I received my new track frameset this week and headed down to my lbs where I'll be having my bike built.. I asked them to help me build a parts list and this is what I walked out of the store with (brand names and prices given). I'm posting it here to get your opinions on the brands/prices and general opinions about it. I'm still on the fence about having wheels built vs buying a wheelset.

This bike will be my 2nd bike that I'll be riding around the city with.. My other bike is a roadbike that I use for commuting and what not.

Their advice seemed legit but I also wanted to get the internets opinion. I could easily just say whatever and have the shop do it.. but I'd really like to make an educated decision for each part going into this bike. I think it's more fun/rewarding that way anyway

Crankset- Sugino 48 $110
Rims- DT Swiss 465 $90/ea
Wheel build - $50/ea
Joytech hubs (32h)- $65/ea
Seatpost - $20
Brooks B17 Saddle - $100
Drop bars - $20
Stem - $35
Headset - $50
Kevlar tires - 25mm $58/ea

build it yourself, it's more fun/rewarding that way.

What's the frame?

White industries freewheel

$410 is a lot to pay for a wheelset with joytech hubs and ok rims. I assume the "wheel build" price includes spokes?

You can get the extremely well thought-of Mavic Ellipse for around that (probably a few bucks more).
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...track-wheelset

Then if you're worried about buying online, pay $25 to have them tensioned/trued at the shop.
Of course they'll probably not want to be your friend as much if you buy a superior product online at less than what they quoted. But that's how it goes.

Otherwise, without brands and models on any of your other parts it's impossible to know if they're screwing you.
For example: You cranks are Sugino? Great. If they're Sugino RD, then $110 is a fine price. If they're Sugino XD, then you're getting fleeced.

this

Holy crap. DO NOT pay that much for those wheels.

Yea, my mind was blown when I saw the figures for that wheel build. You can get something really nice on Velomine for that much.

Yeah, like a god damn Phil Wood to Open Pro for $40 more.

Or Dura Ace to Open Pro for $40 less.

Thanks for the replies.. The estimated total for the wheels did seem like a lot to me after having had looked around online at various wheel prices. However, I don't want to assume they're trying to rip me off. Perhaps I added up something wrong in my list.. Also, those hubs seem to have less than stellar online reviews.

The guys at the shops seemed cool with the idea of me bringing in major parts I got online but who knows.. I'm sure they'd prefer I didn't but I don't know if they'd tell me outright to **** off.

As for the crankset.. Good question. They just showed it me. I'll have to find out which model it is. How much should I really anticipate to spend on a crank in this instance and are there others I should consider in the price range of $100?

I'm going to go check out velomine and see how their stuff adds up against my list in the meantime.

Having wheels handbuilt at a local shop is nice but without employee or super friend discount it's always going to be twice as much as online, 'cause you're paying retail for each part + build cost.

That makes sense. The stuff on velomine looks like a decent alternative. Fortunately I'm not in a rush so I can keep shopping around.

several wheel builders i have talked to say the quality of dt swiss 565 rims if considerably better than open pros. (mavic as slipped lately it seems)

that said, you can find them for less than $90 and that is way too much for joytec hubs.

I urge you to work something out with your shop before going on any online retailer.
(Bias disclosure: I own a bike shop).
Many shops are certainly slow, it being winter. Look to them for a deal before looking online for a deal.

As far as the Mavic Ellipse, I would buy that racing wheelset for racing, not for riding around the city. The DT rims you listed are a stellar option for urban riding.

i have owned the ellipse set for almost a year now - any claims they do not work well on the street are false. they are fantastic and stay true, despite the low spoke count - plus, if you dont like them, high resale value because they look superb (imo). i cant say much i guess, since i weight <120 lbs, but - hey, carltons like 200 and he used to rock 'em.

The bottom line is you are paying LBS prices for mediocre and even junky parts. LBSs are absolutely predatory in their pricing and any advice they give is usually misguided or biased towards them overcharging you for something. Don't fall into the trap. You can get better stuff for much less ordering online. $110 for a Sugino 48 crankset is laughable, not to mention the absurd cost for wheels. I mean, you can get a pair of formula hubs for less then they are charging for a single inferior Joytech hub. The last thing you ever want to buy at an LBS is a tire. You can buy the absolute best road tires made for $40 each online. The other parts (stem, seatpost, bars, etc.) are probably cheapo kalloy junk. Avoid avoid avoid. Order better stuff online and learn to put it together yourself and absolutely distance yourself from LBSs as much as possible. Most important of all, disregard any kind of advice they give you.

^ Sounds like you had some bad experiences with bike shops.

Not necessarily. He's right.

Its not that I've had "bad" experiences with LBSs. Most experiences I've had at LBSs would be better described as consistently laughable. The input you'll get in this forum and others is normally worth ten times the price of what LBS charges you for their expert "service".

the only hard part about forums is that you have to sort of filter out the bad stuff.
and there are a lot of bad stuff floating around.

As for the LBS prices, that's the difference between mom and pop type shops vs. chain stores or stores specialized in buying massive quantities and selling online.

smaller customer catchment area means you just won't be able to move as much inventory, and having a massive stock pile at a warehouse wouldn't be good. Online stores, with large catchment areas, move more volume, so there's less problem with having a warehouse that only does online sales, while having a few store fronts can do service.

and god forbid you have an online competitor, then the prices can get really cut throat like for popular items.

like PBK vs. CRC vs. wiggle/ribble

at my LBS there is lots of beer drinking and poking fun at customers and their stupid bikes....in between actually working on bikes, if we get a chance.

Yeah, I know what you were aiming for. I never felt that way about some shops, or I just have not had many negative experiences, but I try to shop around for deals or buy second hand if I can.

AEO pretty much it the nail on the head, though.

1. Buy IRO Angus Complete for $399
2. Keep all of the parts
3. Sell frame for $300
4. Profit

The other day I went into my LBS of choice and bought a freewheel removal tool, because I'd lost mine.

I was throwing them a bone by buying it there. Trying to be a good guy and patronize the local business. Yeah they charged me $21 when I could have gotten it for $8 on Amazon, but whatever. That is not a lot of money for me right now.

I wonder if they appreciated the gesture, or if they thought "Look at that dumbass, paying $21 for an FR-8"?

Probably the latter.

I feel ya. Recently I went to buy some Chris King hubs at an lbs. The shop is really nice and sometimes has random stuff I need so i figured I would give them a shot and see what they charge.

"We sure can get the hubs in for you. Regular retail is: $328 for the front, and $779 for the rear hub. We can give you a bit of a break on them and do them for $287 and $681 respectively."

So I ended up getting a pair for 450+shipping on ebay. I may end up going there to get them built up but if I were to pay retail for the hubs + rims/spokes/tires/tubes I could buy any number of sick bikes for that.

Scrod I thought your post was funny!