8spd Campy wheel tension question

[d_douglas]

I have the chance to buy BACK a bike that I regretfully sold about 5 years ago and am excited to do so if the owner agrees to the sale.

One catch is that the wheels on it were built by my buddy who said he could build wheels. Well, he can build wheels, but the worst wheels ever built are his gold standard!

Anyways, I love my buddy, but had to tell him that they stunk (they felt like they were going to fold on any given corner and were soft and mushy as hell)

Is there a way to salvage these wheels? They are Campy Atlanta rims on Chorus hubs. Could he have ruined the rims by improperly tensioning them? Could a good mechanic simply retension them and they would run like a charm? They are straight and round as far as I know - just really mushy.

As it stands, they are not really useable, but on paper, they sound like decent old wheels.

Any recommendations?

[xlbs]

on how many miles he's ridden on those wheels. If they have been moderately used, and are as true as you say they are, then tensioning should not be an issue. The concern with mileage has to do with fatigue (in the metal of the spokes, not rider fatigue!!) at the bends and at the nipples. If the wheels have been ridden "soft" for some time each spoke will have worked against itself and thus may have pre-maturely fatigued. If the mileage is low, then tensioning up shouldn't be an issue.

Others may have a different pov, but I've re-tensioned hundreds of wheels similar to these without ill effect. Note, your comments include having a good wheel builder/mechanic do the work. That would be a good idea.

Other comments?