How long to re-stitch a wheel ?

[Mike63]

Hi...I need to return my rear wheel to 50 cycles to have a new rim fitted.
I'm 90 miles away so difficult to make the return journey twice so I'm hoping to persuade then to do
the job while I wait.
....with goodwill how long will it take ?
.....many thanks....Mike

 

[Alan Quay]

If I have all the right bits, I can do it in an hour or so, and I'm no expert.

 

[Mike63]

cheers Alan...that's a lot quicker than I thought.
...so if I got there a 11am not unreasonable to have it done for 2.30.
....right, now all I have to do is create the goodwill
....many thanks....Mike

 

[Nealh]

Yep arrange the good will and take it back home with you a pro should easily do it in an hour.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It takes less than an hour for an experiences wheel builder, but are you sure that 50 cycles will do it themselves and don't sub it out to a local bike shop? Can't you just ring them and ask them how long you'll have to wait? It might be a good idea to check that they actually have the rim and spokes in stock before you set off.

Just to complete the story, why do you need a new rim? Is there something special about it? Why don't you take it to a local bike shop to sort out, which will be a lot cheaper considering the 180 mile round trip?

 

[trex]

or post them the wheel.

 

[Mike63]

cheers d8veh....long story short.....shortish anyway.
...the spokes were loose, took wheel to Halfords...paid £11...still loose.

Travelled to 50 Cycles at Loughborough to look at Tasman I'm thinking of purchasing so took wheel with me and asked them to tighten spokes while I road tested the Tasman..... after 2 hours they said that they couldn't do it because of a "flat spot" , whatever that is, and they would need to order a new rim from Germany.

Re-fitted wheel to bike and after mentioning problem in the forum, RobF came over from North Yorkshire to me , 100 mile round trip ?
and in 10 minutes tightened the spokes.
Now I don't suppose the wheel is perfect, I'm no expert on these matters, but since then I've done 50 miles on the bike and the spokes are still tight and the wheel is still true.

50 cycles are 'gonna ring me when they have the rim which is for a Kalkhoff bike...nothing special...bar Halfords we do not have a LBS.
I suppose I'm now responsible for the new rim they've ordered.
....and I was 'gonna ask if they could do it while I waited when they rang to tell me they had the new rim.

.....and that's it .....Mike

 

[Mike63]

or post them the wheel.

Thought about that Trex but then I'm without my bike for a week.
cheers....Mike

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Are you sure that you're not being gullible? Think about what I wrote above.

Rob has sorted it and it's running true? Hello!

 

[Mike63]

Are you sure that you're not being gullible?

I thought that too d8veh but ordering the rim came before the Rob thing.
....and I figure I'm responsible for the rim they've ordered on my behalf.
....and I want to sell the bike, can't do that if it's not perfect.
....Mike

 

[trex]

if the rim runs true, that's all that matters. You'd waste your money paying to transfer the NuVinci to the new rim. Have you asked 50 Cycles to quote for the labour?

 

[Mike63]

Have you asked 50 Cycles to quote for the labour?

No I haven't Trex.....perhaps I should have.
...Incidentally....what is a "flat spot" ?
.....Mike

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Let me paint a hypothetical scenario. Someone asks a dealer to fix his wheel. The dealer doesn't have anybody with the skills to fix it, so he makes up a story that the rim is too badly damaged and needs to be replaced, which he can't do today. This clever answer not only saves him face but gives him the opportunity to rip-off the customer with an unnecessary extortionate price for a new rim and spokes plus labour. Let's say £130. The customer later sees that any amateur with a modicum of skill could fix his bike to perfect functionality in a few minutes. He now feels that he owes the dealer a favour. Hmmmm!

 

[Mike63]

......

....or perhaps the customer feels he just owes the dealer for the rim
....and if he can find someone nearer with the skills to do the job, he can then sell the bike with impunity....still cost him money but his conscience is clear.

 

[trex]

Have you asked 50 Cycles to quote for the labour?

No I haven't Trex.....perhaps I should have.
...Incidentally....what is a "flat spot" ?
.....Mike

a flat spot is a dent on the rim, when you hit the kerb hard while the tyre is under-inflated for example. I removed a small flat spot once with a vice and two small pieces of wood.
RobF has fixed your wheel, there is no need to spend more money. I suggest you ring 50Cycles and tell them to cancel the order for the rim.

 

[RobF]

The bike has hydraulic rim brakes.

There was some wear on the wheel's braking surface, so it may be a new rim was a reasonable diagnosis.

What was unreasonable was 50 Cycles sent Mike away the first time with the wheel in the state I found it - several loose spokes.

At the very least, they should have done what I did to it, telling Mike that would keep him going temporarily until a new rim was available.

Seems clear to me 50 Cycles' knowledge of wheels is less than even my limited understanding.

Or they just can't be bothered with a customer who has a newish bike supplied by them, and who has travelled to see them.

A competent bike mechanic could have trued the wheel and tensioned the spokes in 10 minutes.

 

[JohnCade]

The bike has hydraulic rim brakes.

There was some wear on the wheel's braking surface, so it may be a new rim was a reasonable diagnosis.

What was unreasonable was 50 Cycles sent Mike away the first time with the wheel in the state I found it - several loose spokes.

At the very least, they should have done what I did to it, telling Mike that would keep him going temporarily until a new rim was available.

Seems clear to me 50 Cycles' knowledge of wheels is less than even my limited understanding.

Or they just can't be bothered with a customer who has a newish bike supplied by them, and who has travelled to see them.

A competent bike mechanic could have trued the wheel and tensioned the spokes in 10 minutes.

I’ve only been to one of their shops but like most of these places I don’t think you could say it was really a bike shop. There is no old bloke with a flat cap and a fag permanently between his lips who knows how to fix everything and has a tool for everything. Just a young salesman who doesn’t know much and a shop manager. They are selling things and if it needs fixing they probably get it done elsewhere or have a peripatetic mechanic who visits.

 

[RobF]

I’ve only been to one of their shops but like most of these places I don’t think you could say it was really a bike shop. There is no old bloke with a flat cap and a fag permanently between his lips who knows how to fix everything and has a tool for everything. Just a young salesman who doesn’t know much and a shop manager. They are selling things and if it needs fixing they probably get it done elsewhere or have a peripatetic mechanic who visits.

Quite possibly, but I regard my wheel building skills as not much more advanced than the skill needed to inflate a tyre.

Anyone who works in a bike shop ought to be able to tighten a few spokes, even if they can't build a wheel from scratch.

 

[JohnCade]

The point is that it’s not a bike shop in the sense of workshop its a place they sell you bikes. The kid I dealt with wouldn’t know what a spoke key was.

 

[RobF]

The point is that it’s not a bike shop in the sense of workshop its a place they sell you bikes. The kid I dealt with wouldn’t know what a spoke key was.

Hardly inspires confidence when a bike arrives from the factory needing a bit of fettling, as many inevitably will.

I've seen my local bike shop prepare a bike for sale.

It doesn't take long, but they do check the wheels for trueness, and ping the spokes by hand to check the tension.

But then, they know what they are doing.