kindbud

so i noticed that the back tire on my 300 dollar entry level hybrid (that's what the lbs called it) was rubbing against the brake pad on every revolution. took it in to the lbs where i bought the bike 2 weeks ago and had the back wheel trued. i think he tinkered with 2 spokes with his wrench.

seemed easy enough. the back wheel no longer touched the brake pad.
biked for about 30 miles in manhattan, mostly on the west side bike path, but i did go over a few curbs. the back tire is rubbing against the brake pad again. i am about 165 pounds, and the rims are alex dm18's, the ones that came with the bike. should i just keep taking the bike in to the lbs to get the back tire trued on a regular basis? should i just get a new back wheel? suggestions? should i be annoyed with the lbs at all for selling me a wheel that seems flimsy? is there no rim in the world that can routinely endure an urban curb or two? is the problem that there no such thing as a round wheel, the same way that there is no mint baseball card, and the real explanation for my problem is the way the rear brake pads are attached to the frame?

sincerest apologies for momentarily dumbing down the board. i appreciate the newbie links that all you kind folks have brought to my attention.

MiniBullitRider

Hmm. If I were you I'd be pretty unhappy. Quality of build seems to be more important than the rims/spoke/hubs. A well built wheel should hold true for quite some time (although occational truing is probably nessacery.) Granted, a $300 bike will not have great wheels, but it would seem to me as though it should take more abuse than what you described. I have a set of low end wheels that I routinely take off 2 to 4.5 ft drops; they have only needed truing once since Sept. On another bike I have Alex DH 19's. I've had good experiences with the brand, but have not tried that actual rim.

Not knowing where you got your bike I feel bad doing this, but I might question the quality of the build.

OTOH, there is something to be said for riding smoothly. Maybe, you are already a good rider, but I know I thrashed my components a lot more when I first started riding.

So, to actaully answer your question: i would take it back to the shop a and get it trued since it would probably be free. Then I would try to find hardcore bikers in the area and ask them if they know of any local, really experienced wheel builders. If you continue to have problems go to him/her.

Airborne

ok, get "Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance" 3 Edition
by Lennard Zinn. a great book for a newbie to learn some basics on their own. i agree with the possibility of skeptical build quality (try another LBS and/or have spoke tension on all spokes checked (do it yourself with a guage you can buy)..if they just tightened 2 spokes and you left, they didn't check for weak spokes pulling the wheel out elsewhere). when you get a well built and properly tensioned wheel, tightening 2 spokes is enough. i have come from newbie to truing wheels in a short time from that book alone...

roadbuzz

Soooo, what are they advocating as the advanced, experienced cyclist hybrid?

I agree w/MiniBullitRacer. Before any new bike leaves the shop, it should undergo an inspection, and typically, tune-up/adjustment. That would include trueing wheels.

That type of service one of the primary reasons you buy from a shop, not from large retail discount store.

Airborne

but props to the wal-marts in a sense for introducing people to cycling that otherwise would never enter a bike shop. bikes next to the chips sucks yes, but the guy holding that can of pringles might second guess the purchase and take up biking as that new shiny NEXT bike is ONLY $89. maybe he'll only ride around the block every now and again, maybe he'll upgrade and get hooked, or break it, and quit, but i see the good options there (2) outweigh the bad (1).

as is the case with the $300 newbie, i am one of them, starting with a murray "mt bike" 14 years ago from toys r us. i rode that thing 62 miles from philly to the jersey shore when i was 14, and it was fine (and i was young and fascinated). only years later did i enter a bike shop from the knowledge gained from my biking friends and got a $300 specialized hardrock all-steel (please come back!) bike from a real shop in 1995.

now, my bikes run into the 4-figure range, i race, and consider myself a bike-o-holic. you know, come to think of it, i may have been richer and better off way back then!!

just kidding, i love my bike and gear and being poor! ride on my $300 hybrid friend, and welcome to end of your surplus cash!

mountaindew

if it was recent i would take it back to the lbs and tell em you just had it trued and its rubbing on the brake again (its not like you did any north shore stuff just a few curbs). on my $90 200 lb. target bike i did quite a bit more than just curbs and didnt have to take it into the lbs at all, but then i bought my $1000 norco hardtail i tried to bunnyhop a curb and bent the wheel and that was the end of that. i did have to learn how to true my wheels (before i screwed up my original wheel) or i wouldve been in and out of the lbs every other week or so. after i got my new wheel i havent had to touch it at all. so take it back to the bs and tell them that 30 miles and a few curbs later its back to rubbing the brake.

D*Alex

Can anybody spot the oxymoron in this statement?

Dannihilator

It's not the LBS's fault for the flimsy wheel, it is the manufacturer who spec'd the bike in the first place.

chewa

Nope. One of my most experienced friends rides a hybrid.

Airborne

thats right, in this sport, its all 2 wheels....

kindbud

thanks to everyone for responding/posting. hope you guys enjoy writing this stuff as much as a newbie like me enjoys/appreciates reading.

Maelstrom 

We wouldn't do it if we didn't enjoy it

pnj

no.

the bike shop sold you a bike for 300 bucks. someone of better skill could put that wheel through harder riding and have it hold up better by riding smoother on it.

we have no idea how hard you run into curbs. i've seen people completly sitting down trying to ride up curbs. this
slams the wheels into the curb and causes more damage than if they stood
up or if they unwheighted the rear wheel a tad.

so I don't think it is fair to blame the bike shop.

as for an indestructable wheel. they don't exist. but there are stronger wheels out there.
they cost more and don't come on low end bikes. I would suggest you try and ride
smoother and while your doing that look into a stronger rear wheel.