Bob Ross

Anyone got any unequivocal two-thumbs-up dis-guy-is-da-shiznit recommendations for a wheel builder in Manhattan?

I'm looking for the usual holy grail: a sub-1500g set of road wheels that are bomb-proof for a 180lb cyclist who likes fast club rides w/ lots of climbing *and* sprinting. Something at least as good (if not way better) than Ksyrium Elites. Bonus points if he can make them at least as inexpensive (if not way cheaper) than Ksyrium Elites. I will however happily pay a lot more for good work.

And I'm looking in Manhattan (rather than mail order) because if they do require any maintenance (however minor) down the road I'd like to be able to easily bring them back to the original builder rather than ship them off or have my LBS wrench further screw them up.

Thanks.

pgoat

sorry, I'm reviving this because i am looking too - I just need a good wheel truing (as in competent, get what I paid for-a true wheel).

I can handle front wheels okay and small tweaks to rear wheels but once the dishing gets involved I am lost (i do this without a truing stand, on the bike using brakes as guides). I once made a rear wheel worse by losing the proper dish while trying to get a blip out.

I've tried a few local NYC shops and was sorely disappointed:

shop 1 did a bad tweak true on my wheel, which was in darn good shape; I broke my first spoke ever the following week.

shop 2 replaced the spoke but neglected to tell me there was a flat spot on the rim (damaged when I rode home with broken spoke); the opposite spoke broke the next week.

shop 3 replaced the second broken spoke, and my rim tape (funny how the first shop didn't need to replace it; it must have went 'bad' in a week) and again didn't tell me my rim was shot (I hadn't seen the flat spot; I merely thought shop 2 did a bad job of truing and left a hop there). Shop 3 also compensated for the hop by leaving several spokes so loose they were flapping around.

If u r wondering why i accepted such shoddy service,

1. - picked up bike from out of town, didn't realize there was an issue till the first spoke broke
2. - was in a rush to get from work to dr. appt, and don't trust them to bring it back there
3. - was in a rush at lunch time, and again, would never bring my wheel back there again.

I realize you can't rush a good true - I plan to leave this one at the shop till whenever (I've since bought a set of back-up wheels). But to me, a shop shouldn't hand a wheel back to a customer as "trued" , and take their money, when the wheel is basically damaged and untruable.

so who's trustworthy? Bicycle habitat? Bikeworks? Sid's? Toga? Conrad's already told me they don't do Mtb wheels.

This is a decent mtb wheel - not steel beach cruiser junk, but not exotic or expensive either. Please - no shops in Brooklyn, I live in Queens and work in manhattan and rarely get to brooklyn for something like this.

thanks!

geo8rge

If you are breaking spokes you probably need a new rim and spokes. Buy a whole new wheel depending on the value of your hub.

Bicycle Habit is the one I would use, they also have a wheel building course. Times Up has a tool co-op.

pgoat

well, I bought a new wheel; I want to set this old one up as a backup.

I actually bought a new rim (Sun CR18) and moved all the spokes over from the old rim (which regrettably has a flat ding in two places where the spokes broke). The hub is nothing special ('93 Deore DX) but the rim was $10 from nashbar so no biggie - transferring spokes was something to do on a weeknight after the TdF was over.

I know many folk frown on using old spokes but i wanted to do this on the cheap; I've used far older wheels with no issues and feel confident if tensioned and trued properly I should be okay with this one. I've also done this rim-swap before (on non-dished SS rear wheels with a coaster brake) and gotten it more than true enough to work fine, with no spoke issues (and those spokes - from a three speed 26x1 3/8 - weren't even the right length for the 'new' mtb 559rim, which was older than the donor rim!!).

For the record, I'd never broken a spoke before in decades of riding and these spokes are breaking at the hub on the non-drive side.

I know an older wheel will eventually start to go but I am pretty sure the truing at shop 1 had a lot to do with it.

I've found most props for Bike Works on here but B Habitat gets lots of votes as well - and they're easier for me to get to....I shall see......

any other votes?

Bob Ross

That's too bad...'cuz when I asked this same question over on the NYCC message board, the consensus seemed to be a guy named Yee who works @ Conrad's.

pgoat

you may wanna dbl check with them - they might build the wheels for you. I know they told me they weren't taking mountain bikes in for service at all.

From what I've heard they have a good rep; I don't hold it against them that they snubbed me on the mtb service. I'd rather be riding my road bike anyway......but this is for my commuter/beater. I kinda doubt they'd be any more interested in truing a nasty outdated mtb wheel for me......

But I'd think they might do a set of new mtb wheels, as you're paying for the parts, etc. Can't hurt to ask.

Scooped

i know it's not manhattan but...
it's in syosset long island across the street from the lirr.
Will from roadworx

https://roadworxli.com
M-T: 10-6, Th-F: 10-7 Sat-Sun: 10.30-4 Closed Wednesday

4 Jackson Avenue
Syosset, NY 11791
Phone: 516.558.7841