Old 11-02-09, 10:28 PM
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tsl
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New wheelset not to spec--How upset should I be?

I'd like some input before I go back to my LBS.

I picked up a new wheelset tonight. I gave them only a cursory inspection at the shop before we swapped my tires and cassette, mounted them and I rode them home--three whole miles.

When I got home, I discovered three things:
  1. I specified double-butted (14/15) spokes all around. On the front wheel, the rotor (non-drive) side has straight-gauge spokes.
  2. I specified Avid G3 rotors. The front is an Avid G3, the rear is an Avid G2.
  3. The rear wheel is more than slightly (and less than greatly) out of true. It's out enough to be visible to my untrained eye.

FWIW, this is a 700C road disc-brake wheelset. Intended primary use is four-season commuting. The rest of the build spec is:
  • Velocity VXC hoops,
  • Velocity 130mm rear road disk hub,
  • Shimano Alfine front dyno hub,
  • DT Competition spokes, and
  • Avid G3 rotors.

I paid $720.

On the spokes, if there's a mechanical or safety reason why the 16 front rotor-side spokes must be straight-gauge, I'll have to be okay with it. And if that's the case, I'd also like to know the reason why double-butted are okay for the rotor-side of the rear but not the front. But I'm upset that I wasn't told about it at all and had to discover this on my own.

On the rotors, I can see no reason for this substitution when I specifically asked for stainless-steel rotors, identical front and rear, except Centerlock in front and ISO in the rear. Avid G3, was recommended by the LBS as the only ones that met this spec. I approved the quote with a pair Avid G3, not a mismatch of G3 and G2.

Truing--I understand that true may need to be touched up after everything settles in. This is more than a touch up IMHO, and after only three miles?

At this point I'm pretty steamed about this. All the new wheel warm fuzzies I experienced on the ride home have gone right down the toilet. I'm feeling screwed over.

But, in case I'm the one who's out of line, I need some input here. My expectation is that for $720, the wheels should meet the spec I gave, the quote I approved, and stay true for a bit more than three miles.

Last edited by tsl; 11-02-09 at 10:32 PM.
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