Originally Posted by
smd4
Of course, at this point, that's a huge "if." Do cars even have bumpers anymore?
Telling this kid right off the bat he needs to buy a new rim or wheel is a bit irresponsible, considering the very brief description of what the OP terms a "minor" bend, and the fact that no one here has even seen it.
'Irresponsible'
sure.
Lots of 'ifs'- absolutely. But the fact that the damage happened from being hit by a car is a pretty good clue to the nature of the damage. If the wheel went out of true through normal riding then it is likely that spoke tension is the cause, and can easily be the cure, for the damage. Cars don't adjust spoke tension to cause wheels to go out of true - they bend rims. Same if the damage came from a hard hit to the edge of a curb or pothole - simply 'truing' the wheel with spoke tension would not be the right way to affect a proper long-term repair, even if spoke tension can make the wheel 'straight.'
There are three sets of forces at play in a spoked bicycle wheel - spokes pulling one direction, spokes pulling the other direction, and the natural shape of the rim, which may or may not be straight and round. The first two need to be pretty well balanced and even around the rim to make a strong wheel. If the rim has been 'bent' significantly away from being straight or round, spoke tension to make it straight or round will be uneven or unbalanced and will not make for a strong wheel.
If the damage is very minor, like a couple mm out of true or round, then it's possible a truing with spoke can fix it. Any more than that and the wheel is very likely compromised and straightening it with spoke tension is just a bandaid.