Wheel Builders question

dsimon · #1 06-22-2005, 06:32 PM

Hey guys I need your help I did my first crit this year and wrecked went down pretty hard yadaada anyway my wheel was wobbly, duh so i took it to the bike shop thought that a quick wheel true and no porblem i didnt see anyother damage to the wheel it wasnt that untrue.... i have seen worse. well i go to get it and they said coundnt true it it was bent...didnt charge me but the wheel is bent? i have been ridding many years trust me i know what a bent wheel looks like.is it possible the mechanic just didnt know what the hell he is talking about.....and another tthing I dropped off another wheel same time to have the hub rebuild and one guy says that he dosent know when it will be done they pace there work first come first serve. ok i can handle that but what ever happend to get the work done so us fellow cyclist can ride........ :argue:

saab2000 · #2 06-22-2005, 07:08 PM

I only glanced at your thread.

Almost any wheel can be fixed. At least that is my experience. Depends on how much time someone is willing to spend. Shops tend to replace stuff for 2 reasons.

1. They want to sell something.
2. They don't want to spend the time to really work on it.
3. They can't fix it because they are not good.

Ok, that's 3 reasons.

I have trued wheels which were "beyond repair". I have bent rims back and then trued them.

Others won't do it. Depends too on whether or not the spoke/rim contact area has been compromised. If so then it really is over.

It probably isn't worth fixing. Most of the "beyond repair" wheels I fixed were my own and that was when I was racing and had no money, so fixing it was the only way to keep riding.

That's all I can tell you without seeing it.

dsimon · #3 06-22-2005, 09:54 PM

Really its not bad i think either they didnt know what the hell there doing or #2 didnt want to spend the time however im in the military a very fixed income and have time and determination like a mother f33ker so ill loosen all the spokes and start from scratch and use the front fork and a knive to true my wheel.. time and incompitense of the new age mechanics

saab2000 · #4 06-22-2005, 09:58 PM

Doing it yourself is the only way to free yourself from the bonds of the LBS. Go to it!!

I would invest the money in, at the very least, a good spoke wrench. And at least a consumer level truing stand, though the Park Shop stand is really not that expensive. Don't forget the dishing tool.

For the cost of a new wheel you can get all the tools you will ever need. Sheldon Brown's website talks in depth about do-it-yourself repairs. It is free and a good source of knowledge.

Have fun!

vaxn8r · #5 06-23-2005, 12:02 AM

Some shops don't have a wheel builder anymore. Sure, many can lace up a wheel but there's a big difference in that and someone who "knows" wheels. Even at my shop, which sponsors the best racing team in Oregon, when they have a custom build, they go back to a guy who worked there like 8 years ago and has moved on with his life. But he still builds a great wheel, as I can attest for my tandem, 36 spoke, OP in front, T217 in back and nary a problem in about 9 years. (Well, except for the fact that originally I had OP on front and rear and 3 years ago the spokes began pulling through the rim so I had him rebuild the rear with the 217. But that wasn't his fault.)

Having said that, I wouldn't fix it if the rim is bent. I would predict it will continue being a problem and you'll replace it sooner or later anyway after spending good money after bad.

BTW, this wheel guru....he rides DA 7800's.

saab2000 · #6 06-23-2005, 06:49 AM

Vax is right. Depending on how "bent" it is it may cause problems in the future.

But it won't hurt to try to fix it yourself. That is how I learned how to build wheels, something I have done a lot of.

And THIS wheel guru's favorite wheels right now are my Nucleon tubulars. I know you said you are on a budget and I appreciate that. I know what that is like. All the more reason to learn to wrench your own bike!

zap · #7 06-23-2005, 09:57 AM

CSI-diy and if the rim is bent a little, compromise a bit and try to keep spoke tension somewhat equal even if it results in having a bit of a wobble.

VAX-we had the same problem with the OP rear rim on our tandem. I knew it was a mistake the first time we rode that rear wheel. It flexed like nothing else. I bought another wheelset (CK/CXP33) for the tandem within 3 months of receiving the OP wheels for use on hard rides. Our OP rear wheel lasted 2 years of somewhat easy riding before everything finally cracked, hub too.