Hello, I need some advice about my rear wheel: I am not sure if something major is wrong with it, or if it just needs to be taken to a competent shop.
I am first a commuter, I just want trouble free, low maintenance wheels. Weight, aerodynamics, etc are not a major factor.
My questions which will be repeated at the end is: Do I just need to get the wheel really trued by a compentent person or does it need to be rebuilt or replaced?
I have a 36 spoke rear wheel (14 gauge spokes) with shimano 105 hubs, velocity A23 rim. (had it for close to 5 years, was a “handspun” wheel). It has been largely trouble free except there was dent in it from hitting brick (years ago) that a shop cleaned up for me. They said it will never be perfect after that but the dent was mild, and I probably wouldn’t notice it at all.
Fast forward to a few months ago, I see the wheel is a little out of true and I go to true it. I stripped some nipples (using a old spoke wrench I got from my grandfather when he died, I need to get a 4 sided one, and will do that). I couldn’t get them out so I took it to a local bike shop (shop #1). They had to replace a few spokes for me. When I got it home the wheel was terribly out of true and round. They obviously really messed up. I don’t blame them: basically I dropped off me wheel and left, then their boss came in and told them the shop was closing tomorrow and that they were out of jobs. Then they worked on my wheel, not a recipe for greatness, all the other work this shop had done had been great up til then.
I went to fix it (I wanted to ride it the next day) and rounded more nipples with my spoke wrench (I know I need a replacement). So I took it to a shop in a near by town(shop #2), and they looked at it and said: there is a radial dent, we won’t be able to make it perfect. (this is from the brick). I had been happy with it before so I figured it would be good enough for me so I had them fix it. They replaced 3 spokes because they were too long (shop #1s work), and the wheel was perfectly true laterally, perfectly round true vertically (to my eye any way).
I was happy and I assumed I wouldn’t need to touch it again for many more years. I took 2 rides (~30 miles, paved, rouch roads, my normal commute, no major impacts) and then looked at the wheel, it was way out of true laterally and vertically and many of the spokes have little if any tension on them. So I utter some explitives and tried to fix it. Guess what: adding to the parade of incompetence I round more nipples. but I got it into a rideable state. I rode it 3 miles and looked at it and it doesn’t seem to have gotten any worse.
At this point I feel stuck, I don’t know if shop #2 just didn’t stress relieve the wheel properly after the spoke change or is some thing is really wrong with the wheel that they missed. I cannot see any cracks in the hub flange or in the rim. I also am reluctant to take it to another shop and find have a third place mess it up.
To complicate things my local shop, which I trusted is closed, the nearest bike shop is now a 45 minute drive away, and one of the seemingly nicer shops there, seemingly screwed up. (I can’t take it there and demand a free repair because I mucked with it so I could ride it to work the next day).
Do I just need to get the nipples replaced and the wheel really trued by a compentent person or does it need to be rebuilt or replaced?
If the concensus is replace the wheel then I will have many questions about best options, but we can cross that bridge later.
Thanks for any help and advice you may offer.
I do have little wheel building experience, I built my front wheel (with the culprit spoke wrench) and really enjoyed the experience. At the time I wasn't ready to tackle an asymmetrically dished wheel.
I am first a commuter, I just want trouble free, low maintenance wheels. Weight, aerodynamics, etc are not a major factor.
My questions which will be repeated at the end is: Do I just need to get the wheel really trued by a compentent person or does it need to be rebuilt or replaced?
I have a 36 spoke rear wheel (14 gauge spokes) with shimano 105 hubs, velocity A23 rim. (had it for close to 5 years, was a “handspun” wheel). It has been largely trouble free except there was dent in it from hitting brick (years ago) that a shop cleaned up for me. They said it will never be perfect after that but the dent was mild, and I probably wouldn’t notice it at all.
Fast forward to a few months ago, I see the wheel is a little out of true and I go to true it. I stripped some nipples (using a old spoke wrench I got from my grandfather when he died, I need to get a 4 sided one, and will do that). I couldn’t get them out so I took it to a local bike shop (shop #1). They had to replace a few spokes for me. When I got it home the wheel was terribly out of true and round. They obviously really messed up. I don’t blame them: basically I dropped off me wheel and left, then their boss came in and told them the shop was closing tomorrow and that they were out of jobs. Then they worked on my wheel, not a recipe for greatness, all the other work this shop had done had been great up til then.
I went to fix it (I wanted to ride it the next day) and rounded more nipples with my spoke wrench (I know I need a replacement). So I took it to a shop in a near by town(shop #2), and they looked at it and said: there is a radial dent, we won’t be able to make it perfect. (this is from the brick). I had been happy with it before so I figured it would be good enough for me so I had them fix it. They replaced 3 spokes because they were too long (shop #1s work), and the wheel was perfectly true laterally, perfectly round true vertically (to my eye any way).
I was happy and I assumed I wouldn’t need to touch it again for many more years. I took 2 rides (~30 miles, paved, rouch roads, my normal commute, no major impacts) and then looked at the wheel, it was way out of true laterally and vertically and many of the spokes have little if any tension on them. So I utter some explitives and tried to fix it. Guess what: adding to the parade of incompetence I round more nipples. but I got it into a rideable state. I rode it 3 miles and looked at it and it doesn’t seem to have gotten any worse.
At this point I feel stuck, I don’t know if shop #2 just didn’t stress relieve the wheel properly after the spoke change or is some thing is really wrong with the wheel that they missed. I cannot see any cracks in the hub flange or in the rim. I also am reluctant to take it to another shop and find have a third place mess it up.
To complicate things my local shop, which I trusted is closed, the nearest bike shop is now a 45 minute drive away, and one of the seemingly nicer shops there, seemingly screwed up. (I can’t take it there and demand a free repair because I mucked with it so I could ride it to work the next day).
Do I just need to get the nipples replaced and the wheel really trued by a compentent person or does it need to be rebuilt or replaced?
If the concensus is replace the wheel then I will have many questions about best options, but we can cross that bridge later.
Thanks for any help and advice you may offer.
I do have little wheel building experience, I built my front wheel (with the culprit spoke wrench) and really enjoyed the experience. At the time I wasn't ready to tackle an asymmetrically dished wheel.