the reformation

so kicked off my trek 2011 1.5 triple, the first expensive bike i've owned and i'm so angry i could crush a grape.

as soon as the the drunkard had done it, he was set upon by a mob of very angry bystanders who saw his idiotic behaviour and were particularly offended by it. the whole incident was so surreal, once the police (who apparently had seen the event) pulled the last man off who was strangling him in a bush i felt quite sorry for the stupid young man. the police asked if i wanted to press charges and foolishly i said "no" cos i was so shocked.

anyway, the next day i noticed my back wheel which he kicked was not true and running straight and i have to say that at that moment if the perp had been stood anywhere near me at that moment, forget pressing charges, i would have been the one strangling him to death with police restraining me (so a thank you to that random drunk... at least i can close my eyes and replay that moment in my mind, shallow consolation that it is)...

anyway, i have contacted the police again, there is cctv footage, it'll be a pretty cut and dry case of assault with witnesses and video evidence in my favour. but my lbs is closed over xmas and the interwebs are ***useless*** or i've had one sherry too many, but how much does a new back wheel for a trek 1.5 triple 2011 cost? or what would you recommend?

i am without a bike on xmas day and most of my presents are bike orientated which is bitter sweet... if anyone can comfort me and prepare me for the inevitable spend at my lbs it would be appreciated.

your, noob victim.

Gluteus

Merry Christmas! or as you say in the UK "Happy Christmas".

ilovecycling

Man that sucks...it was a great story though. Perfect for Christmas day. Shoulda kicked his ass. You would feel better right now if you had done it.

I would just drop a few hundred and get a quality wheelset that weighs around ~1500 grams. Those factory Bontrager wheels are so freaking heavy. The Race wheels on my old 2.3 were like 2000 grams. You could probably get your wheel trued, but if the damage is too bad you might be SOL. If that ends up being the case, just replace the wheels completely. No sense in replacing a garbage wheel with another one.

Doohickie

The answer to your problem (although it won't help today) is N+1. You clearly need a backup bike.

mark1974

wtf

pelotonracer

"so angry I could crush a grape"

so... slightly annoyed?

the reformation

my backup bike needs a new headset, and frankly the amount of money it would cost to fix up my giant mountain bike would be better spent on my roadbike, but i catch your drift. unfortunately my first road bike was a steel frame dawes inherited from my dad, he got it several decades ago. my brother rode it under a truck. unfortunately my brother survived.

adamgoldberg

His insurance (or yours, possibly) should cover the fix ... right?

Oh, um, I have no idea how things work in the UK

Dudelsack 

Details?

"I was standing at a red light and this drunk approached me and knocked me off the bike, and then he....".

Stuff like that.

Essex

The Teddy Boy/Chav is going to get his bollocks handed to him soon. I hope that is of some good cheer for Christmas?

Whilst crushing a grape is admirable - how about giving the wanker a Glasgow Kiss (with your helmet on) the next time.

Painful Chafe

Can you tell us why the D-Bag did it?

surgeonstone

Sad story. Pressing charges is the right thing to do, drunk or not.

blcknspo0ln

Probably wearing full Hincapie kit jk jk

Amusing story. I hope you press charges. Also, the N+1 rule definitely applies here.

UCIMBZ

it was just a triple.

Runner 1

Uh, we're totally going to need to see that CCTV footage. Hope you had a merry Christmas otherwise!

coasting 

i like the way you think.

bassjones

Or at least a backup wheel set.

the reformation

To administera loving Glasgee kiss would have involved fighting my way to the front of the queue.

the reformation

Yeah I probably deserved it

guadzilla

The bright side is that the wheels on the Trek 1.5 are decent but by no means great/exotic - they're probably the first thing you'd want to upgrade anyway. So getting them damaged isn't that big a deal (although I feel your pain).

Also, getting them trued shouldn't cost you a lot of money.

Look at the bright side - this could be the incentive you need to get yourself a second pair of wheels. Make one your beater pair, the other your nicer pair. Aksiums are good budget wheels, and should be lighter than the stock wheels on the Trek by a fair bit, IIRC.

Or just go buy a pair of Lightweights

Essex

Brits are always waiting in queue. Be like a Yank - cut to the front and give em' the Glasgee kiss.

valygrl

All this time, I thought that they spoke the same language in the UK as we do in the USA.... my bad. :/

ahsposo 

Thank You.

Juan Foote

I would certainly look into having the wheel trued. Those Bonty's, although heavy, are a quite durable wheel. I rode a set for over a year while over 250# and never had to have them trued.