Catastrophic Wheel Failure

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08-19-11, 11:18 AM

#26

RichardGlover

2nd Amendment Cyclist

Join Date: Oct 2010

Location: Cary, NC

Posts: 1,036

Bikes: Schwinn 2010 World Street, Handsome Speedy w/ SRAM Apex

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Beanz

One of the last wheels I built was from old parts that the LBS said I was too plain heavy to use. I used the parts with new spokes and built the wheel for $15. They could not hold the wheel true for more than a week. I rebuilt it and now has 8,000+ miles.

That's a lot of riding in a single week.

08-19-11, 01:13 PM

#27

Drew Eckhardt

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Join Date: Apr 2010

Location: Mountain View, CA USA and Golden, CO USA

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Bikes: 97 Litespeed, 50-39-30x13-26 10 cogs, Campagnolo Ultrashift, retroreflective rims on SON28/PowerTap hubs

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Quote:

Originally Posted by sstorkel

I would not expect to save any money building your own wheels, unless you're prepared to spend months shopping for parts.

The first time.

When I bend or wear out a rim and need to replace it I spend just $75 for the rim (It'd be less although I keep replacing Open Pros with the same rim. My most recent build was with a $40 Kinlin) and shipping because I reuse the hubs, spokes, and nipples (although I did twist four $.13 alloy nipples in a road side repair after my most recent front wheel damage) which last pretty much indefinitely (Jobst has 300,000 miles on one set of spokes and hubshells with a bunch of rim replacements, bearings, and rear axles).

My LBS would charge me $85 retail for the rim, $39 for spokes since they're not going to risk their reputation on spokes with unknown fatigue, and $70 for labor plus tax on top for $213 - $138 in savings (I like building wheels, so the labor doesn't count).

New wheels with this year's hubs from a reputable internet shop would run $260 for the front and $310 for the rear shipped which is an extra $185 in front and $235 in back.

I've replaced one front and at least two rear rims on my favorite wheelset since building them 15 years ago which would have cost an extra $414 - $880 in today's dollars.