Bicycle Mechanics - Bike Repair Questions

Hi,

I have a couple questions I'm hoping you guys can answer for me:

1.) Do you guys ever leave your bike at your LBS? Am I being paranoid to think that they may pull a "fast one" on me/my bike? Replace a new part with an old one type of thing?

2.) Getting a rim replaced (spokes keep either breaking or coming loose every time I ride) and the LBS owner is replacing my old rim with one he says is an "upgraded" version of the same rim, although a different color. The new "upgraded" rim has (4) more spokes than the older one. I've heard "less is better" when it comes to spokes - is there any reason the extra spokes should be of any concern to me? Or is it not a big deal?

Thanks!

1) Yes, I think you're being paranoid.

2) How are you getting just the rim replaced if it has 4 more spokes. That would seem to imply that you'd need to get a new hub as well so the flanges have enough holes. More details on the wheel components would be useful in answering your question. BTW, spokes loosening is usually a sign that either the tension is too low or that the wheel was built without any type of light threadlock, such as linseed oil or spoke prep.

1.) Yes. Paranoid.

2.) By rim you mean wheel, right? Because you need the same number of holes on the rim as the hub to which it's laced. Less is not better when discussing spoke count and wheel strength.
You should be concerned about this new wheel if:
You don't like the new color.
You don't like the price.
You are worried about a miniscule increase in wheel weight or air resistance.

Perhaps you cold tell us what your bike is and what's being proposed as a replacement wheel.

EDIT: oops, prathman beat me to it

Bike is a Jamis Coda - I'll post precise details regarding the replacement wheel tomorrow when I get the bike back, but for now: I meant wheel, not rim - sorry. The bike is still under warranty, so it'll be free. And lastly, I am just a regular rider: Have ridden +/- 60 miles before, but usually don't exceed 20.

You are worried about a miniscule increase in wheel weight or air resistance.

I have gotten use to the way the bike rides - do you think I'll notice a difference when riding?

No, I don't think you'd notice any difference at all if you didn't know about the wheel change. But since you do know then you may notice something - placebo-type effects can be very convincing.

Switching to more spokes should lead to a stronger and more stable wheel as long as it's built reasonably well. The miniscule increase in weight and air resistance should only be of concern if you're racing and loss of a few seconds could be crucial in keeping your yellow jersey.

Ah, okay - thanks! And thanks to you, too, Metzinger.

Are there any really good threads on here about spoke maintenance? I've never really fiddled with bike parts and want to learn how to properly maintain my spokes without damaging anything or even possibly making it worse.

Are there any really good threads on here about spoke maintenance? I've never really fiddled with bike parts and want to learn how to properly maintain my spokes without damaging anything or even possibly making it worse.

There's always this. (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=338432)

Plenty of info there.

The Park Tool website (http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=81)referenced above does have good tips for bike repair. But focus mostly on the principles discussed. Most wheel truing can be done with just a spoke wrench, and without the need for expensive stands, dishing tools and tensionometers. Often you can adjust a few spokes to improve things without even removing the wheel from the bike.
Good luck.

Hi,

I have a couple questions I'm hoping you guys can answer for me:

1.) Do you guys ever leave your bike at your LBS? Am I being paranoid to think that they may pull a "fast one" on me/my bike? Replace a new part with an old one type of thing?

Any shop that did this on a regular basis would be out of business in short order.


2.) Getting a rim replaced (spokes keep either breaking or coming loose every time I ride) and the LBS owner is replacing my old rim with one he says is an "upgraded" version of the same rim, although a different color. The new "upgraded" rim has (4) more spokes than the older one. I've heard "less is better" when it comes to spokes - is there any reason the extra spokes should be of any concern to me? Or is it not a big deal?

Thanks!
If you're having problems with spoke breakage, you want more spokes, not fewer. IMHO, the only place where low spoke count wheels make sense is in competition. If you're not racing, don't bother with them. If you are a racer, you might want to have two sets of wheels -- one with a sensible number of spokes for training, and a low spoke count set for when you race.

1.) Do you guys ever leave your bike at your LBS? Am I being paranoid to think that they may pull a "fast one" on me/my bike? Replace a new part with an old one type of thing?

Keep in mind that you are talking about guys who get all of their bike parts wholesale. They don't want your, even lightly used, parts because it's more work for them. Unless you have absolutely top-of-the-line parts, they don't want them period.

Thanks, guys!

Here's an update:

Both are Alex Rims

OLD WHEEL: DC19
UPGRADE: R450

Not sure whether there's any difference between the two, but that's what I got.

Generally speaking, how often does a wheel begin to wobble side to side? Do spokes need to be adjusted after every ride? Perhaps every other ride?

I bought this bike last year and never had a problem 'till just recently. The spokes on my wheel broke and needed to be replaced three separate times. After the third time (which was a few days back), my LBS replaced the old wheel (DC19) with the one I mentioned above (R450) and during my FIRST ride, I could see the new wheel wobbling side to side yet again. What in the world is the problem? I can't imagine every rider deals with this every time they take their bike out. I'm riding on regular streets (that, at times, are bumpy), but that's about it. Could it be my weight? I'm 250 pounds and 5'9".

Anyway, I tried to tighten some of the spokes with the spoke wrench I bought (before reading any articles - yea', I know: Dumb move) and now it's much worse - the tire is actually rubbing up against the brake so much so that it actually stops it from going a full round when I spin it. Should I buy this tension meter:

http://www.parktool.com/products/detail.asp?cat=16&item=TM-1

...and is it easy to use? Or will I be able to achieve a non-wobbling tire without it? Are there any tips on "truing" a tire or is it an art that I'll learn when it's no longer warm enough to ride?

Do a lot of reading up on wheel truing before trying it again, one thing to note is that the threads are reversed so right is loose and left is tight, also, you should almost never need to loosen up a spoke, just tighten the spokes that would pull the dip toward where it should be. There is a bit more to it than that but there is couple of quick tips anyway.

New, machine built (lower to middle end) wheelsets will go a bit out of true from the normal stress of riding. Get it tensioned and trued after several good rides and it should be okay after that (proper tensioning is critical). They say no wheel which is in actual use is perfectly true, but they stay true enough to work.

You are overthinking this. A properly built and trued wheel will generally stay true until/unless it hits something hard enough to deform the rim (pothole, someone steps on it, etc.) A newly built wheel may need to "settle in" and be retrued once, but then it should be good to go. I usually mount a tire, bounce the wheel on the floor a few times and do a final check before I mount the wheel on my bike, and my wheels have stayed true.

If I were you I would take it back to the LBS and ask them to true it up for you and let them do any further adjusting until the bike is out of warranty. If you want to learn how to true wheels, I would practice on an old wheel/bike. It can be frustrating at first until you learn to really think about which direction you need to turn the nipples.

Hi,

I have a couple questions I'm hoping you guys can answer for me:

1.) Do you guys ever leave your bike at your LBS? Am I being paranoid to think that they may pull a "fast one" on me/my bike? Replace a new part with an old one type of thing?

Thanks!

You should be concerned. I once left a bike at an LBS and they replaced my bike with an EXACT duplicate.