubeless rim tape. If you are, be careful during the repair so as not to damage the tape. |
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| Step 2 - Locate the damaged section of rim wall and use a felt pen (or a white-out pen if the rim is black) to mark the points where the damage begins and ends. This makes it easy to see where you have to work your magic, as well as allow you to easily find the dent as you progress. |
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| Step 3 - Take your metal tire lever and place it up against the outer rim wall, directly over top of the dent. Next, starting at one end of the dent, close down your adjustable wrench over top of both the damaged rim wall and the tire lever. Hold your thumb down firmly onto the wrench's adjustment wheel. |
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| Step 4 - With one hand holding the metal tire lever in place, use the other to pull the rim wall out. Start with small motions, working your way along the offending area. |
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| Step 5 - Inspect your work before reinstalling the tire, tube, and rim strip. Look for hairline cracks that run lengthwise along the inner rim wall - a single crack requires the rim to be replaced as a rim failure on the trail can have dire consequences. If you left the wheel's tubeless rim strip on during the repair, be sure to check it for any tears that may have been caused by the wrench. The photo above shows a before (left) and after (right) view of the damage and the repair. |
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