Originally Posted by
geachyguy
Hi,
Also, I have seen in other threads that sometimes it's cheaper to buy a complete wheel, then de-tension and re-tension the spokes. If a wheel you buy is true already, why do you need to bother de-tensioning and re-tensioning? What determines if the wheel holds it true or not?
It's like anything else -- cars, bikes, bike wheels -- if you buy 10,000 at a time, you'll get a price break.
Two things determine whether a wheel stays true, adequate spoke tension and spoke tension balance. Most machine-build wheels are trued -- without a load, when they come off the machine, they're round. That's it. It's worth making sure the tension is brought up to an adequate level (if it's not already), and then do a round to make sure all the spokes are evenly tensioned.
I don't know if it's worth de-tensioning first, but the last few times I've bought a new bike the spokes weren't tensioned adequately. I ended up rebuilding the wheel with known good spokes when the OEM spokes started breaking, but more because I wanted the nipples to all use the same wrench than anything else. (The exception was the bike from Bailey's Corner REI, where the wheels stayed true for 3,000 miles with a load, and then only needed touching up. I suspect the mechanics were responsible for that feat!)