Originally Posted by
DTSCDS
First, they didn't know what they were doing.
Yes, the vertical truing can be done. (This is assuming the rim is not bent and simply needs to be trued.)
Unless the rim is trashed (since you have ridden on it I am going to assume it is NOT trashed) you do not need to buy new rims. No, the stock rims are not as good as spendy new hand made rims but that does not mean need to replace them. At some point you may want to but that is not now.
If you are a big fella you may start popping spokes. (I'm 280 and have never popped a spoke on the original rims that came on my Trek hybrid.) At that point you may want to think about talking to another LBS about rebuilding the rims or think about some new rims. The only time you must buy a new rim is if it is actually cracked/broken or bent beyond repair--not the case with yours.
In conclusion, you don't have a rim problem, you have a bike store problem.
Thank you so much for the response. I consider myself fairly big for an active rider, but I'm only about 215-220 and plan on losing weight. If you're 280 than I don't think my weight is the problem.
It makes sense that it might have just been an issue with my LBS. It almost seemed like I had caught them off guard. Like they knew they messed up, but didn't want to admit it. I'm going to try and take it back to them one more time (I have another free tuneup). If they still play dumb, I will be looking for a more knowledgeable LBS.