UnCruel 

I bent up a rim (don't ask) enough that there is no straightening it. I need a new rim or wheel. I've been searching online, and it's kind of hopeless. There are rims online, but in most cases I am unable to determine whether they will work because they do not list complete details about them. As far as I can tell, there are basically only four things I need to know about a rim (diameter, inner width, number of spoke holes, and whether it accommodates rim brakes). It is rare that these things are clearly stated in a product description (and so far, whenever they do, they are the wrong item). Is there some way of finding parts I'm not aware of?

70sSanO

What is the make, model, and year of your bike. Is it the front or rear wheel? Are there any labels on the rim and hub?

John

UnCruel 

I was really asking about the process, but here goes:
It is a Specialized Sirrus, manufactured May 20, 2010. It is the rear wheel. There is no labeling anywhere on the rim or hub, except on the cassette lockring (which is SRAM). It is the original equipment.
622mm bead seat diameter. 17.8mm measured internal width. Aluminum, unfinished. 32 spoke holes. Rim brakes.
135mm QR axle. Shimano 7 speed 12-32t cassette.

Iride01 

If you have never messed with building wheels then I'd either find an entire new or used wheel or let someone that knows replace the rim.

I've always wanted to build my own wheels, but when I look into getting things like spokes, nipples and other things, the cost of that wheel quickly exceeds what I can find a new wheel for.

If you are wanting to learn, then go for it. Don't reuse old spokes and nipples. Particularly from a wrecked wheel.

70sSanO

Here is some info on your bike from another thread...

https://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bi...-question.html

Now that doesn't mean those are your wheels, nor does it help in actually finding them anymore. The real answer is looking for a rear wheel that is 700c and 135mm OLD. Or you can get a wheelset, front and back.

Technically your Sirrus Sport came with an 8 speed cassette, but if yours is set up as 7 speed that will work on any 8-10 speed Shimano freehub, with a spacer..

John

pdlamb

I'd vote for buying a whole new wheel, much much easier and probably no more expensive. There's a potential problem if you need a 7 speed rear -- most modern freehubs are 8-11 speed. The good news is that, with a Shimano hub and a 10 mm Allen wrench, you can take the freehub off your old, bent wheel, replace the freehub on your new wheel, and ride off into the sunset.

UnCruel 

I recall at the time that the Sirrus and the Sirrus Sport were two different models.

I agree that I'd rather just buy a wheel (or two, so they match). It has been more than three decades since I replaced a rim on a wheel, and I know I would much prefer to spend my time and frustration on something else. That's good information about swapping out the freehub body, and I just went and found a video showing the procedure. That basically solves my problem, since I can fairly easily find wheels that come with a SRAM 8, 9, 10 speed hub, but are otherwise correct in every other way.

Thanks for your help, folks

70sSanO

I only guessed Sport because the gearing 7, or 8, fits that level. If it is Expert or Elite, the wheelset is probably different, which may still be a moot point in your situation.

John

Kimmo 

Bah. IIRC, Jobst Brandt got 150,000 miles out of a set of 15/16g spokes, used on several sets of rims. Or was it 300,000 miles?

Anyway, bike shops will always knock back used spokes because they don't know the history of the spokes, whether they'll fail from fatigue tomorrow or whatever. Plus, sometimes you get a bad rim or the spoke calc spits out a size too short; it's easy for something to complicate the wheel building process and drag it out, so the profit from always selling spokes with a wheel build is like insurance, and keeps the labour cost of a wheel build looking reasonable. If you know the spokes have always had decent tension, you know they're not fatigued, and they're fine to reuse. I'd even use spokes from a crashed wheel if none of them are kinked or stretched; they operate pretty far below their yield strength you know. The main reason spokes are as big as they are is to handle the torque of tensioning.

Nipples are also no problem to reuse if they've never been rounded.

Geepig

Yes, I reuse spokes and nipples all the time. I break down many of my wheels and store the hubs, spoke sets and rims separately, ready to build my next project. I have just finished building a derailleur wheel from a former front rim, coaster brake spoke set and a spare derailleur hub.

It is handy if the rim you are after uses the same length and type of spoke, but it can be a complex process to buy a rim that will just weave right on.

Kimmo 

A while back I found a box of Wheelsmith semi aero spokes, a bit long for the rims I had, but I had access to a spoke threader.

Worked out super neat, with the swaging going right up near the nipples. Bit of a job though.

shelbyfv

IIRC,if you get a wheel with 8/9/10 freehub you can use your 7 speed cassette plus a spacer. No need to change the freehub. Edit- think it is 4.5mm but you should verify.

UnCruel 

Not going so well so far. A 10mm allen wrench is not engaging my freehub. There are hexagonal flats way inside, but they are bigger than 10mm. My best guess, since I don't have a good way to measure it and have been passing different size drill bits through it, is that it is 12mm. I'm going to go out and pick one of those up in a minute. However, it doesn't seem to be built the way I've seen online, and I'm a little concerned mine is not made to be removable.
I would definitely prefer to use a spacer. The new wheels are in, and the hub is pretty and pristine and I hate to take it all apart and put my ratty freehub on it. And there is the problem I just mentioned above. How would I verify? The new freehub is 0.164" (about 4.1656mm) longer than the old one. [Edit:] Searching online for such a spacer suggests that 4.5mm is correct for what I'm trying to accomplish.

shelbyfv

That 4.5mm spacer should be just fine.

UnCruel 

Thanks, everyone! The bike is working great with the spacer.