Bicycle Mechanics - brand new and out of true?

I just bought a new road bike with dual pivot brakes two weeks ago, and now the brakes are rubbing against the rims at one specific spot on the rear wheel. I thought I once read that new rims do that sometimes while they're being broken in, but now I'm not sure if I just made that up, since this is the first time I noticed it since I bought the bike.

Any advice as to what I should do in this situation? I'm trying to learn as much as I can about bicycle mechanics, but I still haven't ever worked on one yet.

Thanks

I'd bring it back to the lbs.. but if you wanted to true the wheel, get yourself a spoke wrench and tool around some.

This is why most shops offer free adjustment for some time after the sale.

This is why hand-built wheels are preferable. They lose their true a lot slower. You should definitely get a spoke wrench as previously advised and true it yourself. Loosening all your spokes and doing a semi-hand build can work wonders - just make sure you figure out what you are doing.... rightey is not always tightey...

Before you go nuts with the spoke wrench, make sure your wheel's seated correctly and the brakes are properly adjusted. Or just take it back to the LBS for a tune.

......You should definitely get a spoke wrench as previously advised and true it yourself. Loosening all your spokes and doing a semi-hand build can work wonders - just make sure you figure out what you are doing.... rightey is not always tightey...

I think you're encouraging the OP to get hopelessly in over his head. His statement in regard to bicycles "I still haven't ever worked one yet" says all. Truing wheels or a complete retensioning of the spokes is definitely NOT the place to start for someone at the OP's level of experience. It's a new bike, the wheel needs truing......take it back to the shop and let them take care of it for you. Read up on maintenance, etc., and do learn how to take care of your own bike. But don't start with the spokes-

I think you're encouraging the OP to get hopelessly in over his head. His statement in regard to bicycles "I still haven't ever worked one yet" says all. Truing wheels or a complete retensioning of the spokes is definitely NOT the place to start for someone at the OP's level of experience. It's a new bike, the wheel needs truing......take it back to the shop and let them take care of it for you. Read up on maintenance, etc., and do learn how to take care of your own bike. But don't start with the spokes-


+1 ... Most shops do have the practice of honoring a maintenance term for new purchases. It is one of the only and main reasons to still use a shop and not the internet. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS!!! Local guys you can trust to not just get you on a bike but keep you there are indispensable. Over time as your passion grows - and I know it will - you will be handling these issues through experience, trial and error, and by developing your own Way.

Before you go nuts with the spoke wrench, make sure your wheel's seated correctly and the brakes are properly adjusted. Or just take it back to the LBS for a tune.

+1 and I have never had a set of machine built factory wheels that were totally true out of the box.

New machine built wheels are notorious for insufficient and uneven spoke tension.

Al

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Truing it myself is definately out of my league right now (hopefully someday though), but the LBS will give me a free tune up in August so I'll get it taken care of then. What I really just wanted to know was whether or not the brakes rubbing against the rim so quickly was a sign that something was wrong with the bike in general, but I guess it's to be expected, especially if I'm riding an entry level junker.

Thanks again

Do the wheels still have the reflectors on them? If they do, take them off. When I did build this past Christmas shopping season at my LBS, every wheel was out of true at the location of the reflector.

Way back in the day when I was wrenching for money, we stressed and re-trued the wheels before even putting the bike on the shop floor for sale. They don't come true from the factory.

Take your wheel off the bike, put the hub on the bench and press down on the rim at 9 and 3, and work your way around the wheel an eighth of a turn or so at a time. You'll hear all manner of popping and creaking as the spokes seat better. (This is happens to a wheel when you first ride it though you may not hear it. Better that you do it at a bench in a controlled manner.) Flip the wheel from heads to tails, repeat the pressing on the rim around the other side. NOW true the wheel. Repeat the process and true again. THEN you'll have a wheel that is true and round and taut.

I agree, the original poster almost certainly has no business truing wheels. Especially since the LBS will do it as part of a service agreement and they have the truing stand to do it right.

I would encourage taking the bike in as soon as possible -- true wheels make riding much more pleasant.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Truing it myself is definately out of my league right now (hopefully someday though), but the LBS will give me a free tune up in August so I'll get it taken care of then. What I really just wanted to know was whether or not the brakes rubbing against the rim so quickly was a sign that something was wrong with the bike in general, but I guess it's to be expected, especially if I'm riding an entry level junker.

Thanks againNothing is wrong with the brakes. Something is wrong with the wheel - it needs attention from a mechanic. It's not unusual for this to happen but you should not wait a month to get it fixed. Take the bike back to the shop where you bought it - they should fix it for free.

I think you're encouraging the OP to get hopelessly in over his head. His statement in regard to bicycles "I still haven't ever worked one yet" says all. Truing wheels or a complete retensioning of the spokes is definitely NOT the place to start for someone at the OP's level of experience. It's a new bike, the wheel needs truing......take it back to the shop and let them take care of it for you. Read up on maintenance, etc., and do learn how to take care of your own bike. But don't start with the spokes-
+1

As much as I think wheel truing is a useful and cool skill, it's not a good one to start out with. One can easily ruin a wheel by improperly truing it and then riding it until the spokes break or the eyelets crack (I've done both :p).

In terms of good maintenance tasks for a beginner to learn, I would suggest:
* how to change a tire
* how to patch an inner tube
* how to adjust stem, handlebar, seatpost, and saddle position
* how to clean and replace a chain
* how to adjust brakes and derailers to improve shifting and stopping

With a set of metric allen wrenches, a tire lever, a patch kit, and a chain tool, you can do all these things confidently, and they will be very useful.