Originally Posted by
Pulse_
Ok, I see. So you might keep your wheelsets longer than the bike and re-sell the bike with its original wheels, right? Is it generally safe to buy quality wheels, but used? Is the obsolescence of wheels fast through the years?
I have done that in the instances where I sold the bike. Wheels don't necessarily get obsolete. But, technology will improve over time. Generally, the improvements seem to be incremental except when they aren't, such as when the great leap forward from rim brakes being the standard on road bikes was suddenly supplanted by disc brakes in the last 2 years. To your question of used wheels: yes, with some conditions. It's important to ensure the rim is not cracked, especially at the nipple holes, or damaged at the bead seat, and that the hub flanges are not damaged. In general, bicycle wheels can be rebuilt indefinitely as log as none of those limiting conditions is present.