Bicycle Mechanics - What should I expect to pay the shop for this work?

Im thinking about purchasing a set of speedcity wheels w/ rotors and a casette. If I purchase this, I will have to purchase online, the shop cost is almost double the cost of what I could get it for online. Talking to the lbs, the trick with a new set of rims, is getting them to sync with the current set. I will be swapping the wheelset a lot , so this is something the shop will need to do for me. So I figure, I would purchase the stuff and take it to the shop. Should I expect to be zapped with a large service fee, due to purchasing outside of the shop? If so, I will drop the idea.

Getting them to sync? that sounds like bullsh*t to me, man. I could be wrong though...

I guess what the lbs was telling me is that shifting and the rotors might not fit just right with the new wheel set. I read another post about second wheelsets and the issue of having to adjust the calipers, but I figure I want the second set to get them in and on my way in a very short period of time. If I have to mess with adjusting, that defeats the purpose.

if your new cassett has diffrent numbers of teeth, the chain length might be off? I have 2 wheel sets and the same cassett on each, so i just swap when i want. It works for me, i mean its the "same" setup just diffrent wheels. but yea the "sync" sounds a little fishy but i am by no means an expert.

-Ross

Just get same cassette on both wheels and you should be fine. If same rotors on both wheels really should not be any issue that I'm aware of just swapping between the wheelsets. If you had to pay the LBS everytime you swapped wheels I don't think that would be financialy a good choice then.

Different hubs, such as those from different manufacturers in different wheelsets, often have very slightly different dimensions which leads to the cassette sitting in differing locations. Some hubs place it further left, some place it further right than your original wheelset which can cause shifting problems. The same is true for you disc rotor mount. The new wheels may have a slightly different placement. There is of course no way of knowing whether or not the new wheels will differ without trying the setup first. If you are currently running mavic wheels, such as Crossmax or the like, then you should very well be ok, but if your regular set of wheels is of different manufacture then you will likely see some variation in adjustments. It might be better to let the LBS try their set on the bike to check for this, of course they might never do any favors for you ever again if you do not buy their wheels.

If you are currently running a shimano hub laced to a standard rim then I might suggest getting your own set of "Speedcity" wheels built around a shimano disc mountain bike hub with some 700c rims. This would likely decrease or eliminate your misadjustment woes.

-Ryan

Im running shimano hubs laced on Mavic rims, so maybe it will work?? Would it be a good idea to contact Mavic and see if they can give me an idea of the compatibility?

if you talked to them you should have asked if you would be charged extra for buying outside the shop (you shouldnt... if they do then say screw you i'll do it myself) just if they charge extra

you should also have asked them about pricing
also, hub size doesnt matter really
i bent my fork slightly to fit my new wheels on and i havent had a problem ever (old ones wobbled)

Well, Im hoping that the size will work fine, then I could slap the rotors and the casette on myself. How do I find out if my current casette is 11-32 or 11-34 and what is the difference with those sizes? I know my current casette is a sram 7.0

Originally posted by nikos
Well, Im hoping that the size will work fine, then I could slap the rotors and the casette on myself. How do I find out if my current casette is 11-32 or 11-43 and what is the difference with those sizes? I know my current casette is a sram 7.0 I assume you mean 11-34
there are two ways to tell- most sprockets have the number of teeth stamped in letters about 2mm tall. The other way is to count the teeth by hand.

i was thinking of getting a set of those wheels,let me know how you like them.

Likely the LBS is refering to the derailleur being adjusted so that it shifts ok for both wheels. Should be a pretty minor adjustment considering he should only have to adjust the rear, anyhow the going rate for labor is $10 for rear derailleur adjustment.... IMHO anything over $25 for the adjustments he is making is a rip.... might want to find another LBS who isn't going to "punish" you for saving money and shoping around.

Yeah sorry everyone, what do you all mean when you have to get the wheels in sync?

I wouldn't think there will be much of a problem with the gears.
You might need to use washers on one of the hubs so the disks are in identical positions then you may need to re-center the caliper.

Are your current wheels worth keeping? At half the price online, just buy two sets of Speedcitys and avoid any hub/caliper differences. Then sell your old wheelset.

BikerRyan had it right. There may very well be some small differences between the 2 wheelsets and how they set up in your frame. My question is, what kind of disk brakes do you have? If they are self-centering hydraulics, your brakes should be a no brainer. Just use the brakes and they will self adjust. The slight difference in the cassette position may need to be adjusted for each time. But, that is something the local LBS should be able to do in a couple of minutes and if they want to make some points, show you how to do it. It ain't rocket science.

Getting the wheels in 'synch'..as in synchronizing them.

Basicly what the shop is saying is they will make small adjustments to either set of wheel, or both. The objective is to be able to interchange the wheels without having to make any adjustments to either the brakes or the derailleurs.

With 'rim brake' wheels its a matter of making sure the rear hub spacing exactly the same and dishing the wheels the same. Dishing may not seem like a consideration but many times a frame is a tick off and a wheel is dished off center to compensate for this.

Obviously a 'disk brake' wheel needs to the rotors in synch....

If there´s a problem of compatability then it´s more likely that the dish on your old wheels is not what it should be , not a problem with the new , never heard of quality hubs putting the cassete in the wrong place but there´s always a first time .
So basically your paying for work on wheels that have been maintained by the lbs already , no problem surely ?

The many potential problems associated with swapping wheelsets built around different hubs have been mentioned. Keep in mind that there's a great deal of precision required to keep modern drivetrains shifting properly and disc brake rotors spinning silently (It doesn't take much to throw off the adjustment enough to create problems). Your lbs is attempting to minimize any hassles you might have swapping wheels. Be glad they know more than you do and are trying to help and be happy to pay them for their time & expertise. Even better, let them know you've shopped around and give "them" a chance to answer your questions.