Best place to have a wheel built in NYC
 

I need to have a new front wheel made. I've found a site online where I can buy an aerohead rim for $48 (seems good?). I already have my existing hub, so I just need to find someone good around NYC that can build it for me. (If the shop can give me a good price on an aerohead rim, I'd buy from them, no problem too.) Can anyone direct me to a shop around here that builds wheels well? I do live in Manhattan, but I'll travel to Brooklyn or Queens if need be. I searched here, but couldn't find anything directly related to wheels being built. Thanks for the help!

Ryan

i'm going to city bikes on 38 btwn 8th and 9th when I get everything for my wheels (just because I know the shop workers well) and I hear they do a great job on builds. I had my rear deep v built at Larry and Jeff's on i think 87th and 2nd (Larry and Jeff's Second Avenue Bicycles Plus
1690 2nd Avenue (corner of 87th St). I hit a pot hole at speed so hard, I was sure knocked it out of true, but was truly amazed nothing needed work.

bike works, nyc on the lower east side. nice guys, good prices, any lacing you want.

arone from bike works now builds the wheels. she was the main wheel builder at bike works. a lot of use got our wheels done by her and they are strong as a hell.
contact her at wheellove@gmail.com

Whats the average price you guys have paid( spokes+labor) on a set of wheels?

How do you pronounce that name? Is Arone pronounced "air-un"? And Bike Works is on the LES, just south of Houston, off of Ridge St., yeah? You said that she "was" the main wheel builder. Does she not work there anymore, or not build the wheels anymore? Thanks!

Ryan

actually, she works at bicycle station now, like three days a week. yeah its pronounced erin. i asked her about that this weekend and she threw a brownie at me. so i guess its a touchie issue
yeah she was the main wheel builder at bike works which is on ridge.

i would def. go with her since most of the wheels built out of bike works were done with her. its cheaper than bike works also. i am having her do my track wheelset soon.
i had a set done at trackstar, arrowheads 3x cross on suze promax hubs and it was about 500.hope that helps

Is that out in Brooklyn? I looked it up and is the address 560 Vanderbilt Ave.? Just want to make sure that I have the right place.

Wow. Cheaper than Bike Works too, huh? I had seen on Bike Works' site that they had Velocity Aerohead rims for $48, the same price as I saw online, so if Bicycle Station is even cheaper I'll definitely trek out there.

Do you know what days she works? And do you think it would be totally strange for me, a complete stranger, to come in and request that she be the one to make my wheel? Would feelings get hurt with other employees? Just want to make sure. ;) Thanks!

Ryan

dave at bikeworks still builds a mean wheel. No doubt this girl's good, i'm just saying...

im having a set of phils to deep v's w/ 3 leading 3 trailing and radial for 550. same ballpark as trackstar, it seems.

i bought my rush frame from bike staion, they gave me the best deal anywhere.

yeah its in brooklyn, by pp i think.
there are some pp races tonight called "summer slam". arone will be there as well as most of the nyc fixed community, u should come by. i'll introduce u and then it wouldnt be weird. she's been published in bicycling mag and is going to have a reoccurring column of "fix it" solutions.
she is building the wheels aside from bicycle station. she does them at home, so that's why i said it was cheaper.

yeah dave still builds them too, but i noticed that a lot of people have been going to her after she left bike works.
trackstar is good too, but seriously they take so long sometimes. my friend waited over a month for a set.

im actually really glad this thread was started, i think i'll be getting a new wheel set in the somewhat near future and was wondering where the best place or best person to get it done by was. thanks for the info. how much does this little lady charge?

Dave at Bike Works built my wheels even when Arone still worked there so getting wheels built there was never a sure thing that she would do the work. Even if you bring in your hub to be built up and Arone isn't working that day, she will most likely build the wheel the owner doesnt' have that much time to sit and build wheels and Arone has a reputation as a great wheelbuilder. Bike Station is just south of Atlantic Avenue between Dean and Bergen and on Vanderbuilt.

I'd really encourage you to build your own wheels. I think the difficulty of wheel building is completely blown out of proportion and scares people off from even trying. If you do other work on your bike, have decent mechanical ability, can read, and have a flat head screw driver and a spoke wrench you can lace up your own.

I too was in the scared off camp for too long and after lacing my first set of wheels I'm annoyed I spent so much time thinking only a master artisan could build wheels.

Do some reading and give it a go. Or, find a friend who knows how to build a wheel and tap into their brain. Really, give it a try.

And I like nice components and bike parts as the next person, but please let go of this delusion that unless you have Phil Wood hubs and Deep V rims your wheels are just going to suck and will come untrue every time you hit a crack. That just isn't true. There are plenty of lower performance rim and hubs and for most riders their own physical abilities limit what they can do on a bicycle more than not having the most $ stuff. I see too many people with really nice, expensive bicycles and they aren't able to push them at more than 8 miles an hour.

Hey. Thanks for the invite, but unfortunately I need to have a new wheel built because my front doesn't hold for more than a few hours. But once I get it built, I'd love to come riding. I'm not really competitive on the bike, but I do like to ride.

I tried calling Bicycle Station today, but no one answered and the message machine said it was full. I called Bicycle Works and spoke with Dave. He said that he would be able to build me a aerohead wheel with my hub for $100. I think I may just take it over there. Before I do, anyone have any doubts? Sound okay? Dave's good, right? Thanks!

Ryan

Yea, Dave is very good. Built me mavic open pros to formulas, he had it done in one day, and they were true till my bike got stolen. He'll true them after you ride them for awhile for free. I'm going to him again this week for my new wheels. He's very nice and his store has good vibes. And we all love good vibes.

yeah dave is good. u'll be fine.

best thing is to learn to build your own wheels. Send arone a email because she also teaches wheelbuilding.

best place for wheel build is not in nyc, but at business cycles !!!!!!!

i deff want to learn wheel building cause i want nothing to do with bike shops if i can help it.

I love how people think that wheel building is like total magic. "I can really feel how so-and-so preloaded the tension on these spokes! You just can't get the proper application of spoke-prep in NYC!"

I'm not trying to knock you, I just think it's silly that people have such strong opinions about how no shop in NYC is good enough to build wheels. I taught myself how to built my own wheels and haven't noticed any difference between my wheels and wheels built at various shops.

Yea but you're Asian-you have the magic within.

I saw the worlds largest working rubix cube a few weeks ago and thought of you.

I say this cause i had a set of wheels built by a well known shop here ( rather not mention names) and the wheel is centered fine, but if i flip the wheel, it's now off centered wtf? i don't go back cause i will blow up : (