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Old 06-21-12, 01:39 PM
  #22  
gyozadude
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Bikes: Bridgestone RB-1, 600, T700, MB-6 w/ Dirt Drops, MB-Zip, Bianchi Limited, Nashbar Hounder

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You know, I really don't think that weight is a significant issue on this new bike.

What we need to assess first is the cause for the wheel going out of true. As others have asked, are any spokes broken? Does the wheel spin freely or rub the brakes or worse, fail to clear the stays?

Next, you might approach the LBS with the facts of your case. If they bring up the weight issue, tell them I'm 280. I ride 32 spoke wheels. I rode hard today and sprinted off at a few lights to get into work. So that's not really the issue. The issue is a fairly new wheel not holding up to reasonable riding.

What's reasonable? Well, they sold the bike to you, and if you were heavy then, why did they sell it to you?

If the cause was broken spokes, then on a new wheel, ALL the spokes are suspect. I wouldn't ride with a bad batch of spokes. And when spokes are bad (I've bought enough boxes of cheap spokes in bulk) it's likely a high percentage of them are bad. The maker systematically has an inferior way of forging the mushroom head or bending the curve at the base or what not, and if one breaks after a short perior, another will likely break.

IMRE, many wheels that come stock are showing up like that. And the results are inconsistent with any maker, and even on the same model bike. I suspect that it's because the factory that assembles the bikes are often getting inconsistent batches of spokes and they don't do sufficient QA to test the spokes. Most manufacturers are making the assumption that on mid-grade bikes, sub $1000, the riders average less than 200 lbs weight and less than 500 miles per year. The rest of the time, it collects dust in a garage. With that data in hand, they probably aren't investing much into quality and consistency, especially with spokes.

I'm not sure what to recommend for you, except try to work with the LBS. I know from my experience, I'd build my own wheels. But that does take some investment in time, tools, and self-education, which may not be the same for the OP.

Last edited by gyozadude; 06-21-12 at 03:15 PM.
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