worth it to rebuild wheels w/ Deore hubs?
 

My 2006 Kona Jake came stock with Deore hubs and Sun MZ14 rims. Unfortunately, last weekend, one of the rims split where the braking surface transitions over to the area where the spokes meet the rim. The bike has almost 5,000 miles on it, in all weather conditions, so I'm guessing that had something to do witht he rim failure. Being an every day commuter, I went out and bought a new wheelset so I wouldn't be off the bike too long. I'd been meaning to get a 2nd wheelset anyway, and have one with slicks for commuting and one with cx tires for weekend trail rides and possibly races next fall.

Now my question- is it worth it having a shop rebuild my wheels (cheaply) with the existing hubs, which have had no problems. Or would I be better off just selling them on craigslist for whatever I can get, and buy a new inexpensive wheelset (~$120)? How cheaply could I get these rebuilt?

Thanks.

Yes, those are fine hubs. You might clean and repack them, replace the (inexpensive) bearings, and make sure they're in good shape. I would absolutely re-use them.

+1 These are decent hubs. You will not find any $120ish wheel sets that are as good as these can be with a couple of new rims and a decent rebiuld. It will cost you a little more but will be well worth it.

I tend to think of the Deore group as being equivalent to the 105 group in terms of value / quality.

Give the hubs a good repacking and they'll shine on for another 5000 miles.

Rather than introducing a new thread, I thought I'd tag this one.

I have a set of wheels that came with my Raleigh M50DX. They were removed immediately, never ridden, and have been in the garage for two years. They don't spin so well, so I'll likely have to repack them, but I wanted to disassemble them and use the hubs to build a new wheelset (first timer). Raleigh USA says they're Joytech hubs (never heard of 'em), probably used on a wide variety of builds.

My question is, am I better off spending a but more for some good hubs, or are these quality enough?

Joytech is a Taiwanese manufacturer. Maybe with new grease and bearings and adjustment they'll spin better.

Deore hubs are definitely worth holding onto.
Cheapest fix is to buy an equivalent replacement rim. (brand of your choosing)
Loosen the spokes 1/2 turn at a time to un-tension the old wheel. Once loose enough, align the new rim next to the old and transfer each spoke and nipple to the corresponding hole in the new rim.
Moderately tension up the spokes a bit and bring the wheel to your LBS to true it for you.
This will be the lowest labor cost.

I agree with WNG, definately worth holding on to. I enjoyed building my first wheels, just had the LBS true them. If you don't want them I'll pay shipping!!!LOL
Eric

WNG has put it as best as it could be put.

Todd, Joytech are regarded as low-level hubs, but they are quite serviceable depending on the type of riding you want to do with them. There are many Joytechs out there doing quite OK.

As to spinning well or not... I took delivery of some Velocity Dyad wheels recently and the front hub was dreadful... it did not spin at all well because, I think, the preload was too high. The wheels were returned to Velocity because they sent me 32H instead of 36H, anyway, and I opted for the sealed bearing versions.

I'd get some practice in on the Joytechs repacking them and adjusting the preload so they work well when on the bike and with quick release done up.

Many thanks. Looking very forward to learning this craft.

Refer to the goldmine on bike mechanical information -- Sheldon Brown. There is some very useful information in there about the role QRs play in achieving bearing preload.

Thanks for all the replies. WNG that is a good idea, though a quick question.
Would it not also be prudent to use new spokes, or if they're in good shape now can I expect them to keep going a while longer?
Would your average LBS hassle me for doing half a wheel rebuild then asking them to 'true' what are obviously new rims?

Any suggestions on solid, dependable replacement rims? (32H front, 36H rear)

Those are excellent hubs, better than any non-Shimano hubs other than Phil Wood. Certainly worth rebuilding...but why not do it yourself? It's not as hard as most folks suppose, and it's a very rewarding skill to master.

See: http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild

Those are pretty cheesy, and replacement parts are not available for them. My advice is to go for genuine Shimano hubs. Even the "low end" Shimano hubs are better than everything else (aside from the VERY expensive Phil Woods.)

Sheldon "Roll Your Own!" Brown