Originally Posted by
Drew Eckhardt
Properly built wheels don't go out of true until you bend the rims on a road obstacle/crash or are removing tension to replace the rim because you've worn out the brake track.
True, I fully agree. However, if you are penny pinching you can save a bundle by stress relieving a wheel yourself.
On ebay right now there is a vendor selling Mavic A319 wheelset disc brakes with 36 holes for $163.75. They were probably machine made, and most likely not properly stress relieved. What you do is you ride them for a while, then squeeze the spokes (2~3 at a time) hard, before taking them to the shop to have the wheel re-trued. Total cost, under $200.
Or you can buy from a reputable wheel builder, the wheels won't need to be re-trued for a long time, but you end up paying well over $400 for the weelset.