Bicycle savvy?

Capncrunch7

This is my bicycle, a 2009 Specialized Crosstrail Elite.

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?arc=2009&spid=38465&menuItemId=0

Over the weekend I was driving it to a trail with my trunk carrier, when a large bump resulted in the front wheel thwacking hard against my trunk. Now the front rim is significantly bent. What should I do? Is it worth it to bring it to the LBS and see if it can be straightened out, or should I be looking into a replacement?

If I go the replacement route, I can't seem to find the same rim available from Specialized. I suspect this may be it though:

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=42460&menuItemId=9305&eid=5135

Any help from a bike savvy individual would be much appreciated.

Sporked

if it's just a little wobbly/rubs on the brakes, but still rides, you should be able to take it to your lbs and they'll probably be able to true it. You can really pull a lot of curve from a rim with truing. If it's much worse than that (say the rim, when mounted on the bike, would hit the fork when rotating) you're probably looking at a replacement. Take it to your lbs anyway though, you never know.

Dangerous

If it got thwacked pretty hard, then sadly I'd say it probably isn't able to be trued. It's definitely worth having a shop look at it though. They'll be able to tell pretty quickly if it's possible or not.

They should also be able to get a replacement wheel in pretty easily if they deal with specialized at all. We sell a ton of crosstrails at our shop, so getting parts for them isn't difficult, even if we have to rob a wheel off one of our stock bikes. Even if they can't get one for some reason, there are plenty of 700c wheels to choose from that would suit your bike nicely.

mts

well is the rim bent?
or does it just wobble when it spins?

have you checked the quick release on the wheel if it has one maybe it came loose. i find it hard to imagine that a tire hitting against the trunk would cause that much damage.

I hit a curb dead on at 5-6 mph and went over the handle bars, but my rim was more or less in tact with a slight ding in it.

if you cna see a bend, no amount of trueing will bring it back, you will need to replace the wheel

stock wheels are "relatively" cheap, talk to teh shop guys if you bring it in. really i would just get your hub specs and search for any 700cc rim, though most of that is standard. unless you are crazy in to the riding then you might as well take this time to upgrade your wheelset. it was the best upgrade i did on my bike when i had it

DanMach

Wow, you must of thwacked the hell out of that rim to bend it past truing. I got hit by a bmw going 15 once and they tru'd my rim back.

saltiness

If you need a new wheel the LBS will have one that will work with your bike. You don't need a specialized wheel or any particular brand, just a 700c wheel with a wide rim.

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

hard to know whether it can be straightened without seeing/handling/riding it.

Is there a reason you're attached to replacing it with a duplicate? Your local bike shop can probably replace it with a cheaper rim and you'd never notice the difference.