Originally Posted by
sstorkel
I will, respectfully, disagree with this opinion. I've seen more bikes than I care to admit roll off the showroom floor with brand-new wheels that are in poor condition. Spoke tension, in particular, seems to be something that many mechanics neglect to check when they're assembling a bike. I guess they receive the wheels pre-assembled and assume that they perfect. Sadly, many low- to mid-range wheels could use some attention... especially if the rider is a Clydesdale!
I guess I'm writing from my experience and that doesn't mesh well with the experiences of some of the rest of you. In MY experience, I have never seen a bike leave our shop and then return within a year with a broken spoke. In fact, the only broken spokes we see much of at all are on Wal-Mart bikes. Every once in a while a Cat 2 guy or a Masters guy will come in with a broken spoke, but it just isn't a problem I have personally seen.
And I thought everyone knew that you had to tension and true the wheels on new bikes; especially those in the $1000 and under range. The machines seem to not be able to tension wheels correctly. I honestly can't imagine a shop putting a bike on the floor with the wheels untouched. I don't think even our sloppiest competitor would do that..... Guess it's different in other parts of the country.