Repairing damaged wheels

If you’ve kerbed a car wheel you’ll know what sort of mess it does to the rims, but you can keep driving most of the time.

Damage an alloy wheel on a bike and it will ruin the bike’s handling and might even allow the tyre to deflate. But you don’t need to splash hundreds of pounds on a new wheel.

There are a couple of firms in the UK who can repair cast wheels. They are Roy Thersby in Stockton-on-Tees, Durham on: 01642-612784 and Maidstone Motoliners in Kent on: 01622-790705.

Both firms need the wheels with tyres and brake discs removed. They will then inspect them, and if they can be repaired, put them in their jigs and V-cut and weld any cracks that may have appeared.

If the wheels are beyond repair they will declare them scrap, but not charge you for their time. A good rule of thumb for working out whether a wheel can be repaired is if the tyre is still inflated on the wheel.

If so, it’s only deflected by an inch or so, if the tyre has deflated it will have deformed by up to two inches and will be harder to repair.

Magnesium racing wheels take longer to repair, but as any wheel is in stress when bent, the jigs and rams are working with the wheel to take the stress out of it.

Prices start at £55 and they both offer a quick turnaround.

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