Miradaman

Hey folks
Amateur question here — I have an opportunity to pick up a decent Raleigh C40 hybrid dirt cheap. Rear rim is bent to heck and wobbles all over. How do I find a new or used rim that’s compatible with the drivetrain in terms of gearing and fit and so on? Are these things universal enough that another rim that’s the same size with the same amount of gears will just swap on? Do I need to take the gears off the old rim and find a new one that they’ll fit on? Any insight is appreciated as always.

Wilfred Laurier

You need to know (a) the size of the rim (most hybrids have 700C, this is written on your tire), (b) the type of brakes (rim or disc), (c) the number of speeds (how many cogs), and (d) the method of attachment of the gears (freewheel or cassette - read this: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/free-k7.html)

Any local bike shop (LBS) you walk into will likely have dozens of replacement wheels hanging in the shop and would probably be able to have a new one installed on your bike the same day during the slow season (winter).
If they don't have one on hand, any LBS can order a basic replacement wheel for not too much, generally between $50 and $100 (depending on what type of gears and brakes) and up - more expensive wheels will have stronger 'double wall' rims and better hub bearings.

02Giant 

If you know the specs of the damaged wheel, then you can match it up with another.
Pretty universal. I would use your cassette with the replacement wheel, unless more than the wheel is bad.

Bill Kapaun

Is the metal actually stretched, or is it a "smooth wobble"?
The original rear wheel on my hybrid sustained a severe wobble that was the result of very uneven spoke tensions.
The bike was still newish to me and I had to make a panic stop.
I wasn't going very fast, but I did a wheel stand and kind of stepped off to the left.
The rear wheel was at least a couple feet in the air and leaned over about 45 degrees when it hit the ground.
It was bad enough I had to disconnect the brake because of rub.
I'd just acquired my tension meter.
Tensions were equalized per side and wheel was now a "good" wheel. Likely to STAY true.

alcjphil

It appears that you are talking about a complete wheel, not a rim. That particular model was produced for quite a few years and the specifications changed over time. The later models had an 8 speed cassette while the earliest ones used a 6 speed freewheel. New wheels are not normally sold with the cassette or freewheel installed, so you have to first determine the rear cog count and whether you have a freewheel or a cassette before anyone can make recommendations

Miradaman

Thanks much for everyone's input. Seems like a bit more money and effort than it's worth for a $25 hybrid but will file away for future reference. Guy pulled the posting after I talked to him about it so he must have sold it anyway.

Wilfred Laurier

If a bent rim was all that was wrong on a bike being sold for $25, it is likely it would have been very much worth the cost to repair or replace.

The other issue is that if the wheel was so mangled as to make test riding impossible, it might have been difficult to determine if that was the only problem with the bike.