Shimano Wheel Rebuild????

[Alwurst]

I am looking for some help with a Wheel Question. I purchased a NOS 2007 Fierte IT a little over a year ago and had a great time riding it last season. I replaced the wheels that came on the bike with a set of Shimano WH-7801-SL wheels that I purchased used from a local individual.

The 7801-SL's have a wear indicator on the rims to tell you when the braking surface is ending it's useful life. The indicators are still visible on my set but it appears that after another season and they will be gone. The hubs, spokes, etc appear to be in great shape still.

My question is if it is practical to have my local shop lace a new set of Shimano rims on the the hubs if I can find them or would I be better off investing in a new wheelset?

What would be the expected useful life of a set of these rims?

Thanks!!

[PaulE]

Welcome to the Forum and I hope you like your Fierte IT.

Those wear indicators were probably not that deep to start with, so these rims may last longer than you think. How long the braking surface lasts depends on how hard and often you brake, the type of brake pads you use and if you ride a lot in the rain. When the braking surface of the rim is worn down to the point where the wear indicators are gone, it is time to replace the rims.

Whether it will make sense to rebuild the wheels when the rims are worn will depend on the cost of new rims, spokes and labor. I add spokes in because I believe that a lot of shops will not re-use spokes when putting a new rim on a wheel. In any event, the new rim will have to be an exact replacement for the existing rim, with the same effective rim diameter, for the old spokes to be the correct size to be re-used.

Once you know the availability of the replacement rims and cost of the materials and labor, you can decide if it's worth rebuilding the wheels or just buying a new set of wheels.

[Alwurst]

Thanks for the reply and suggestions Paul. I will watch the wheels this coming season and see how it goes. It sounds like new wheels would probably be more pratical when the time comes.

The Fierte is great!

[John H.]

for what a set of rims would cost I would just look for a close-out set of the newer model.
In the meantime just ride the current pair into the ground.

[oldpotatoe]

I am looking for some help with a Wheel Question. I purchased a NOS 2007 Fierte IT a little over a year ago and had a great time riding it last season. I replaced the wheels that came on the bike with a set of Shimano WH-7801-SL wheels that I purchased used from a local individual.

The 7801-SL's have a wear indicator on the rims to tell you when the braking surface is ending it's useful life. The indicators are still visible on my set but it appears that after another season and they will be gone. The hubs, spokes, etc appear to be in great shape still.

My question is if it is practical to have my local shop lace a new set of Shimano rims on the the hubs if I can find them or would I be better off investing in a new wheelset?

What would be the expected useful life of a set of these rims?

Thanks!!

Th biggest issue is not the rim but the ability to get the rim. shimano and most other wheelouttaboxes manufacturers don't continue to make replacement parts, like spokes, rims, hubs, for older models. It is a shame that these nice hubs become pen holders, as do so many other wheels with propriatary parts. I would suggest getting a rim now, if you can find one and have a good wheelbuilder rebuild it. To just throw it away and get the next, new, whizbang to be made obsolete wheel is wasteful, IMHO. OR, find a wheelbuilder that can design and build a wheelset specifically for you and your needs that use 'off the shelf' type stuff, rims/spokes, and the wheel can be rebuilt for years(decades?).

[John M]

..... I would suggest getting a rim now, if you can find one and have a good wheelbuilder rebuild it. .....

I totally prefer less proprietary wheel parts, but why rebuild now? Why not find the rim/spokes when available (now maybe) and store them until the wheel needs rebuilding in a year or two, thus getting maximum use out of what is an expensive wheel?

[oldpotatoe]

I totally prefer less proprietary wheel parts, but why rebuild now? Why not find the rim/spokes when available (now maybe) and store them until the wheel needs rebuilding in a year or two, thus getting maximum use out of what is an expensive wheel?

That's what I meant.

Get the rim now if he can and then rebuild it when it needs it...

[John H.]

The rims are super expensive- no value in a re-build