Originally Posted by
bikerjp
I was just wondering about the downsides to not having a local builder or, with factory, a local shop standing behind them.
The downside would indeed be that you have to pay a local guy to fix a problem or pay to ship it back to the builder. Most factory wheels are supported by any shop that sells them, but I've heard horror stories about how long it takes to get 1 stinking spoke shipped from the manufacturer, and how much 1 stinking spoke costs because it is proprietary.
Originally Posted by
bikerjp
The note above about the Kinlin rims "pulsing" when braking is the kind of info I don't have. Is that typical of those rims or a bad batch? If I bought a factory set and had an issue like that I could probably exchange them at the lbs. With custom probably not.
My XR-200 rims have no pulsing, although I expect any super light rim to develop uneven wear (more wear by the spokes) over time as the sidewalls wear down. I have also not heard any compaints from the various people I have built XR-270 and XR-300 rims up for, including a tandem team.